CD Review: Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage

Written by Petra Whiteley Friday, 22 June 2012 12:41

Artist: Gojira
Title: L’Enfant Sauvage
Genre: Tech Death Metal/ Experimental Metal
Release Date: 22nd June 2012
Label:  Roadrunner Records

Album Review

GOJIRA was founded way back in 1996 under the incarnation of GODZILLA, but changed name to its present likeness in 2001 due to some legal wrangles. Innovatively combining several strands of Metal they gained renown and recognition from fans and colleague heavy-weights alike (LAMB OF GOD, METALLICA, MESHUGGAH etc), worth mentioning at this point is Joe Duplantier's assistance to the CAVALERA CONSPIRACY on the bass within 2007-8.

GOJIRA is not only a band that sets out to get your heads banging but there’s an open invitation to get the grey matter within your skull moving too and contemplate issues they raise with the inviting depth of the complexity they create with their musical and lyrical prowess. In the past they have been known to take on spiritual and environmental issues, with this fifth album entitled as ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ [Wild Child] they pose questions of one’s role in a society, of one’s struggle to remain free of its constraints. That very fight against the beast and its contaminating reach materialises in a super heavy, yet even in a mellower passages scorching with intensity, brutal, agonising and fierce listen or more precisely, GOJIRA are your Dante through this existential, gripping journey. From start to finish you’ll also feel the innovative approach, so many streams they weave this from, the classical and ultra-modern within metal and music in general, in their unique way, which guarantees no boredom and no-clone sense setting in any part of the album.

Fittingly, it opens with ‘Explosia’, a multi-layered song with a mesmerising groove; it’s like a crushing and colossal tour de force, superbly innervating. The best kick here comes with a Western themed passage reminiscent of ENNIO MORRICONE, embraced by the chugging, cuttingly relentless, dark riffs within its last quarter. Then it bursts into the second, album titled song (also released as a single), which though it feels dark, you should bear in mind this line “There is light in this world I fight for”; it also signifies the more down-to-earth turn of lyrics from their previous output. ‘The Wild Healer’ and ‘Planned Obsolence’ bring a slight sense of reprieve in its mellower passages, the word ‘reprieve’ is deceptive as they bring melancholy in its more passive, but no less effective, lay-out. ‘The Gift Of Guilt’ is terrific with its evocative ability to make you feel disoriented within this labyrinthine descent, checking out if you still got any resistance left, or what is left at all against the onslaught. Every song feels as an integral part of the journey. The interaction between and of vocals with music in constant dialogue stand out throughout also. The way it builds up, reconstructs, re-figures is perfect for its motif of questioning.

I find this album to be extremely engaging. It just won’t leave you alone! What I also love is that it puts you in a constant state of wonder – there is always some surprise along one’s way through it –and I feel that its encouragement and its provocation to retain an open mind against all odds are its main achievements. The depiction of one’s struggle is not only profound but relatable. I don’t really know what is there to wait for – miss this album at your peril! It’s simply brilliant and it won’t collect dust – it’s something to come back to time and time again, not just this year but quite far into future – like all unforgettable albums. And like the best albums it’s not just entertainment but a piece of art. Epic and essential!!!


Tracklist

01. Explosia
02. L’Enfant Sauvage
03. The Axe
04. Liquid Fire
05. The Wild Healer
06. Planned Obsolence
07. Impermanence
08. The Gift Of Guilt
09. Pain Is A Master
10. Born In Winter
11. The Fall


Line-up

Joe Duplantier – vocals, guitar
Mario Duplantier – drums, percussion
Christian Andreu – guitar
Jean-Michel Labadie – bass


Websites

http://www.gojira-music.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/GojiraMusic / http://www.myspace.com/gojira


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10