Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany 12th August 2025
Gojira - “Summer 2025” - Special guests: Car Bomb, Neckbreakker
GOJIRA made their fans happy by announcing new dates for their European tour in the summer of 2025. In addition to concerts in Croatia, Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania, GOJIRA was scheduled to play a show at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen. In recent weeks, the band also participated several festivals, such as Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, and Reload Festival in Germany as well as the British Bloodstock and the Czech Brutal Assault Festival.
A few weeks ago, frontman Joe Duplantier not only reviewed the performance at this year’s opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in a podcast but also made hints about the upcoming album. According to him, the band is trying to create something “significant and impactful.” It would be the band’s eighth studio album; their most recent album, ‘Fortitude’, was released in 2021.
Car Bomb
The opener of the evening was CAR BOMB from New York. The band was founded back in 2000. So far, they are on their fourth studio album, called ‘Mordial’ from 2019. Check out https://www.carbombcult.com for more info.
Music & Performance
CAR BOMB entered the stage of the ultra-warm Turbinenhalle at 7:30pm, and they instantaneously overwhelmed the Oberhausen crowd with their chaotic blend of experimental, polyrhythmic fury, drawing comparisons to bands like MESHUGGAH and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. While fans of the band certainly appreciated each member executing the complex arrangements with machine-like precision, the majority of the audience remained stunned by the dizzying time signature changes, jarring dissonance, and an aggressive, almost psychotic energy that was both disorienting and captivating.
Vocalist Michael Dafferner’s harsh growls cut through the dense sonic landscape, while guitarist Greg Kubacki’s jarring riffs and effects created an atmosphere of beautiful brutality. I witnessed one enthusiastic headbanger trying to mosh extensively despite the scorching heat, but after a short while he gave up in part due to the brutal rhythm changes. So clearly, CARBOMB was not everyone’s cup of tea from the look of the bedazzled faces of spectators after their 30-minute roller coaster ride.
Neckbreakker
Up next were Danish Death Metal band NECKBREAKKER. The Scandinavian five piece with the band logo bordering illegibility has formed back in 2020. Their debut album ‘Within The Viscera’ was released end of last year and established them firmly in the European old-school metal community. More at https://neckbreakker.com.
Music & Performance
After the more confusing than entertaining gig of CAR BOMB, the fans at the sold-out Turbinenhalle were in for a totally different treat. Opening with a poignant announcement “WTF is up Oberhausen, we are NECKBREAKKER and we are here to destroy this fucking place”, NECKBREAKKER made it clear that they meant business. Despite their young age, the band has already built a reputation for their blistering live performances, and their show in Oberhausen was no exception. They commanded the stage with a raw energy that was impossible to ignore, and their tight musicianship demonstrated a level of skill that belies their years.
The crowd responded with enthusiasm, with a mosh pit forming almost instantly. And vocalist Christoffer Bach Kofoed showed no remorse with the crowd. Defying the tropical temperatures inside the hall by wearing an anorak he pulled out all the stops of a successful opening act: getting the crowd to form circle pits, walls of death, crowd surf, wave their hands, pump their fists, getting down on the floor and then jumping up at the same time, all this was part of the cardio-oriented workout program the Danish band inflicted upon their listeners. And the audience loved it. The applause was far more pronounced, and NECKBREAKKER definitely solidified their path on their upward trajectory of becoming a force to be reckoned with in Modern Metal.
Gojira
GOJIRA’s musical style is a unique and powerful blend of technical Death Metal, Progressive Metal, and Groove Metal. Since their formation as Godzilla in 1996 (and subsequent name change to Gojira in 2001), the band has been praised for their intricate, polyrhythmic compositions and a lyrical focus on environmentalism, spirituality, and philosophy. Their sound is both brutally heavy and beautifully melodic, a dynamic that has earned them a dedicated global following.
The band’s discography is a formidable collection of seven studio albums. From their independent debut ‘Terra Incognita’ (2001) to their critically acclaimed breakthrough albums like ‘From Mars to Sirius’ (2005) and ‘The Way of All Flesh’ (2008), GOJIRA has consistently pushed the boundaries of the genre. Their more recent works, ‘Magma’ (2016) and ‘Fortitude’ (2021), have seen them achieve mainstream success, earning Grammy nominations and topping the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Check out www.gojira-music.com.
Music & Performance
Taking the stage around 9:30 PM, the French titans of metal GOJIRA delivered an overwhelming show that was a masterclass in sonic and visual spectacle. The Oberhausen show was a testament to their prowess. The stage was a symphony of overwhelming projections and lights, creating a breathtaking backdrop for their powerful sound. Drummer Mario Duplantier, a whirlwind of energy, played standing up at times, adding to the raw intensity of the performance. During the lead-up to ‘From the Sky,’ he even engaged the crowd with a series of written cards in German, reading “Holy shit, is this hot”, “Do you want more double-bass?”, “How would you like 5 minutes non-stop?”, and finally, “Make noise”, to a roaring response.
Despite the sweltering heat that unfortunately caused several people to collapse in the pit, the band and the crowd’s energy never waned. Frontman Joe Duplantier took a moment to praise the magic of club shows over festivals, a sentiment that resonated deeply with the audience and perfectly captured the intimate yet immense power of the night. This became especially clear when Joe taught the whole room how to sing along to ‘The Chant’, which gave the whole gig an almost church-like aura. It was a performance that proved GOJIRA is not just a band, but a force of nature - a testament to their enduring power and a truly unforgettable experience.
Setlist
01. Only Pain
02. The Axe
03. Backbone
04. Stranded
05. Flying Whales
06. The Cell
07. From the Sky
08. Another World
09. Silvera
10. Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) ([traditional] cover)
11. The Chant
12. Amazonia
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13. L’enfant sauvage
14. The Gift of Guilt
Pictures by Christian Beyermann
