Gojira - Born For One Thing

 

Key Facts

Country: 🇫🇷

Genre: Progressive Metal

Release Date: 17th February 2021

Record Label(s): Roadrunner Records

Album Release Date: 30th April 2021

Band Members

Joe Duplantier  - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar 

Mario Duplantier − Drums

Christian Andreu − Lead Guitar 

Jean-Michel Labadie − Bass

Gojira - Born For One Thing

Review

Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘.5

After going somewhat silent after the release of 2020 single Another World (which is a heavyweight single in itself), Gojira come smashing through us like a heard of stampeding elephants with new single Born For One Thing. By teasing us with cryptic symbols to build anticipation for the single it certainly got the hype train rolling as we anticipate the eagerly awaited follow up to 2016's earth shattering release Magama. Gojira are probably one of the most unique, not just French, but global bands out there and it is glorious to see them return to the scene with their signature brand of groove laden brand of progressive metal. 

The song's introduction builds up in typical Gojira fashion of strange grooves, crazy effected guitar harmonics and driving bass, before launching furiously into the main meat of the song. Bursting in with earth shattering heaviness and grooves in the song feel like a syncopated boxer, delivering continual blows to your cranium. One thing that always captures the imagination with Gojira is the way the band use rhythm and tapping guitar riffs to create not only heavy songs but an complex atmosphere that arguments the lyrical concepts of life, death, spirituality, and especially ecology and nature. With that in mind all that is delivered and more on Born For One Thing, the chugging riffs are reminiscent of a Meshuggah obZen era groove that is not only devastatingly brutal but effectively brilliant at getting your body to move in the strangest of ways. Towards the middle of the song and later towards the end the band deeply a discordant, uncomfortable melody that contrasts the main melodies in the choruses, this toing and froing between the two lead elements augmented by slashing pitch bends, pinch harmonics and screeched leads constantly keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating eagerly when the next heavy drop is going to come in. It easy to becoming entranced Mario Duplantier's unique drum style and the swirling riffs around them, filling the space with a whole manner of drum witchcraft is something that will always awe. In the case of this song, the variation of tempo and dynamics really shows off Mario's unique drumming. The song in some areas is quite stripped back fro Gojira but that is also its greatest strength, as it is a product equal to the sum of its parts. Alongside 2020's Another World, Born For One Thing is an opulent and exciting preview as to what we can expect on Fortitude. 

The production, like most later Gojira releases, is phenomenal. It could be argued that sonically the band are like Deftones, their sonic identity is so unique you could identify a Gojira song from how it sounds. In this mix the drums definitely take centre stage as they drive the song forward. Altogether the kit sounds extremely tight and cohesive, with the kick drum having a weight that is heavier than a blue whale while the snare snaps so viciously mixed with an epic reverb it feels like a shotgun to the back of the head (which is something I hope no one experiences but the forces feels the same). The bass locks in effortlessly to flood the low end with a deep, powerful rumble to support the chunky and thick rhythm guitar tones. The lead guitars and their various effects help create a tense atmosphere and glide over the top of the chaos provided by the rest of the instruments. As powerful as Joe Duplantier's vocals are, in the verses they seem quite quiet in comparison to the chorus section of the song, which does detract a little but not much. Overall, a phenomenal production as always from Gojira, and as mentioned previously this is an excitingly tantalising preview of what we can expect from Fortitude.

It is so awesome to have Gojira back on the scene with another blindsiding new single, and we can all agree that Fortitude has now become one of the most anticipated albums of 2021!