Gojira

Gojira is a French heavy metal band from Ondres. Founded as Godzilla in 1996, the band’s lineup—brothers Joe (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (lead guitar), and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass)—has been the same since the band changed its name to Gojira in 2001. Gojira has been known for their progressive and technical death metal styles and their spiritual, philosophical, and environmentally-themed lyrics. The band has gone “from the utmost obscurity during the first half of their career to widespread global recognition in the second”.Gojira’s first two albums, Terra Incognita (2001) and The Link (2003), and powerful live performances established their reputation as a leading French metal band. Maciste All’Inferno was a silent film score composed and performed for a one-night show in Bordeaux. Their third album, the critically acclaimed From Mars to Sirius (2005) with “Backbone”, “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe”, and “Flying Whales”, was covered in the British metal press. The band then signed with Prosthetic Records, which gave them visibility in North America. The follow-up album, The Way of All Flesh (2008), charted on the Billboard 200, and Gojira later launched their first overseas headlining tour.

The band began recording the Sea Shepherd EP in a collaborative framework involving several metal musicians. In 2011, Gojira signed with Roadrunner Records. The band released L’Enfant Sauvage (2012) and Magma (2016), which peaked at number thirty-four and twenty-four respectively on the Billboard 200. Gojira shelved death metal in favor of a more straightforward style on Magma, the band’s breakthrough album. In 2020, they released their first Billboard-charting single, “Another World”. The chart-topping Fortitude (2021) was the best-selling album in the US during its first week. In 2022, Gojira attained arena headliner status in Europe, the UK, and South America. With a DIY approach, the band produce their albums at their own recording studios in France and New York City.

Gojira has released seven studio albums, three live DVDs, and is the first French band to top the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Gojira is considered one of France’s most successful exports to the US. The band has received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Album for Magma and Best Metal Performance for the singles “Silvera” and “Amazonia”. Gojira holds the record for the loudest concert (and sound) ever recorded at the Stade de France. Throughout their career, the band has been involved in environmental, human- and animal-rights activism.

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