Gojira are like Democratic Presidential candidates-- policy wonks who are smart but stiff. They combine the tunneling riffs of Morbid Angel with the steely precision of Strapping Young Lad and Meshuggah. But the resemblance ends there. Unlike Morbid Angel, Gojira have no occult concerns; unlike Strapping Young Lad, Gojira have no sense of humor; unlike Meshuggah, Gojira's lyrics are actually about something-- namely, the environment. The band's ecological fetish somehow seems appropriate for its French origins. No American or Scandinavian death metaller would sing about "Flying Whales" or proclaim, "I embrace the world!" "Death metal" best describes Gojira only because "life metal" hasn't caught on yet.The band is aptly named for the Japanese pronunciation of "Godzilla." Over time, Gojira's sound has increasingly mirrored the terrestrial destruction in their lyrics. The sound peaked on 2006's From Mars to Sirius, which began with "Ocean Planet", ended with "Global Warming", and deployed riffs that could knock down buildings. Production is as important to Gojira's attack as note choice, and The Way of All Flesh is an audiophile's wet dream. Instruments are defined with pristine clarity; drums are crisp yet heavy; guitars and bass form a crystalline audio monolith. Gojira sing about the evils of modernity, yet they're the sonic embodiment of it.Such contradiction characterizes The Way of All Flesh. Lyrically, it's downright soulful. Once again, environmental themes abound. "Toxic Garbage Island" turns "Plastic bag in the sea!" into an angry mantra. "Adoration for None" thunders, "Everyone is doing their best to destroy it/ Simplicity's forgotten/ And we all drill the ground." But in between the Greenpeace anthems now is a whole lotta death. The theme is a far cry from metal's usual necrotic obsession. Instead, death and life are a continuum. "Oroborus" could be the stuff of yoga classes: "Serpent of light, movement of the soul/ Crawling stately along the spine/ Mighty phoenix from the ashes arises/ Firebird cycle, life, regenerate the cell." Joe Duplantier's vocals are stronger than ever, employing a wide variety of growls and singing.Unfortunately, this humanity doesn't translate to the music. The performances are flawless, but overly so. Everything is polished to a gleaming sheen. When the band tries to swing, like in "A Sight to Behold", it comes off as, well, white. Heaviness is in no short supply; "Vacuity" is a single-minded stomp, while the title track pounds chugging riffs into the ground. Without edges, heat, or blood, though, such punishment is joyless. To their credit, Gojira avoid metal's tonal clichés in favor of open-ended abstraction. But it's cold and distant, unbefitting of the passionate lyrics. Undoubtedly, this material is better live, where the band has a fearsome reputation. There, the images are of raised fists and flying hair. Here, the images are of plastic discs and 1's and 0's.
Wavelength
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