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Class 6(66)
Gojira: From Mars to Sirius
13/05/11 || InquisitorGeneralis
Introduction
Few records have put a band on the metal map like Gojira’s modern masterpiece “From Mars to Sirius”. Everything about this record makes you say fuck, this is insane: from the beluga heavy sound and song structure to the spaced out whalocalypse lyrics. I know this record is only six years young, but it is a Class6(66) in every sense of the word. I first heard this band described as an accessible Meshuggah. That was enough for me so I snagged up “From Vagina to Penis” soon after its release and was completely blown away. This is what modern extreme metal should sound like. “From Mars to Sirius” is death, melodic, math, progressive, and even a little grind all rolled up into a whale-sized package of awesomeness. Along with contemporaries like Mastodon and the previously mentioned ‘Shug, Gojira push genre boundaries and expectations to the limit. While “The Way of All Flesh” may have led to even higher levels of popularity, those who are in the know realize that “From Mars…” is the album where Gojira found their mojo. I love “The Link”, but it lacks the cohesiveness and direction of “Bruno Mars Can’t Be Serious, Have You Seen That Guy?”.
Songwriting
10. I’m dropping the big ten here because Gojira managed to create an entire album full of distinct, catchy, memorable, and still fucking kick-ass metal songs. “Ocean planet” is the song that got me hooked on Goganja and still stands as my absolute favorite by the band. The rising build-up and breakdown at the end exemplifies everything that works in Gojira. Joe D and the Whalers have the special ability to make the extreme digestible. Tracks like “Flying whales:”, “Global Warming” and “…to Sirius” all showcase the band’s ability to write interesting, diverse, and still genuinely dominating extreme metal songs.
Production
10. Heavy, deep, blubbery, and perfect are the words that best describe the flawless production on here. Some might say the kicks are a bit overpowering, but I think they sound just fucken right. Everything on here just screams heavy; from the guitars to the previously mentioned drums and bass. I can’t think of a single issue or problem, so a 10 it is, moving on…
Guitars
9. Gojira’s sound is built around the riffs, and “From Mars to Sirius” is packed with awesome ones. Main man Joe and Christian Andreu know when to lay down the heavy riff and when to pick and/or tickle the whammy bar. Just listen to the finger lickin’ (and pickin’) good beginning to the epic “Global warming” and tell me these two are the whale’s balls in the guitar department.
Bass
9. Gojira brings low-end heaviness as good as anyone and Jean-Michele Labadie’s playing is a big reason for that. While he does not stand out like a DiGiorgio or Poggione, his impact is clear and noticeable.
Vocals
9. Joe “Mama” Duplantier’s deep growl fits Gojira’s sound perfectly. Thankfully, he stays away from any screeching, cat-mimicry, and burp-a-burp silliness. Joe even successfully switches to a slightly more melodic style from time to time. Bonus.
Drums
9.5. Super Mario smashes his kit like it’s a goomba with a bad fucken attitude. He blasts, grooves, and just plain lays it down song after song. His sound and performance is top notch. Just listen to “The heaviest matter in the universe” or “Backbone” and you will be unable to question the near-perfect score the other Duplantier receives here; a great sound and performance. One of the reasons why I believe this record is superior to “The Way of all Flesh” is the drumming. Mario is good on Gojira’s more recent release, but he does not stand out nearly as much as on “From Mars to Sirius”.
Lyrics
10. If you can write an entire concept record about whales, the environment, and space and it not be stupid as hell, you deserve a 10 and then some. Plus, normally I hate enviro-hippie shit, so more bonus points there for making me sing along to content material that normally wouldn’t be my cup of tea. The final lyrical section of “Ocean planet”, which goes along with the epic breakdown at the end, truly is awesome…
Whales in the sky
I feel they’re so close
Inside, and yet so far away
Burst into tears, I feel sad
My dreams aflame
The force is now away
Lie on a stone,
Drop this load and cry to see
The ocean planet is on burn !
Logo
9. I am huge fan of Gojira’s crooked-letter, withered=looking logo. It matches the band’s style perfectly and still looks pretty metal.
Booklet
N/A: Lost when I moved, sorry.
Cover
10. The cover for this record totally rules and is totally not metal. Hence, the perfect score. What looks like an ad for the Sea Shepherd foundations (whom Gojira are big supporters of) is really one of the most interesting and stand-out metal album covers of the past decade.
Overall and ending rant
…and I quote myself from our Best of the 2000’s list…
This was my pick for numero uno and in my opinion stands up there with other great albums like “Paranoid”, “Raining blood”, “The Number of the Beast”, and “Slaughter of soul” in terms of setting new standards and directions for metal.
…and in my own personal best of the 2000’s list…
With this record Gojira has set the standard for modern metal. The moment you hear the pounding beginning to “Ocean planet” you know you are in for an experience unlike anything else. “From Mars…” is the total package: faster, more intense tracks like “Backbone” and “The heaviest matter in the universe” flow perfectly with slower tracks like “Where dragons dwell”. A true fucken classic for any decade. “From Mars to Sirius” is the mark by which all metal records will be judged by for many years to come.
Couldn’t have said it better myself! No wait….I did. Hooray me. Now go fuck and/or save a whale, recycle your aluminums and plastics, and buy “From Mars to Sirius if you have not done so already. Shamu and I will thank you for it.
- Information
- Released: 2005
- Label: Prosthetic
- Website: www.gojira-music.com
- Band
- Joe Duplantier: vocals, guitar
- Christian Andreu: guitar
- Jean-Michel Labadie: bass
- Mario Duplantier: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Ocean Planet
- 02. Backbone
- 03. From The Sky
- 04. Unicorn
- 05. Where Dragons Dwell
- 06. The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe
- 07. Flying Whales
- 08. In The Wilderness
- 09. World To Come
- 10. From Mars
- 11. To Sirius
- 12. Global Warming
