gojira. i take a deep breath and take in that name and what it stands for for a second. alright, now let's start this post off with the history of this band and me. for the first time i came across gojira was on lenny's blog the emeging addiction at some point in 2012. lenny stated that these four french guys were one of his favourite bands and as his and my taste in death metal bands are pretty much alike, i thought i should check them out. i did so but it wasn't grabbing me really and so i wrote them off.
i didn't care much for this band the following years until in december 2015 nuclear blast announced pre-orders for re-presses of three of four gojira full lengths. i saw them at one of my regular checks over at the nb new additions section. they were all coming on some nice colour vinyl and now, as they were available, something in the back of my head told me to re-visit them. that procedure is not unknown to me. when availability isn't an issue anymore because of fancy re-presses, i re-check bands to see if i probably miss something great. sometimes it works for me, sometimes not.
the first song i listened to after i decided to give gojira another try was 'ocean planet', the first song of 'from mars to sirius'. as soon as the first riff kicks in i was rivited by it. i stopped in the motion and like paralysed, i sat in awe for the 5:34 minutes the song lasts. i knew immediately that this wasn't your ordinary death metal and ordered straight away. gojira has a certain song writing that is forceful, slowly-melancholic and always sophisticated right down to the smallest detail. indeed, the lyrical concept of this album is outstanding and is in no way inferior to the musical side. if i get it right, the story is about a resurrection of a dead planet by inhabitants of the binary star sirius.
i did a bit of research but only came up with vague informations. sirians, entities of the star sirius, are part of an alien culture which assists the earth and all its creatures. they usually are strongly connected to doplphins and whales. through the singing of the whales they channel the energies of the earth. this link may explain the whale on the cover and other references. i really love this story of nature conservancy linked to these supernatural beings of higher consciousness. this album is flawless to me. the presentation is nice too. fancy matte cardboard for the cover with lovely artwork and sharp clear with orange and white splatter vinyl. 500 copies made. more of gojira soon. listenable records. 2016.
