Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Gojira > Magma > Reviews > Justough
Gojira - Magma

A different Gojira, but still a Good Gojira - 85%

Justough, April 29th, 2018

When we think of Gojira what comes to mind ? Of course of a technical death metal band with nice lyrics about philosophy, Universe, nature, life and death. Well, in Magma you can forget about the technical death metal part BUT it is not necessarily a bad things.

First of all, There is two things to say before starting this review : First, if you're an elitist that only listen to metal, you will only like a few tracks on this album (if you like some) because it's not really metal anymore and second, this album was written after the death of Joe and Mario Duplantier's (singer/guitarist and drummer) mother, which explains the lyrics of some songs that are clearly talking about this case, like The Shooting Star or Stranded and Magma, the eponymous song. And Liberation, the instrumental track that finish the album, is a improvisation of the Duplantier's brothers after they learned the death of their mother.

So the album starts with The Shooting Star, and clearly announces that it won't be like the previous ones. Indeed, this song is really atmospheric, with clean vocal (and some screams here and there but only a little) and a slow riff. At first I didn't really pay attention to this one, but it really grew on me with times. On the ten tracks there's other atmospheric songs like Yellow Stone which is an instrumental with post-rock influences, Magma, Low Lands and Liberation which makes a ratio of 2/5 of atmospherics songs, almost half of the album.

However there's also more violent songs like Silvera which is my favorite track I think, with a nice riff and lyrics (even a solo, the first of all of Gojira's discography) or Pray, Only Pain and The Cell. There's even a song like Stranded which is clearly the single of the album, with a catchy riff and a catchy chorus which is for a larger public, even if there's still screams on it.

To summarize this album, I will say that I personally didn't really like it at first, but then I listened to it some times after and it really grew on me. At first I was disappointed, like a lot of fans, because it wasn't heavy, the rhythms and melodies weren't as complicated as they were before, especially the drum that is godlike on the previous albums with Mario Duplantier, my favorite drummer of all time without a doubt, and which is here WAY MORE SIMPLER and that still broke my heart deep inside, but in the end, Gojira already showed their ability to play complicated stuff. They're simpler, but we can still ear that it's Gojira's songs and they're still quality songs. The more you listen to this album, the more you understand the charms of Gojira's refined style of music. Furthermore, if you understand the pain of losing someone dear to you, which is probably the case, you will surely be touched by the lyrics, especially The Shooting Star, Stranded and Magma.

Finally, I will add that there is, in my opinion, not a single bad tracks on Magma, I love them all, especially Silvera, The Shooting Star, Pray and Magma with a mesmerizing riff, a quite planing one and original. It's a different album, there is no doubt about it, with the riffs, the simpler melodies, the cleans and there's even french lyrics on Low Lands. Some fans won't like it and it's understandable because it's clearly different with what they've done before and it's not technical as it was. However I think everyone should give a chance to this record, because when you accept the changements, you will see the quality of this album and all the works behind it and that, in fact, even in a more rock-style, Gojira still rules.