Terra Incognita

Untamed, unrefined, heavy as hell. Easily Gojira's angriest work, and definitely one of my favorites. Of course, I do enjoy some of their later, "proggier" releases, this record may still be my favorite pick out of their entire discography, especially since they seemed to fizzle out a bit after L'enfant Sauvage, although I think that Fortitude was killer without shame. The later albums get softer and more accessible as the releases get newer, but this is where it all started, and thus deserves recognition and respect from all fans of this band. Melodies are few and far between, and pinch harmonics are in near-excess supply. They definitely weren't trying to be elegant, and they didn't need to be for this to be an enjoyable record. They accomplished what I believe to be their goal: A simple record chock full of killer lyrics and brutal headbanging anthems! This was without a doubt a successful, window-shattering, testicle-liquefying battle cry for some of their future records to come.

The record begins with the track clone, which is just total unstoppable death metal annihilation from start to finish. There is a brief calm part in the middle of the song, which, unsuspected by the first-time listener, is just buildup for one of the most legendary breakdowns I have ever heard. A solid start to the album, and lets you know what's going on music-wise on this record right away. The track that follows, Lizard Skin, is equally brutal. Not very musically complex throughout most of the song, a lot of 000 triplet riffs, but occasionally gets switched up with with this slide/hammer on 16th note riff to create a pretty cool effect. Next is Satan Is a Lawyer, which is another one of my favorites from this record. Frequent switches from calmer parts with clean vocals to sudden crushing riffs and growls. The instrumental track 04 is also inexplicably calming and satisfying, definitely a break from the slam.

The second quarter keeps the fight strong, with the highlight tracks for me being Blow Me Away You(niverse) and Space Time. The transition from 04 to Blow Me Away You(niverse) is just exquisite, and the heaviness and the deep vocals of the latter track stand in sharp contrast against the calming beauty of 04. Space Time is probably my favorite song on this album, full of tremolo picking and pinch harmonics. It pretty much sums up the album in one song, so no wonder it's so fucking brutal. Just a 10/10 track.

The highlight of the third quarter is certainly In the Forest. While Love is an excellent example of the content on this album, In the Forest just has it all to my ears. Intense and anxious buildups with clean vocals, unbelievably heavy sequences, and those signature nature-centered lyrics that give Gojira that ecological feel.

On the version of this album that I own, the fourth quarter is just live performances of three of some of the best songs on this album: Clone, Love, and Space Time, so they make for a great and memorable finisher to a great album.

Standout tracks: Clone, Blow Me Away You(niverse), Space Time, In the Forest