Gojira – Brooklyn Steel – September 28, 2017
On September 28th, heavy music fans from near and far came out in droves to East Williamsburg’s newest and largest venue, industrial-inspired Brooklyn Steel, to witness France’s mighty Gojira. The modern metal giants, known for their signature arrangements of death metal, groove, and progressive structures, have been at this long enough to understand what it takes to earn a loyal following. It often shocks many when they discover just how long Gojira have been perfecting their sound and image- over 20 years now. Yet, with each album release and touring cycle, the band seems to only be improving on all accounts.
Magma, Gojira’s sixth full-length record, sees a slight change in direction from previous efforts, but a welcomed shift, nonetheless. Many tracks from the release, which is over a year old now, translate extremely well over to a live setting. Cuts such as “Stranded”, “The Cell”, and “Silvera” never fail to gain a positive crowd reaction. Last week, the band’s set covered significant ground from Terra Incognita through Magma without a single hitch.
A personal highlight included an eerie, almost tear-jerking guitar intro that eventually erupted into “L’Enfant Sauvage”, a track I was ecstatic to hear them bring back live once again. The pit was active throughout, especially during massive, ever-popular songs such as “Flying Whales” and “Backbone”. I watched from the balcony above with a smile on my face, reflecting on what makes this style of music so special to so many around the world.
Gojira’s live show has often been referred to as a new standard for bands to live up to, and this night’s performance was no exception. From frontman Joe Duplantier’s captivating and equally inspiring vocal arrangements to brother Mario’s technical capabilities behind the drum kit, there are few bands around at the moment that grab an audience at this level. “Go-ji-ra! Go-ji-ra” was the persisting chant heard throughout the night right up until the last encore, which featured an energetic cover of Sepultura’s classic monstrosity, “Territory”. From beginning to end, the band took complete ownership of the stage, leaving us practically begging for more.
Gojira truly has the metal world in the palm of their hand at the moment and have no intentions of letting go. Whether you’ve experienced their show before or are wondering what all the fuss is about, be sure to check them out on their current North American Magma touring cycle.
Connect with GOJIRA (click icons):
Review by: Joe Koza, RockRevolt Journalist
All Photography by: Robert Forte
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/40_photography/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/4zerophotography/
