The Way of All awesomeness

At risk of waxing nostalgic, my very first post here was inspired by the incredible show headlined by Lamb of God at Roseland Ballroom in spring of 2007. Of the evening's awesome openers, I expressed admiration and hope for their success, "if there's any justice in the world." About 18 months, a few high-profile tours and a lot of buzz, Gojira's The Way of All Flesh is widely being regarded as one of the year's best metal albums. Rightfully so.

Following up From Mars to Sirius, an earth-shattering, death metal watershed, have taken their progressive edge even further, practically spewing out bizarrely infectious riffs in the hard-hitting "Toxic Garbage Island" and "All the Tears," while a nasty synthesizer loop somehow leads "A Sight to Behold" into a headbanger's dream. The band is still embracing the environmental consciousness that made From Mars to Sirius the best progressive metal concept album about whales since Mastodon's Leviathan, and environmentalist beliefs are prevalent on first single "Vacuity" and the seething, confrontational epic "Wolf Down the Earth." Vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier's lyrics are effective if not poetic, and no band has taken save-the-earth music further from misguided hippie stigma since the days Dave Mustaine was howling about "Dawn Patrol."

"Vacuity" is a wonder. As with "Walk," "Sad But True" or "Refuse/Resist," a technically overwhelming metal band throws all their power into a relatively simple progression, killing all radio prospects by sheer force. Still, it's too catchy to imagine that it won't expand Gojira's audience.



Vocal Gojira fan Randy Blythe's appearance on the monstrous-sounding "Adoration for None" is also sure to lure in new listeners. Blythe has been contributing to Gojira's fanbase constantly, from bringing them on tour with Lamb of God to raving about them in the press, and now he's aided them aesthetically by matching his growled vocals with Duplantier's barks on "Adoration." Lamb of God are unquestionably one of the best metal bands in the world, but hearing Blythe trade verses with Gojira had me wondering if The Way of All Flesh is the best album he's ever contributed to.

When a didgeridoo creeps into the percussive intro to "The Art of Dying," Gojira briefly recalls the experimental side that they indulged on earlier albums like The Link. It gives way to a clear example of how far they've come and how far they've taken metal with them. Rarely has any band made progressive metal sound so concise, and the jackhammer picking and blast beats of "Esoteric Surgery" and the aforementioned "Toxic Garbage Island." are awesomely hardcore. Even the relatively slow moments, like the closing title track, sound like they're pulling you light years ahead. But maybe that's just Gojira's innovation. Maybe it's the best metal album of the year.



Buy it.