Gojira - The Way of All Flesh

Artist: Gojira
Album: The Way of All Flesh
Genre: Progressive Metal
Length: 75:07
Track listing:

1. "Oroborus" - 5:22
2. "Toxic Garbage Island" - 4:07
3. "A Sight to Behold" - 5:09
4. "Yama's Messengers" - 4:04
5. "The Silver Cord" - 2:32
6. "Adoration for None" - 3:41
7. "All the Tears" - 6:20
8. "The Art of Dying" - 9:54
9. "Esoteric Surgery" - 5:45
10. "Vacuity" - 4:52
11. "Wolf Down the Earth" - 6:26
12. "The Way of All Flesh" - 17:04

The latest effort of the French metal act, Gojira, has firmly cemented them among the metal elite. The Way of All Flesh is an instant classic that ranks among the best albums of the new century. Bold claims, I know, but this album backs it up with grinding technical brutality somewhere gorgeously linked to cerebral melodies. Gojira matured the style featured on From Mars to Sirius into a wonderful blend of the hypnotic and heavy, a realm previously dominated by Opeth. Even more impressively, they did so without calling on any of the same bag of tricks that Opeth uses.
That's not to say this album is without flaws. There are some, although most a minor and don't take much away from the songs or the album as a whole. The first half of the album doesn't seem to have the same kick and potency of the second half, and some of the riffs drag on a bit longer than they need to at various points in the album. Luckily, despite these factors, the positives of this work massively outweigh the negatives.
Heavy grinding rhythms pound their way deep into your skull, not unlike Meshuggah, through the entire album. These are balanced out with more fluttery and hypnotic sections, such as The Silver Cord and the trills in Oroborus. These are layered on top of double-bass waves from drummer Mario Duplantier. The drumming is somewhat reminiscent of the drumming on Lamb of God's New American Gospel.
Mario's brother, Joe, once again turns out a fantastic vocal performance. His unique style blends true death growls with more hardcore elements to produce a powerful yet decipherable sound. He also incorporates production effects and different techniques to produce different sounds, such as on A Sight to Behold. His vocals layer perfectly over the music. They're entrancing when they need to be, and harsh when that suits the scenario more. Randy Blythe (of Lamb of God) makes a guest appearance on Adoration for None, which has drawn a bit of controversy from fans. His vocal styling fits the mood of that section of the song well though, and adds a touch of the very aggressive to this album.
The lyrics focus on their view of death, but touch the environmental issues focused on FMtS as well (most notably on Toxic Garbage Island). They are occasionally a bit cheesy and direct ("plastic bag in the sea"), but often have some degree of depth and imagery behind them.
The bass adds depth and a very much appreciated layer of sound, although it never leaps out from behind the guitars. It adds dissonance when needed and depth and darkness at other occasions.
Although the band didn't have any massive evolutions, they refined their style further and did attempt some experimentation. One of my favorite tracks, The Art of Dying, begins with a tribal beat which ten transitions into one of the most pummeling sections of the album. As a whole, their style embraces the brutal tones and power of death metal, the rhythms of groove metal, and the structure, complexity, and layering of progressive and psychedelic music.
A fine effort that surpasses their landmark hit From Mars to Sirius. Gojira has elevated themselves to become one of the premier acts of extreme metal, and this album shows they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. A great band in their prime is a truly remarkable thing.

9.5/10