The Story of Gojira: The Iconic French Death Metal Band
Gojira started in 1996 under the name "Godzilla" but changed to the Japanese translation "Gojira" in 2001. Gojira is from Ondres, France, and is widely known for their death metal roots. Gojira takes their death metal and mixes it with progressive/technical death metal, thrash, and tribal music.
When Did Gojira Come Out?
Gojira started in 1996 under the name "Godzilla" but they rebranded to the Japanese translation "Gojira" in 2001. Gojira is from Ondres, France, and is widely known for their death metal roots. Gojira takes their death metal and mixes it with progressive/technical death metal, thrash, tribal music, and more. The French band is recognized for their environmental and spiritual-themed lyrics.
Who Are The Members of Gojira?
Joe Duplantier - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Mario Duplantier - Drums
Jean-Michel Labadie - Bass
Christian Andreu - Lead Guitar
The Start of Gojira
As Gojira began in 1996, the band created multiple demos as they sharpened their music, in 2000 Gojira began the creation of their debut album "Terra Incognita". The band's first album (2001) was an independent release but made waves in the French metal scene as the progressive death metal sound attracted a lot of attention.
In 2003, Gojira released their second album "The Link" under the independent label Boycott Records which again was enjoyed in the French metal scene but would not break through globally. With electrifying live performances Gojira was one of the biggest rising bands out of France at the time.
In 2005 the band released "From Mars to Sirius" to critical acclaim, even debuting at number 44 on the French Charts and receiving coverage in the British news. Hit songs "Backbone", "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe" and "Flying Whales" grew Gojira's name even bigger in Europe and the death metal act was picking up a lot of hype.
By 2008 Gojira had signed with Prosthetic Records which helped them achieve exposure in North America, particularly with their next album "The way of all flesh" which made its way onto the Billboard 200 Charts.
In light of their success, Gojira spent the next 4 years touring nationally while balancing the writing of their next album.
As 2012 unfolded Gojira unleashed their 5th studio album "L'Enfant Sauvage" under the massive label, Roadrunner Records. "L'Enfant Sauvage" reached a new commercial success for the band, peaking at 34 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Gojira's progressive and intense death metal sound was breaking onto the mainstream charts in a way that was equally surprising and exciting, considering progressive death metal was still a relatively obscure genre at the time.
With 2016 came the 10-song album "Magma" also under Roadrunner Records. "Magma" showed a side of Gojira's music that leaned more towards progressive and heavy metal while still having its fair share of extreme brutality."Magma" charted at 24 on the Billboard 200 and "Stranded" off of the album is still the band's most streamed song to-date. "Magma" also earned the band 2 Grammy nominations for "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Album".
The band's 2021 album "Fortitude" was an instant hit, becoming their first number 1 charting album and it was also the top-selling album in the United States for a week after its release. "Amazonia" even earned the band its 3rd Grammy nomination this time for "Best Metal Performance".
Modern Day Gojira
Gojira is officially considered one of France's most successful bands and is the only French band to land #1 on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. Amongst their musical success, Gojira is also known for being an avid supporter of environmental rights.
Throughout their career, Gojira has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations like the Brazilian Indigenous Rights, which helps stop forced labor and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Despite their superstar status, Gojira still operates mostly independently with their music production, with recording and producing done in-house at their studio Silver Cord in New York.
Gojira Becomes The First Metal Band To Play At The Olympics
On July 25th at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, Gojira stole the Olympics as their electrifying performance broke the internet, leaving metal fans and mainstream music fans stunned. Gojira became the first metal (and death metal) band to ever perform at the Olympics.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Opening Ceremony was host to an array of mainstream musical talent like singer Aya Nakamura, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and of course, death metal-slinging headbangers Gojira, who played a brutally awesome cover of classic French Revolution song "Ah, Ça Ira!" (It'll Be Fine).
Gojira's performance started with a beheaded Marie Antoinette singing before the band's 4 members could be seen rocking out on extended platforms on the French castle the Conciergerie. The metal act was surrounded by bursts of pyro and red streamers that imitated blood, before ending in a finale with a sailing prop ship.
In a gruesome and epic homage to the French Revolution, Gojira's mind-blowing performance could not have been any more metal as dozens of headless opera singers backed up the heavy metal band. The band's performance represented the metal community as a whole and showed that metal can bring it as much (if not more) than mainstream artists at huge cultural and sporting events.
You can watch Gojira's full performance at the Paris Olympics below.
Closing Remarks
Gojira has been around for nearly 3 decades and is more popular than ever before, especially following their set at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The band's distinct progressive death metal sound and their passion for activism have made them an iconic and beloved band by those in the metal community. Gojira is today's biggest death metal band and won't be slowing down anytime soon.
First time hearing about Gojira? Check out their most popular song "Stranded".
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