THE WAY OF ALL FLESH

Coming off their incredible third album, the near untoppable From Mars To Sirius, it's pretty safe to say that Gojira has done it again. With the release of The Way Of All Flesh, their fourth studio album, Gojira has proven that they are not limited to writing one magnificent album and then fading off into obscurity. While this album may not be quite the same ''heaviest matter in the universe'' as their previous two albums have been, but they've added more depth, more intelligence and more elements to their music - which has decidedly been a very good decision. This is not just metal, this is incredibly well crafted and well thought out metal that maintains everything that there is to like about the band while it explores new grounds.

It's pretty safe to say by now that Christian Andreu is probably the world's next Tonny Iommi. This guy knows how to work a well thought out riff, which are once again the main draw of a song as they were on From Mars To Sirius. Right off the bat with the excellent Orobous the riffs come heavy and pressing. They're repeated in a way that you'll remember them, but never be annoyed by the same riff going on and on, or think that they band simply doesn't know how to write a change in chord. Many of the songs experience at least one major change during the course of a song, and this is especially present in the standout Toxic Garbage Island, which features some of the most cruching riffing this side of Led Zeppelin. This carries on throughout the album, and like albums by the band to come before it, the first thing that you'll probably identify with with the album on the third or fourth listen is going to be the use of the riffs.

One of the things that makes this album so good is the use of the new elements that the band decided to work into the album. Once again the first evidence of this is provided in the opener Orobous as the harmonized vocals come in off the top and make you wonder why more metal bands aren't using them. More light an airy parts come in sometime later to make the heavy parts seem all that much more heavy. The near electronic introduction A Sight To Behold features some very impressive drumming and eventually turns into more heavy metal madness. Likely the best song on the album is the lengthiest (yes, trust a prog website to publish that remark...), The Art Of Dying is absolutely magnificent. It goes through the epic song structure with ease in it's 10-minute duration from the purely percussion introduction until the time when the guitars explode into motion. Highly impressive riffs throughout change and reprise over one another turning this track into a progressive megalodon which is sure to impress anyone who has the chance to hear it.

And for those out there who actually care about messages, the band seems to be quite the green advocate. With songs on From Mars To Sirius like Global Warming it was pretty obvious that the band was not afraid to voice their opinion on the subject, but apparently they want to do so even more on this album. Take for example the lyrics on... well, just about any song. A Sight To Behold talks about the ''exhausted realm of nature'' - but the lyrics are not really intrusive, and while some of the more ''metal'' metal heads may not think that it's ''metal'' to talk about nature in your music it's just one more kudos towards Gojira for putting a worthwhile message in their music.

If you have any appreciation for the heavier side of progressive metal in the modern age then this album is an absolute must for your collection. While it definitely takes about 4 or 5 listens to really grow on you it's one that will kick its way into your heart after a while and stay there for good. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure, but neither is most of the tech/extreme subgenre. 5 stars out of 5 for a perfect album, let's just hope that Gojira can carry on with this classic era that they've started.

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