FORTITUDE

The most immediate problem with Fortitude is that it really lacks a unique identifying "feature" compared to previous Gojira records. Terra Incognita had the raw death metal aggression, The Link had an experimental tribal feel, From Mars to Sirius had an ambitious conceptual feel, and so on. Somehow, Fortitude manages to sound like a synthesis of all of the band's previous albums while lacking the sense of both wonder and impact they all had. Sure, the chugs and technical drumming still come out from time to time, but they're buried beneath Gojira's insistence on playing dull one- note riffs that linger for a little too long. It's not like I'm resistant to the prospect of the band experimenting - again, The Link is a nice example of that - but it's gotta be over a more interesting foundation than this.

For instance, the main riff of "Another World" is pretty cool; Christian Andreu's lead guitar and Jean-Michel Labadie's bass coil around each other to give off a strangely futuristic atmosphere. But then it all falls apart in the verses, which just consist of a boring chugging riff that doesn't go anywhere interesting. It's nice to hear Joe Duplantier still bringing the energy with his screams and growls, but they don't matter much when the material itself is so lacking in heft and intensity. Meanwhile, some songs don't even sound like they came from Gojira at all. When the a cappella harmonies of "Hold On" started, I had to look at my phone to make sure I was still listening to the same band. Indeed, Joe does perform a lot more clean vocals on Fortitude - these are most prominently heard on "Hold On", "The Chant", and "The Trails". And, truth be told, Duplantier has really proven himself to be a capable clean vocalist over the last five years or so. The harmonies in "Hold On" are actually quite beautiful, despite the fact that the song eventually switches to a more typical groovy Gojira track halfway through.

What really drags this album down more than everything else, however, is the production. It's quite strange that Duplantier is the same person who produced Way of All Flesh, as Fortitude has none of the same weight, atmosphere, or clarity in its mix. The guitars sound both muddy and unappealing in the chugging bits (the verses of "Amazonia" for instance), and really flavorless during the melodic sections ("The Trails" in particular). It also does no favors for Mario Duplantier, especially during the more technical tracks like "Grind" and "Into the Storm". He performs some pretty amazing parts during these songs, but all I can think of is how much better they'd sound with a From Mars to Sirius- esque production job. Speaking of "Into the Storm", that very song represents what kind of record Fortitude could have been; the track is a perfect mix of the band's more heavy/technical traits and their melodic tendencies. Sure, the main drum part was lifted from "The Cell" off of Magma to an extent, but the riff played over it is one of the most beautifully melancholic parts I've ever heard from this group.

Fortitude is a strange affair, as its oddities tend to come from Gojira's push toward a more simplistic and mainstream sound. On one hand, I suppose that makes it a logical step after the stripped-down music of Magma; on the other hand, it just doesn't feel natural for some reason. The band's willingness to step outside of their comfort zone is commendable, but if they're keen on committing to this new sound of theirs, they need to give it a little more polish and focus. As it stands, Fortitude is a decent metal record. However, it doesn't really offer anything that Gojira's prior albums haven't done better.

Rising again like its namesake icon, the French extreme metal band GOJIRA is back with its seventh studio album FORTITUDE which finds the band further exploring hitherto unpursued sonic palettes like few others in the world of metal who more often than not become fairly cozy in a comfort zone. This head banging quartet of Joe Duplantier (vocals, guitar), Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (guitar) and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass) has never been one to rest on its laurels and although GORJIRA has taken a somewhat more accessible, dare i say even more commercial route on its previous album "Magma," somehow this quartet successfully maintains its core integrity of infusing the disparate metal subgenera of death metal, groove metal and alternative metal into one cauldron of hot steaming sonic sensationalism.

It's been a five year break since "Magma" and the metal world has changed a lot getting even weirder and more diverse but somehow GORJIRA continues the path of exploring new sonic textures while maintaining the energetic chugging drive, extraordinary musical dexterity and metal hybridism. What's new on FORTITUDE is that the band takes the previous alternative metal approach that debuted on "Magma" and branches out into myriad directions thus creating a delightful mix of moods, dynamics and rhythmic bombast unlike any other album in its canon. While the progressive excesses of the first two albums have long been tamped down as well as the epic progressive feel of the following pair of albums that followed, FORTITUDE still stays connected to all those previous eras while exploring a more varied range of timbres, tones, echo effects and production values.

While many have long written off this band as some sort of sellout, i personally find these later albums to be quite dynamic as they provide instantly catchy metal hooks in the classic sense while exploring various detours into moments of clean vocal progressive rock, Pantera-esque groove metal as well as the intense urgency of a Rage Against The Machine album most likely courtesy of engineer Andy Wallace who worked with that band as well as Nirvana thus giving that angry 90s grunge feel at times. And of course it wouldn't be a GOJIRA album without a plethora of polyrhythms where barrages of guitar riffs, pummeling percussion and bantering bass grooves provide crushing metal monstrosities while Joe Duplantier brazenly belts out his soul crushing screams.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference for FORTITUDE is the production and the heavy uses of atmospheres which provides the perfect counterpoint to the galloping grooving guitar riffs and the incessant guitar sailing that accompanies. As far as tempo changes go, FORTITUDE may not embrace the chaotic free-for-all proggy complexities as "Terra Incognita" and "The Link" but still manages to squeeze in a few oddball time signatures between the steady rhythmic drive as well as delivering extreme curve balls as heard on the tribal percussion dominated title track accompanied by unorthodox wordless vocal harmonizing which actually serves as an intro to the following track "The Chant."

When all is said and done i can totally understand why many may not be too thrilled with these easier listening experiences of GOJIRA when compared to the epic and experimental sounds of yore but as far as an accessible melodic metal album is concerned, GOJIRA does an excellent job keeping FORTITUDE engaging from beginning to end in my book. These songs are not only catchy but crafty and creative with subtleties that may require a few spins before really sinking in. I think i actually prefer this one to "Magma" as that previous album didn't quite have the repeat visit enjoyability but this one has just enough ear wormy hooks to signify a respite into its majesty! While i wouldn't call FORTITUDE my all time GOJIRA album by any means, i'm actually quite surprise how much i love this one. What will this monstrous band come up with next? Will we have to wait another five years? Chances are a new phase of the band will begin.

"Fortitude" is the 7th full-length studio album by French progressive/groove metal act Gojira. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in April 2021. It´s the successor to "Magma" from 2016. 5 years between album releases is quite a long time even these days, but it´s not unusual for Gojira to spend a lot of time writing their material, and they´ve always been a hard working act touring the world, so the years have been spend doing something productive (and hopefully also on reloading their batteries for another round of touring).

"L'Enfant Sauvage (2012)" and especially "Magma (2016)" saw Gojira going down a slightly more accessible and less progressive road with more easily recognisable vers/chorus structures and in the case of the latter the addition of some clean vocals. "Fortitude" is the natural continuation of that tendency as it´s also a relatively accessible release featuring both clean vocals and raw shouted vocals. The tracks are also vers/chorus structured and relatively easy to follow, although Gojira are at times a little more adventurous and add some semi-progressive ideas to their material. Gojira are known for their use of heavy syncopated riffs and rhythms are those are present here too, but "Fortitude" is also a very atmospheric album and in some cases a very melodic album. Mid-90s Sepultura isn´t the worst reference if you need one (especially the percussion driven "Amazonia" points in that direction), but Gojira have by now forged a sound of their own.

Highlights include the heavy opener "Born for One Thing", and the equally heavy tracks "Sphinx" and "Grind", but melodic tracks like "The Chant" and "The Trails", which at times remind me of the most heavy and hard edged material by Soundgarden or something in that vein, are also great for the variation of the album, and the diversity of the material is definitely one of the great strengths of "Fortitude". It´s an album which is intriguing and dynamic all the way through the 11 track, 51:52 minutes long playing time. Gojira don´t focus all their energy on technical playing and progressive structures anymore, and to my ears their more simple and stripped down songwriting approach works well for them. Simple in this respect should of course not be understood as if Gojira have lost any of their incredible playing skills, because they are as well playing/singing as ever, but they´ve stripped their playing and their compositions down to the essence, and that approach suits them well.

"Fortitude" features a powerful, organic, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. Upon conclusion "Fortitude" is another high quality release by Gojira, which shows progression towards a more accessible yet dynamic sound, but still sounds unmistakably like Gojira. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).