Gojira - Fortitude (Album Review In English)

"Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici"

~ Aleister Crowley ~

Reading the saying carefully, I am sure that the emblematic "V For Vendetta" and the scene where Ivy cleans a mirror in which he reads this quote will immediately come to your mind! There it becomes clear that with strength, perseverance and vigor the world will fight to live free in a world that is quite influenced, in a generation that has now become clear that they want to "silence" art, concerts, fun! So Gojira, after 20 years of life, without any loss from their Line Up, give the world their 7th Full Length in a row entitled "Fortitude" through Roadrunner Records and with this they confirm that the Resurrection came early and in fact one day before we welcome the day and the month of Flowers, the first of May and with the hope that we will be liberated and that all this psychological war that the cultural space is experiencing will stop!

As I read the lyrics, observe the production and listen to the whole synthetic part of this Album, I find that Joe has said that he has reduced the part of ecology, animal existence and in general all the problems concerning nature, which in most of all, we are used to him expressing us in practice!

Now an issue has taken hold that has as its primary basis a more socio-political character and specifically based on "Tyranny" the "Dictatorship" who want to implant in the masses, to rule it and to arbitrarily pass what the Great Invisible Heads of the world want, wanting so that the French Prog / Groove Metallers offer a message of courage and fist in that the people must rise up and make their revolution.

The way they pass and spread each piece lyrically, could strongly remind us of the French Revolution and in particular the Fall of the Bastille, which could be considered the reason for public pride in one of the most historic events of the 17th century, the occupation of this prison! So we also think that we should think and rise up to everything that is happening, either in terms of the existence of forests, or in terms of the life of our descendants for how they will live the next generation!

Born For One Thing is the opening with which the album starts and puts you directly in the classic pattern that we are used to, as children wake up and are born with a single purpose .... To live! Which is to say that it is not at all unlikely that every infant / fetus wants to evolve and become human!

Dynamism, incredible sound changes and many outbursts of distortion on the guitar are all what stand out in a sound, which on the one hand has some new micro-touches added to the compositions and some others that one could argue have volumes on the guitars, resulting in they hold in volume and in combination with the video clip they uploaded, it is the perfect accompaniment that gives you the feeling that their sound is more cinematic!

Amazonia is for me one of the songs that the more I listen to it the more it impresses me. Why am I saying this? Because the bass in combination with the drums gives an amazing atmosphere, with the result that Joe in his vocal abilities gives an air that is special in relation to the one we are used to! The song that people loved from the first moment, is a fact!

It duly expresses the anger they felt about the huge fire that occurred in the Amazon and about the mistreatment experienced by the inhabitants or the tribes as well as that they are treated like real slaves! A song that is dedicated to the tribes and Gojira proved that first they are people and then a successful band! Whatever money they made from the screenings of the song, they gave it there!

Another World for me is one of the best tracks on the album, fast reefs, space travel, loss, sick, crazy and up to date! Here it is obvious how much fear prevails about the other world that the whole mass of people and citizens will go through! Back voices combined with the awesome melody of the guitar is a perfect acoustics with awesome expressions, disagreements, melodies and incredible production and with a finale much more traveling than some imagine!

Hold On .... FIGHT! introduction that travels you, imposing guitar, drums that cause you to raise your hands high and clap! An even Intro piece that as time goes by Delay gives a smart note to the disagreements, which are clear and then a more gruff guitar that just the riff gives you the feeling that you want to rhythmically shake your head up and down !!!

Another one of the best tracks of the album, imposing interpretation, imposing Chorus and with the second voices haunting you as if you have a world behind you that tries to resist the propaganda that they want to pass on to each people separately! The point of reference is the melodies on the guitar that at Tempo, the pure ones show something different, although it reminds a bit of "Magma", it makes you feel that this band took, that it had a riff from the previous Album, placed it and just experimented a lot more! Very impressive!

In New Found how the fist and dynamism are maintained as if they want to find a new place, in which they will live humanely and without fear!

Fortitude is the accompaniment of a more melodic piece, such as of course the iconic The Chant, a piece based on the monasteries destroyed by the Chinese in 1949, destroying 6,000 Tibetan monasteries, calling this attitude of the Chinese as one "Cultural Genocide", as millions of people fled to India, Nepal in South Asia and the Kingdom of Bhutan!

A track that relaxes the tensions of the album, gives a more atmospheric character, softer and here we find that it is one of the few tracks, that there is almost no Harsh vocally, but clean! Perfect interpretation, incredibly clear voice and the solo guitar that is a bit more Blues is the icing on the cake as it leaves you with your mouth open !!!

Sphinx, I think everyone knows the ultimate miracle of Ancient Egypt, the famous Great Sphinx of Giza! Excellent drum technique, excellent riff with which I think we have learned, that whenever this sound plays, there is no way we can not understand that Gojira is playing!

Into The Storm is the song that I honestly said when I first heard it, that it will play Repeat everywhere! I sleep, I wake up, I do chores, etc. He is the perfect companion in everything you do! Lyrics that upset you, lyrics that prove an outburst, that cause you to raise your fist with a fist and stubbornness and say NO, not to the demons we fear and to our fears in general!

"Gather Your Strength, Raise Your Eyes, Fear Not The Demons You're Up Against"

This and many other verses, are the ones that surely if one listens to it, the whole way of thinking of man will change, to understand that you should not live with fear, but with freedom and hope!

The Trails I confess that this is a song that reminds me, the Movie With Keanu Reeves Matrix that gives you the choice if you want to learn the truth or live harmoniously in your own world, without being free in reality! 

Incredible expressiveness, excellent riff from behind reminiscent of "Born In Winter" and a melody that with the clear vocals and bass lines of Jean Michel or Mario drums, give an atmospheric and perhaps more Post Rock character with sounds that have mystery and reflection!

Titles end with Grind, a piece that, as it begins, reminds us of the purpose of the high ones, that they want to dust us as the corpses burn and the coals crush them! Drums, guitars, reefs, thunderous screams and clear interpretations are all that is needed to create a flawless result, while at Tempo we are simply exhausted by the discreet outburst of the guitar that slowly turns into a classic guitar finale just spectacular!

Another album that overall you could say that this band, while giving you the nostalgia of previous records, at the same time puts a very smart touch and makes you never get bored of their music, amazing production once again, very nice idea to travel the album to New York and create a very nice result in the recording part, while the reference point is the trust they showed in Ted Jensen regarding the Mastered part and it is not accidental that he has edited the sound mechanism or mixing records filling the number of 2400 records and 1100 artists in Pop or Rock sound, that just says it all.

This band could honestly be described as "The Pink Floyd of the new generation, in the extreme sound", especially when we are based on the fact that everyone is a musician from the Conservatory, they are open-minded, perfect music, all one and one and I appreciate very much that they have managed to express themselves very correctly and honestly regarding the lyrical part!

I think "Fortitude" is the starting point to start creating a new musical identity for Gojira! Conclusion; The resurrection came early and even one day before, Good Friday and this is the album with which April bids us farewell and we welcome the Flower Month, May and with optimism to leave all this Golgotha, something is this too !

An excellent Album that is worth having in your discotheque, with a rather interesting and at the same time topical cover!!! The premiere of the new video clip for the song The Chant took place today.

Rating: 95%

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