Finally, after two years waiting in anxiety the next Gojira record fell on my doorstep. When “The Link” was released in 2003 on Boycott Records it was received with great reviews worldwide. In fact, the praise was so great that Listenable Records signed them and re-released “The Link” earlier this year with a better distribution and all.

While the re-mixed and re-mastered re-release (a lot of re’s) satisfied my appetite briefly it was not until last week that I was able to quench my hunger. Like the true Godzilla (Gojira is the Japanese name for Godzilla) I stamped to the front door, only to release a mighty roar when I discovered “From Mars To Sirius” in the envelope. Incinerating the envelope with my nuclear breath (I hadn’t yet brushed my teeth that morning); I marched back to my room to crank up the cd player and inserted my precious cd.

Right from the opener “Ocean Planet” until the last track “Global Warming” Gojira deliver what everyone hoped for: groovy, mechanical death metal with an undeniable own identity. You could say that they combine Morbid Angel with Meshuggah but with a hell of a twist to that.
It seems that they’ve taken on a more direct approach this time, no more xylophones and Tibetan monks, the tracks are more to the point and therefore even more direct and catchy.

The sound is again fantastic, surpassing even “The Link” which is quite an accomplishment. Ranging from subtle warm ambient sounds to cold industrial riffing, machine-like drums, and especially the vocals sound stunning.

In shrill contrast to the aggressive sometimes cold music is the lyrical content and in fact the whole band philosophy: the decline of our natural environment and the abuse of our home-planet. Gojira are firm protesters against things like global warming, the future shortage of natural resources and the thinning of the ozone layer.
Through their music they intend on educating the masses and make people realize that there is little time to actually do something about it.

Whether you agree or disagree with them doesn’t really matter in my opinion; the most important thing is still the music and that music rules. This third album, the most important for a band, is a landmark release and will spread their name outside the French and even European borders.
Let me conclude with a quote from my review of “The Link” which is still viable I think: “To fully judge Gojira you must listen to the music, there’s no way to describe it accurately.”