Genre : Progressive metal, Death metal
Released : 30th of April, 2021
Label : Roadrunner Records
FFO : Mastodon, Tool, Letters From the Colony
Gojira sound as strong and powerful as ever on "Fortitude", continuing to build upon the more accessible sound they flirted with on "Magma" while still maintaining a certain degree of technicality that is still centered around rhythm and their unmistakable organic sounding, uplifting rage.
In fact, that organic, "earthy", tribal element to their sound that has been present ever since their early days seems to be the highlight on "Fortitude" both musically and thematically.
While "Magma" was for the major part, the cathartic expression of processing the grief of loosing a parent for the Duplantier brothers, "Fortitude" is a call to strive for positivity in spite of everything, no matter how bad things are, whether it is on a personal or global scale.
Which, I think is safe to say, is a message pretty much everyone needs to hear right now.
However, in spite of the band being in top form and delivering a strong performance, I cannot help but feel that this is perhaps the least impactful and iconic material the band has put out despite it being as good as it is. And the fact that there is that much riff recycling kind of bothers me and even worries me since I would really hate to see Gojira becoming a pastiche of themselves in the future.
But when "Fortitude" does bring new ideas to the table it works really well and hits incredibly hard (e.g : that harmonic breakdown in "Born For One Thing" everyone lost their minds over, the whammy riffing in "New Found"...).
Overall I feel like "Fortitude" might not be the most original or impactful music Gojira have put out so far but that does not make it a "bad" or "weak" album either by any means since it does show a band who has pretty much reached the summit of the "heavy" sector of the music industry while retaining their identity and the core elements that make them the powerhouse that they are.
Is Gojira's creative peak behind them and do they have anything left to prove at this point in their career artistically or is it only commercial success milestones to be passed from now on? Perhaps, perhaps not, maybe both.
The future will tell, but for now "Fortitude" does provide a positive and enjoyable listening experience nonetheless.
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