The French heavy juggernaut known as Gojira has built an extremely well-deserved reputation as being absolute crushers not just on record, but in the live setting as well. Killer songwriting mixed in with the type of technical chops that would give most musicians on earth a run for their money are the key ingredients to their excellence.
But surely a band at their level with the type of musical talent they possess can rest on their laurels at this stage of their career, right? According to the latest episode of The Downbeat Podcast, that couldn’t be further from how the band operates.
Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale guests on the show and goes in to some detail with host Craig Reynolds about what it was like touring with Gojira last year, along with his his admiration for them.
As transcribed by The Pit, here’s what Isaac had to say:
“That tour that we did with them [Gojira], the whole running thing was us being like… they’re one of the biggest running bands that have like metalcore breakdowns. Like china breakdowns… It’s one of those bands, kind of like Meshuggah, too, where it’s like, how did a band that sounds like this get this fucking big when it’s this insane?” He continues:
“What’s cool is that we were able to chat with them on that tour and ask them what do you guys listen to, what are your influences as a band? It’s like the same shit [as us]. We like Meshuggah and Converge and Morbid Angel. I’m like, that’s what I rip off when I’m writing my slams.” Isaac went on to say:
“Gojria will watch every set that they play. They film every set, and they will watch them back (I don’t know if they’ll be mad at me for saying this), and they review them. And they critique it.”
Honestly? That’s pretty fucking cool. For Gojira to be as big as they are and to be doing it as long as they have been, you have to respect their innate desire to continue growing and improving as musicians and as a live band.
You can watch the whole Gojira-specific discussion for yourself below, which starts around the 55 minute mark. But, if you have the time, we recommend you rewind to the start and check out the full conversation. Craig always has great guests and conversations, and this one is no different.
And here’s some visual proof of Gojria indeed bringing it live. Enjoy.