Gojira

The Shooting Star - This is so weak. I was waiting for the real song to begin, it never did. Vocals are also quite weak and monotone.
Silvera - This is much better. Song is still a bit too simple though :( Btw. is it just me or the version of this song that was released with the video sounds different? I'm hearing an additional rhythm guitar layer here.
The Cell - A bit more energetic, but that main riff is annoying, and the song is generally forgetable.
Stranded - Part from 1:06 to around 1:30 (and whenever it's repeated) is really bad. Embarassing rock riff underneath. And the clean vocal part near the end is also really bad. Beginning of the song is OK but not enough to save the song.
Yellow Stone - WTF is that riff? Oh, it's an interlude. Still pretty bad.
Magma - Stop with the clean vocals. WTF. Riff is too basic, drumming is pretty boring. Mario is so underused so far :( That goddamn guitar wanking got on my nerves, fuck this song.
Pray - This one is closest they came to classic Gojira sound on the whole album. It's a solid song, it's probably good enough to be a L'Elephant Sausage bonus song.
Only Pain - This one isn't really bad, but it's super mediocre. They are just going through the motions.
Low Lands - Pretty much same opinion as Only Pain.
Liberation - WTF is this.

Overall: Sellout. Pretty much Gojira's equivalent of Load. Load is probably better though.
 
No, it's not bad. NP used that word very lightly

I pretty much stick to my review from the previous page. If anything changed, that would be the album growing overall. Well... Pray doesn't make such a huge impression on me anymore. The best part for me now is the streak of first 5 tracks. Full of memorable moments and the choruses are huge.

There are no tracks I dislike (I don't count the pointless Liberation), but also there is no big, epic centrepiece, which is my biggest gripe. It's light, atmospheric and incredibly catchy. Very little death metal, which is not a bad thing per se, but I understand fans of the early records being thrown off. @Forostar you should give it a listen, you seemed to enjoy the lighter side of Gojira.
 
For once I'm in disagreement with a NP review, I'm liking this album a lot so far. Some of the tracks have a doomy and sluggish pace, without being too maudlin. You have a touch of epicness in Silvera, and The Cell, Stranded and Pray are strong ones. Liberation seems an odd way to end the album. Not as heavy as usual, but I think the album still has that unmistakable Gojira sound.

Perhaps not surprisingly, they've been playing Silvera and Stranded on their recent festival run. Stranded sounded a lot heavier live (at Download).
 
Magma resonates well with me because I come with a preference for slower, gloomier bands (Alice in Chains, Type O Negative, Tool, Godflesh etc...) so I welcome Gojira's evolution. I've noticed that people who just want 'balls to the wall' tend to be fairly disappointed with it. I think Magma balances nicely between their usual brutal/primal riffing and their penchant for creating haunting melodies/moods. I do agree with @Srogyy that the album needs a centerpiece type of track to really tie the album together - that's my lone complaint.

I've also enjoyed Gojira lyrically. It's such a refreshing change from the overplayed juvenile 'tough guy' garbage that gets associated with this particular genre.
 
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Question:

Is Joe using backing tapes on the chorus? He's a great singer live, but he occasionally stumbles in his upper register (he's always hit or miss with the opening to the 'heaviest matter of the universe' so I was a little surprised that he nails this particular chorus...on every live version I can find.

 
He certainly sounds great here, but I'm not sure whether it's tape (if yes, they only add it for the first lines in the chorus). I'll check more videos of The Cell. I know that they used tape for Stranded's clean parts, I've seen clips of him clearly singing over a backing track.
 
They sounded huge. It was a Radio 1 session recorded at Maida Vale studio earlier this year. They've played Stranded and Silvera and so far, and another song from the session will be on later in the show. The fourth is going to be played on another show.
 
Wow, he sorta hit the scream at the end of Stranded (well...he built up to it. Hadn't heard him attempt that before in other live versions)!

These guys are just monsters live. Most 'growling metal bands' are kinda meh in a live setting, but these guys are on a different level.
 
So with the recent Gojira/Opeth announcement I decided to revisit From Mars To Sirius. It's been at least a few years since I last listened to it and it's actually even better than I remember. The only song I wasn't crazy about was Backbone. Everything else, even the short interludes, is awesome. Global Warming is such a cool track.

 
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