Gojira - The Link [2003]

Ashamed I must confess that for a long time (way too long!) Gojira meant to me one of the Guitarist’ cards with best virtuosos of that instrument (and quite a hottie in that case) + a few songs I quite enjoyed. The rest seemed too technical and boring to my ‘sophisticated and progressive taste’:P Yet this spring when I decided to clean my hard drive, Gojira ‘accidentally’played itself showing quite a different image of themselves...


Dry, thick drum rises and in The Link with powerful guitar creates an original song with a catchy riff, irregular, trancing rhythm and lovely out-of-tune chorus. What else is linked in this piece? a declaration of independence with will to build, create things and ‘being there’ for other people. And how could you expect such a declaration not to be screamed?!

Death of Me was caused by jumping elephants in the intro and a mad argument between Duplantier brothers (oh pity their mother if they did argue like this in childhood!). Yet in the later part everything gets more polite – repetitive drum and riff and growl-recitation (did you know growls can be polite?). Connected is a small interlude made of tiny wooden drums that have great power of shaking my arms...

But we’re not playing games here! Remembrance shall show it – since the very beginning – raw guitar, regular drum and a threatening scream of Joe’s. From the half everything slows, guitars get lower and drums more intense. Accompanied by the sounds out of this world we come into Torii, an unearthly beautiful and peaceful bridge ( a delicate, caressing guitar reminding a bit of Opeth’s acoustics...) What story could such a wonderful music tell? When you can’t find light in your life, search in your memories, past is something you can yet control.

The curtain of water falls with Torii and we’re on the Wild West! Indians musically (and rhythmically at most!) picture stupid White Faces attacking great Red Skins. So, there is a march (technical, regular part) and a chaos of war (another argument). Let’s scalp those lame badasses!

What if the only to cut away from evil is to drown it? Duplantiers repeat 'I Embrace The World' as a kind of mantra, that unites them with nature. And I have to say I get very fond of ground&grass when those exotic, mad sounds rise my body.

Yet Inward Movement brings the euphoria to an end. Everything is freezing in sadness:
Slow inside I take my time
will come and fill the empty space
my wound I'll nurse I'll understand
my pain one day will disappear
If Lars von Trier enjoyed metal, I’d recommend him using guitar outro of the song to prom his new Melancholia. You can literally feel how the music becomes roots and mug that forbid you to run.

But Gojira doesn’t want you to die, they just want you to *think*. That’s why Over the Flows talks about examining your heart and finding proper solutions. So the music is a beautiful solution – shadow of drums and a simple, anxious guitar line.

He who learns must suffer
and even in our sleep
pain falls drop by drop
upon the heart

Against our will
wisdom comes
And as it comes, all our world is shaking! The trembling, cold guitar line brings to my mind music with which Pegasus kept informing me ‘you’re time is running out, expect game over’

The anxiety reaches its top at Dawn – all the earth forces break lose. Guitars weep, squeak, scream, tremble and the drums swing from mad fury to sad march. Pure, well-organised chaos (and as you know – entropia always wins). So how could it end? in no other way than birds’ singing.