There may be a trillion metal albums being released each month on a trillion labels and the metal media machine at large would have you believe that they are all worthy. Truthfully, few newer bands are doing anything noteworthy. Thankfully, we are blessed with the greatness of GOJIRA to make us forget about the soulless and utterly unnecessary 99% of metal. Building upon their excellent album, From Mars to Sirius, The Way of All Flesh takes things to higher marks of quality. The twelve tracks provide more than enough content to satiate any listener with GOJIRA’s unique brand of extreme metal. The album is loaded with tasty riffing, fierceness, top-notch performances (especially drummer Mario Duplantier), and a confidence that is undeniable. One of the band’s best characteristics is their mastery of understanding and creating music with dynamics. Whether it be tempo changes, tone changes, or different riffing styles, the songs never grow stale nor do things ever seem redundant. There is also an interesting amount of experimentation with different sounds outside the conventional metal confines such as the tribal drums on “The Art of Dying” or the synthesizers on “A Sight to Behold.” GOJIRA embody all the things that make metal great. It’s fierce, confident, well played, dynamic, creative, and just plain solid. The Way of All Flesh is a mandatory listen. (Prosthetic Records)
