When people think of French music, extreme heavy metal is probably not the first genre that comes to mind. But French band Gojira has become one of the biggest names in metal since releasing its debut album in 2001. From the beginning, Gojira has been embraced by the international metal community, and over the years, the band has toured with metal titans from Metallica to Slipknot and Lamb of God. Gojira are metal titans in their own right at this point, with two Grammy nominations and high-charting album sales around the world.
Despite the harsh sound of their music, Gojira’s lyrics are often forward-thinking and empowering, whether tackling spirituality or environmentalism. The band embraced a more accessible sound with 2016 album Magma, including clean vocals and more concise song structure, receiving some of the best reviews and strongest sales of its career. The band members have been hard at work on material for a new album, with frontman Joe Duplantier telling Metal Injection that they were writing up to 100 songs to narrow down for the release. “We’re working with stuff that sometimes is a bit surprising, even to us,” he said. Starting with its country of origin, Gojira has always been full of surprises.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2, starting at $25 plus tax and fee. 702.632.7600
