Everyone has those bands that they have been meaning to check out, but for one reason or another, have never got around to it. For me, France’s Gojira was one of these bands until I finally listened to their 2005 offering From Mars to Sirius not too long ago. This was an album that was acclaimed by many whose opinion I value and trust, and I definitely enjoyed the band’s sludgy and groove laden spin on death metal.

After a three year hiatus, their latest album, The Way of All Flesh, is upon us. Though the sound remains largely unchanged, there are definite and tangible progressions and fresh elements to keep an ear out for on this one. For starters, the production has been meticulously perfected to the point where it sounds borderline robotic, ala Meshuggah. Just listen to the first few seconds of the opener Orobus and this should be obvious. I suppose this should upset me as the band sounds less “organic”, but in fact it has the opposite effect. This tighter production allows the riffing to attain maximum sharpness, as the chugging verse riff of Orobus displays nicely. In addition, Joe Duplantier’s vocals sound more aggressive and full, perhaps aided by effects. This, in turn, helps Gojira as a whole to sound much more brutal than the more lush and epic sound I remember from their previous album. Some of the experimentation on The Way of All Flesh is sure to piss off the fanbase, and I suspect that A Sight to Behold will be the most likely culprit. Drawing from a synthesized opening melody that would not be completely out of place in some dance clubs, Duplantier’s vocals are vocoded for an added industrial tinge that brings back memories of Cynic. It isn’t until the halfway point that the sound returns to their comfort zone of pounding death metal grooves. Surprisingly, again, I did not mind this foray into the synthesized industrial realm one bit. I actually found myself humming the synth line to myself constantly after my initial listen. The same goes for the somber guitar line in the short instrumental interlude, The Silver Cord. My lone complaint is that some of the tracks feel much more drawn out than they should considering their relatively short runtimes. I generally don’t mind repetition of deep chugging riffs, though they have a penchant for wearing out their welcome quicker than other styles. The riffing on Toxic Garbage Island and Adoration for None come to mind. Both are solid tracks, the latter containing a vocal cameo from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, but listening to one right after the other burns me out on their shared approach. I do want to mention that this would have been a much bigger obstacle to overcome were it not for the outstanding drumming performance of Mario Duplantier (yes, they’re brothers). His fills keep some of these songs interesting despite their problems. Strangely enough, the longest track on the album, The Art of Dying does not feel at all overly long, and is actually one of the highlights on The Way of All Flesh. I enjoyed everything about this song, from the quick tapping opening tribal beat, to the furious riff assault, to the reverse-riffed closing that segues into Esoteric Surgery. This technique of leading into the next track with a backwards version of its riff appears to be repeated on Wolf Down the Earth. Oh, and to save you from wondering, the silence you hear after the closing title track will eventually give way to a hidden instrumental that is worth the wait.

Gojira don’t completely reinvent themselves on The Way of All Flesh, but they introduce enough new wrinkles that even those who found nothing to enjoy on From Mars to Sirius may still find something to like. The album is a little too long for its own good, clocking in at over 75 minutes if you include the hidden track, but I still consider it one of the better albums to come out this year, and proof that adding production effects does not have to be a negative.