Gojira are BACK! It’s actually only been a few months since they last graced the UK with their presence. The difference being that this time sees them on their very own headline tour in support of their latest album ‘Magma’ which even at the time of writing this, is still currently happening. Back in November the band embarked upon a tour with Alter Bridge which would see them play some of the biggest arenas across the country. That being said, it was safe to say that the room was not full of Gojira fans! This time, as we make our way to a sold out Kentish Town Forum, the sheer amount of t shirts around the area give us hope that this will be the show we hoped for back then.
As usual however, there are a couple of support bands to get through. Car Bomb are up first bringing their mixed up, chunky sounding riffs that tries to stray away from your standard time signatures as the head bangers in the crowd found out! The band are a very heavy start to what will continue to be a heavy night and without a doubt they set that bar high.
That being said, as high as the bar was set by Car Bomb, you can’t help but feel that Code Orange took that bar, wrapped it around your head threw you to the floor and beat you to death with the twisted remains. This is a band who have absolutely nailed their sound combining earth shattering heaviness, dark and brooding sounds and some vicious sounding vocals to boot. They are without a doubt a band that will leave you exhausted as they did us. The band are currently touring in support of their new album ‘Forever’ which was well represented during the set as things start with the self-title track. For the next 30 minutes, there is not one band member standing still. Guitars are flailing, there are spinning kicks and tormented faces as the band members scream at the crowd making it very easy for you to want to go absolutely insane in the mosh pit.
There’s a period after Code Orange where the sold out crowd really starts to take shape. This is possibly the biggest crowd we have seen purely for Gojira – Something frontman Joe Duplantier also acknowledges after the band are finished blasting through ‘The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe’ As well as new tracks ‘Stranded’ & ‘Silvera’. Start as you mean to go on as they say and that’s exactly what Gojira do. The band are unfathomable as their all-star set list including ‘Backbone’, ‘Toxic Garbage Island’ and ‘Vacuity’ are executed expertly and whilst the band play with the finesse we have all come to expect, the mess in the crowd as fans go utterly nuts is astonishing. The one thing we all can agree on is that the music of Gojira, to this day, continues to turn venues into warzones of flying bodies, blood sweat and tears. The dedication of these fans is testament to just how good Gojira are and continue to be to this day. We would even go out on a limb and say the band are the best they have ever been right here, right now and if you were in attendance in Kentish Town, then you witnessed something truly special. A validation that Gojira are without a doubt one of, if not the greatest metal band around right now.
