Gojira
Magma (Roadrunner)
Reviewed by Michael Toland, Fri., Aug. 19, 2016
Ever since Metallica went from the world's heaviest cult band to its biggest rock group, most major metal acts have wondered if they, too, could balance integrity and mainstream success. French prog-death masters Gojira take their shot on sixth LP Magma. Doubling down on the egalitarian edge of 2012 breakthrough L'Enfant Sauvage, vox populi Joe Duplantier nevertheless leaves extremity in the closet. Master craftspeople that they are, the band hits all marks on melody and dynamics, but the furious passion that drove their past work sounds muted. (Gojira plays Emo's Thu., Sept. 29.)
