Zoe Camp said, Magma’s not nearly as esoteric as the albums that preceded it—and considering how Gojira’s progressive tendencies have distinguished them from the get-go, the catchiest tracks on the record arguably take the biggest risks. With its growled melodies and groovy, nü-metal-tinged choruses, “Stranded” and “Silvera” are well-positioned to wreak havoc on mainstream rock radio, much to the ire of purists. The album’s atmospheric interludes, “Liberation” and closer “Yellow Stone,” comprise another source of contention, wholly skippable outside of the context of a full listening session (although the latter’s seamless transition into brutal opener “The Cell” offers one of the album’s most dynamic moments). Such deviations will undoubtedly draw comparisons to similarly-streamlined crossover efforts like Mastodon’s The Hunter and Baroness’ Yellow & Green, but to write off Magma as a mere bid for audience expansion is to ignore its overarching aims: the album’s universality is a testament to its emotional heft, and some tragedies can’t be expressed through labyrinthine musical proofs. Loss is bigger than Gojira. The guys can’t help it—and keep in mind, they were named for a giant, monstrous lizard.
Justthough also gave a shot about it. He said, When we think of Gojira what comes to mind ? Of course of a technical death metal band with nice lyrics about philosophy, Universe, nature, life and death. Well, in Magma you can forget about the technical death metal part BUT it is not necessarily a bad things.
First of all, There is two things to say before starting this review : First, if you're an elitist that only listen to metal, you will only like a few tracks on this album (if you like some) because it's not really metal anymore and second, this album was written after the death of Joe and Mario Duplantier's (singer/guitarist and drummer) mother, which explains the lyrics of some songs that are clearly talking about this case, like The Shooting Star or Stranded and Magma, the eponymous song. And Liberation, the instrumental track that finish the album, is a improvisation of the Duplantier's brothers after they learned the death of their mother.
So the album starts with The Shooting Star, and clearly announces that it won't be like the previous ones. Indeed, this song is really atmospheric, with clean vocal (and some screams here and there but only a little) and a slow riff. At first I didn't really pay attention to this one, but it really grew on me with times. On the ten tracks there's other atmospheric songs like Yellow Stone which is an instrumental with post-rock influences, Magma, Low Lands and Liberation which makes a ratio of 2/5 of atmospherics songs, almost half of the album.
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However there's also more violent songs like Silvera which is my favorite track I think, with a nice riff and lyrics (even a solo, the first of all of Gojira's discography) or Pray, Only Pain and The Cell. There's even a song like Stranded which is clearly the single of the album, with a catchy riff and a catchy chorus which is for a larger public, even if there's still screams on it.
To summarize this album, I will say that I personally didn't really like it at first, but then I listened to it some times after and it really grew on me. At first I was disappointed, like a lot of fans, because it wasn't heavy, the rhythms and melodies weren't as complicated as they were before, especially the drum that is godlike on the previous albums with Mario Duplantier, my favorite drummer of all time without a doubt, and which is here WAY MORE SIMPLER and that still broke my heart deep inside, but in the end, Gojira already showed their ability to play complicated stuff. They're simpler, but we can still ear that it's Gojira's songs and they're still quality songs. The more you listen to this album, the more you understand the charms of Gojira's refined style of music. Furthermore, if you understand the pain of losing someone dear to you, which is probably the case, you will surely be touched by the lyrics, especially The Shooting Star, Stranded and Magma.
Finally, I will add that there is, in my opinion, not a single bad tracks on Magma, I love them all, especially Silvera, The Shooting Star, Pray and Magma with a mesmerizing riff, a quite planing one and original. It's a different album, there is no doubt about it, with the riffs, the simpler melodies, the cleans and there's even french lyrics on Low Lands. Some fans won't like it and it's understandable because it's clearly different with what they've done before and it's not technical as it was. However I think everyone should give a chance to this record, because when you accept the changements, you will see the quality of this album and all the works behind it and that, in fact, even in a more rock-style, Gojira still rules.
Ulloz Zipxoc also said, The reaction to Gojira's Magma is a perfect testament to the fragility of metalheads. Again and again the formation of mouthbreather orgies for the sole purpose of collective bitching about a new album being "below standards" reinforces an all too true stereotype about listeners of extreme music being fickle crybabies obsessed with talentless noise ("I love Nails' new album! Fuck, I just wanna PUNCH somebody!") That's exactly the same as saying a piano ballad is "sad and beautiful". Attitude is easy to sell, and suckers are easy to come by.
True, Magma isn't quite as brutal as Gojira has been in the past...on two songs, anyway. This change wasn't completely unheralded, with L' Enfant Sauvage showcasing a much more accessible sound than From Mars to Sirius or The Way of All Flesh, with their crushing drumwork and lengthier songs. Part of the problem many naysayers are having I think comes from exaggeration; only two songs on this album feature a slower, sludgier sound, those being "The Shooting Star" and the title track. But they are still heavy, they are unmistakably Gojira, and there's nothing wrong with them from a technical standpoint. One reviewer said they've "lost their edge", which is a cop-out way of saying "it ain't brutal enough." Paint it any way you want, but you are complaining about attitude, not skill or artistry or stylistic focus, all of which this album has. If you are only into metal for the attitude, you are listening for the wrong reason.
Composition should always be the priority; mood is simply an enhancing flavor. Also, it should be pointed out that the fuss over Magma is comparable to the outcry over Opeth's new album, Sorceress. I join the dissenters in lambasting that album because it takes away from what made Opeth great and offers nothing new to replace it; it's uninspired and weakly written, whereas albums even as recent as Pale Communion featured the technical chops of prior Opeth, only lacking the heaviness. But Magma? It tightens Gojira's writing and adds plenty of interesting twists to their sound (the squealing "weeow" on "Stranded" and "Only Pain", the atmospheric sludge of "The Shooting Star" and "Magma", as mentioned before). The songs are catchier but no less skilled in their performance, merely shorter. In fact, the length of songs on The Way of All Flesh and From Mars to Sirius was often an issue, as Gojira clearly didn't have enough ideas, making half the song an intro or outro (7 minutes of actual playing on the title track of Flesh, followed by 5 1/2 minutes of silence and a 4 1/2 minute outro justifies a 17 minute track?). All the fat has been trimmed on Magma; this is Gojira recognizing their strengths and building on them immensely, crafting an album shot through by a laserlike focus on snappy songwriting and stylistic experimentation. These guys are so much better at striking boldly and swiftly than they ever were at progressive meandering, and I'm glad they have matured to this point, realizing their sound and expounding on it. The distinctive motifs tie it all together, making this possibly the most immediately recognizable of Gojira's output so far. Regardless of the positive or negative internal reaction you have, you can hear it and say "Oh yeah, that's definitely Magma."
Magma is a superb addition to the discography of one of the best bands in metal right now.
Tracks
- The Shooting Star
- Silvera
- The Cell
- Stranded
- Yellow Stone
- Magma
- Pray
- Only Pain
- Low Lands
- Liberation
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