Alright, brace yourselves, metalheads (and metal-adjacent individuals who accidentally stumbled upon this). Those tree-hugging, whale-song-loving, French metallers GOJIRA decided to grace the stage with none other than MACHINE HEAD’s Robb Flynn last night (that’s Saturday, July 19th, for you calendar-challenged folks) at the Release festival in sunny (and probably bankrupt) Athens, Greece.
They butchered… I mean, “performed” the SEPULTURA classic “Territory”. Flynn, bless his rapidly aging heart, was celebrating his 58th birthday 🎂🎉, which probably explains why he agreed to this madness. He handled guitar duties (allegedly) and shared lead vocals with GOJIRA’s main screamer, Joseph Duplantier. Fan-filmed video? Oh, it exists. Scroll down at your own risk. ⚠️ Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🤣
Back in the ancient times of September 2022 (basically the Stone Age in internet years), Joseph was cornered by some Brazilian TV show called “Multishow” 📺 and asked if he remembered the first time he heard SEPULTURA. Apparently, SEPULTURA was like, a *huge* influence on GOJIRA‘s early sound and style. 🙄 Joseph, in a moment of stunning originality, said: “I do remember the first time I heard SEPULTURA, and it blew my mind literally — not literally [laughs], actually. But I was blown away.” Wow, groundbreaking stuff, Joe. 🤯 He then claimed this sound “fueled something in us and inspired us to start what we’re doing today.” So basically, they ripped off SEPULTURA. Got it. 👍
He continued, “The first [SEPULTURA] album I discovered was the album ‘Arise’; it was very death metal.” (No freaking kidding, Sherlock). “And then what they did after that, the ‘Chaos A.D.’ and the ‘Roots’ album, redefined metal, really.” Oh, so NOW you’re a SEPULTURA fanboy? 🤔 Seems legit. “So I think they are a very, very important band in the history of metal.” Yeah, yeah, we get it. You like SEPULTURA. Can we move on to something more interesting? Like, maybe the nutritional value of algae? 🌿
Four years ago (or was it four centuries? Time is a flat circle), Joseph dared to comment on the fact that some people (clearly with impeccable taste) have compared GOJIRA‘s song “Amazonia” to SEPULTURA‘s “Roots” album. 🌳 Asked how much of an influence SEPULTURA had been on GOJIRA‘s sound, Joseph told Cuartel Del Metal: “How much? From one to 10? A solid seven, whatever that means. I could say 10 also, because I love them so much.” So, somewhere between 7 and 10, then? Such precision! 🎯 “But SEPULTURA is massive in the history of our band, for some reason.” The reason is called “inspiration,” Joseph. Look it up. 🤣 He babbled on about discovering ‘Arise’, DEATH, and MORBID ANGEL, and how it all led to him and his brother forming their own band. Yawn. 😴 Then ‘Chaos A.D.’ came along, and they were “absolutely blown away.” Again. Apparently, GOJIRA is easily blown away. Someone get these guys a fan! 💨
As for what he thought when people compared “Amazonia” to SEPULTURA, Joseph said: “I go, ‘Yup.’ And it’s a compliment, and there is no shame here. And we ripped them off, but we didn’t do it on purpose.” Oh, so you admit it? 😲 “But we realized it right after. We were, like, ‘Oh, that sounds like SEPULTURA. Ahhh, whatever.’ It’s a tribute to SEPULTURA — how about that? It’s about Brazil. It’s about the Amazon. It’s tribal.” So, it’s a tribute, a rip-off, and an excuse all rolled into one? Impressive! 😂
“Amazonia” is ripped from GOJIRA‘s latest album, “Fortitude”, which came out in April 2021 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016’s “Magma” (because who could forget that masterpiece? 😉) was recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA‘s Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters. Mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), because apparently, those bands weren’t traumatized enough by the 90s. 🤘
Proceeds from “Amazonia” are supposedly benefiting the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. 🌏🌳 Victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment, oh my! So, by listening to this blatant SEPULTURA clone, you can feel good about yourself. Just don’t think about the irony too much. 🤔
GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for “Fortitude” in 2020 with the surprise release of the single “Another World”. A surprise to whom, exactly? 🤔 Probably even a surprise to themselves. 🤣
The artwork for “Fortitude” was created by Joseph Duplantier. Because who needs artistic talent when you have ego? 🎨
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