Jackson Sends In An Old Friend To Help Out On ‘Fleshy´ New Album
Ooh la la! French metal heavyweights Gojira got a surprise from Jackson when they entered the studio to begin recording their new album.
The guitar manufacturers had sent the band exactly the same axe they used to record their breakthrough record From Mars To Sirius.
“We asked Jackson to send us a cool guitar to record our last album and they sent us this Jackson US Soloist that I really loved,” frontman Joe Duplantier explained, “but unfortunately we had to send it back afterwards. Then on this album we asked again and they sent the exact same model!”
Gojira´s new album will be called The Way Of All Flesh. Due in stores on 13th October, the band have already wrapped up recording the record at their home studio in Bayonne in the south of France. They will mix it in Los Angeles with ex-Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader.
According to Joe it is even “more intense, more brutal, and more melodic” than 2005´s acclaimed From Mars To Sirius, which the band have been touring for the last three years alongside bands like Trivium, Lamb Of God and Machine Head.
The album deals with life and death and the band´s new outlook towards both.
“The Way Of All Flesh is everything we have to go through until death,” Joe told TG.
“I´m 30 years old now and it´s the first time as a human being that I´ve thought abut my own death philosophically, and the time that I have to spend here on earth. It´s something that we´re all concerned about. But it´s almost taboo. You don´t go to a party and talk about death right?”
Joe admitted Gojira achieved their massively heavy guitar tone by accident: “We tried to have a very clean and powerful sound. Everyone was telling us ‘its cool you have this dirty sound!´ but it´s because we did everything by ourselves in our home studio. We´re doing the same this album so we still have our own special touch, but with Logan mixing it will sound even more powerful!”
For his guitar parts Joe used the Jackson US Soloist while fellow axeman Christian Andreau used a Jackson Randy Rhoads model. They fed these through various Peavey amps including the new 6505 and the new EVH 5150 III head.
“It sounds awesome,” said Joe. “We really love Peavey stuff and they support us well. When I do other stuff working with other people they always seem to work with Peavey - it seems like in metal everyone´s using Peavey!”
Gojira´s sound on the new record has been influenced by such a long period of touring and the bands they have accompanied.
“I would say it´s not only the bands we´ve toured with but also the experience we went through,” Joe said. “When we record an album now it´s about turning a new page. Technically watching these musicians play has been very inspiring.”
The band´s hometown of Bayonne on the south coast of France also had an input.
“It´s a small area, so it helps to be in a quiet environment. We almost need it now. When we end a tour we like to be quiet and in the countryside. We feel safe and alone down here and that´s what we need to compose.”
The band has recorded 12 songs for the record. The drums were recorded with Logan Mader in LA before the band returned to Bayonne to complete tracking. The album will then be mixed by Mader in Los Angeles in two weeks time. Song titles so far include All The Tears and Yama´s Messengers.
