Gojira is a French heavy metal band from Ondres. Founded as Godzilla in , the band's lineupβbrothers Joe lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar and Mario Duplantier drums , Christian Andreu lead and rhythm guitar , and Jean-Michel Labadie bass βhas been the same since the band changed its name to Gojira in Gojira has been known for its progressive and technical death metal styles and spiritual , philosophical , and environmentally themed lyrics.
The band has gone "from the utmost obscurity during the first half of their career to widespread global recognition in the second". Gojira's first two albums, Terra Incognita and The Link , and powerful live performances established its reputation as a leading French metal band. Maciste All'Inferno was a silent film score composed and performed for a one-night show in Bordeaux. The band then signed with Prosthetic Records , which gave it visibility in North America. The follow-up album, The Way of All Flesh , charted on the Billboard , and Gojira later launched its first overseas headlining tour.
The band began recording the Sea Shepherd EP in a collaborative framework involving several metal musicians. In , Gojira signed with Roadrunner Records. The band released L'Enfant Sauvage and Magma , which peaked at numbers 34 and 24, respectively, on the Billboard and were certified gold in France. Gojira shelved death metal in favor of a more straightforward style on Magma , the band's breakthrough album.
In , it released its first Billboard -charting single, "Another World". The chart-topping Fortitude was the best-selling album in the US during its first week. Gojira holds the record for the loudest concert and sound ever recorded at the Stade de France. Gojira also became the first heavy metal band to perform at an Olympics opening ceremony during the Summer Olympics in France. At the age of seventeen, while in high school, vocalist and guitarist Joe Duplantier formed his first band called Eclipse after discovering heavy metal three years earlier.
His brother, Mario , started a band at the age of twelve and had already demonstrated his capabilities as a drummer. Over time, the two brothers embarked on jam sessions after school.
