Listen to a New Gojira Song, “The Chant”

Gojira have released “The Chant,” the fifth single from their forthcoming album, Fortitude (after “Another World,” “Born for One Thing,” “Amazonia” and “Into the Storm.”

I’ve been lukewarm on the songs I’ve heard from Fortitude so far — I feel as if they’re retreading a lot of the same ground from Magma and prior and that the band is starting to run out of gas — but I really dig “The Chant.” Why? It’s a major departure for them, slow, melodic, almost hymnal, and based around a repeated vocal chant (go figure). You have never heard Gojira sound like this before and that’s a good thing, unless you’re one of those “heavier is the only acceptable way” asshats.

Gojira vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier comments of the track:

“This song is infused with the concept of civil disobedience. Acting accordingly with our deepest wisdom and standing for what is precious and good in this world. The only possible revolution is the one that blossoms from within us. Change will come from individuals. Laws are meant to be bent and shaped to our vital needs. LAWS WILL FOLLOW!”

A proper video for “The Chant” arrives this Friday, April 30, along with the full release of Fortitude via Roadrunner; pre-order here. Make sure you check out our recent chat with Duplantier on The MetalSucks Podcast.

The band is currently auctioning/raffling off items to benefit The Articulation Of Indigenous Peoples Of Brazil (APIB), a non-profit that advocates for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon who have suffered immensely from deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment, and is currently devoted to helping indigenous people of the Amazon region combat COVID-19. Learn more, place bids, and all that good stuff here. The effort has raised over $250k to date.