Gojira Rocks the Myth

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TesseracT was the first and only opener for the show last night. I am a fan of these guys when I’m sitting at home trying to get work done but when it comes to seeing them live, I never really got what I wanted out of them. Something was different about last night. Maybe it was because I had had such a bad day and was just desperate for a good show or maybe something with me, or the band, clicked. Regardless, I was in love with these guys last night.

What makes this band stand out in a world of oh so many other progressive metal bands is Daniel Tompkins’ vocals. Daniel has a voice that makes your jaw hit the floor. It’s not exactly what you’d expect to go with the music that’s behind him but I think that’s what makes me love these guys so much. Daniel’s calming voice is as smooth as it gets. His falsettos feel natural and not forced like so many other metal vocalists out there. Even though it’s smooth and calming, it’s still an extremely powerful voice and Daniel seems to effortlessly command your attention.

Even if you take Daniel’s flawless vocals away from this band, you are left with some of the most beautifully complex instrumental music I’ve ever heard. The rhythms and riffs seem complicated but the music itself sounds just as effortless as Daniel’s voice. Many bands with such complicated rhythms and what not give me a bit of a headache. It’s hard for me to follow the beat and I hate that but TesseracT somehow keeps the beat steady and noticeable even though there is complete chaos going on around it.

I can’t tell you why last night was different than the other times I’ve seen TesseracT but my eyes were glued to the stage last night as they played through their forty-five minute set and I had a smile on my face throughout it. I thought they had stolen the two-band show but then Gojira took the stage and proved why they are so deserving of a headlining tour and why they are one of the best metal bands to come out of France.

Gojira definitely isn’t a new band. They have been a staple of my metal playlists since the early 2000’s and with their newest release Magma, they proved that they aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Gojira’s music is in the same progressive metal world as that of TesseracT but it is completely different. Singer Joe Duplantier has a much raspier voice but it is still clear and easy to understand. It gives Gojira’s music a much darker feeling than that of TesseracT but the two bands paired nicely together. The stark differences between the two bands made both of them extremely memorable but, because of the subtle similarities, it still made the night feel cohesive.

What I love about Gojira is the fact that their songs do not seem to follow the structure that 99% of the music out there does. There doesn’t seem to be choruses or verses in their music. It’s something that I noticed the first time I heard them and something that keeps me coming back for more. It’s so refreshing to hear a band not care about the conventional formats and just truly do what they enjoy… make great music.

The crowd seemed hungry for Gojira’s set. It had been three years since the last time Gojira headlined a show in the Twin Cities and you could tell. Throughout the set the crowd was a giant, sweaty mosh pit that only grew and got more intense with each song. Even with three encores, the crowd was still left wanting more. Gojira didn’t give any specifics but it seems like they might be back in the area sooner rather than later.

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