Gojira (FR)

About

Also known as: Godzilla

Few metal bands have pulled off the trajectory Gojira has, going from self funded demos recorded in a garage in Ondres, France, to headlining arenas across Europe, the UK, and South America. The four piece, anchored by brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier alongside Christian Andreu and Jean Michel Labadie, built their reputation on a dense, technically ferocious sound that weaves together progressive and death metal with lyrics fixated on environmentalism, spirituality, and philosophy. Their 2005 album From Mars to Sirius put them on the international map, but it was Magma in 2016 that broke them wide open, hitting number 24 on the Billboard 200 and going gold in France. Fortitude in 2021 was their biggest move yet, topping the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and becoming the best selling album in the US during its release week, making Gojira the first French band to reach that number one spot. They have earned Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance, and in 2024 they made history as the first heavy metal band to perform at an Olympics opening ceremony, shredding a metal version of the revolutionary anthem Ça ira from platforms on the exterior of the Conciergerie in Paris.