An artist should pose questions. Regardless of medium, it's important to ponder humanity's place and function in the universe when a forum exists. Whether or not an answer is reached remains up to the audience's discretion. It's essentially about the journey, not the destination. On its fifth album and first for Roadrunner Records, L'Enfant Sauvage, French heavy metal goliaths Gojira certainly ask their fair share of questions. The title, which literally means "The wild child," connotes a big question for singer, songwriter, and guitarist Joe Duplantier. "When you become a musician, you don't have a boss telling you what to do so you have to be very responsible," he affirms. "With freedom comes responsibility so I'm asking myself, 'What is freedom? What does it mean to me?' L'Enfant Sauvage reflects on that. There's no answer though. There's just life and questions." "It was the first time we were without management, without a record company, and without a crew," reveals Joe. "It was very strange. So we started to compose without knowing what was going to happen. It was a very crucial moment. We had a good opportunity to grow during that period, and time means quality to us." While writing, the exterior pieces fell into place, and they entered Spin Studios in Queens, New York with producer Josh Wilbur [Lamb of God] towards the end of 2011. "Josh pushed us to give our best. He'd always say, 'You can do better than that.' He helped us get out of our comfort zone and find new strength."

 

That new strength courses through the record. The seven-minute "Explosia" shudders from hulking riffs, polyrhythmic pummeling and blood-chilling growls before dipping into an ethereal soundscape. Elsewhere, "Planned Obsolescence" roars with doubled robotic vocals and formidable shifting rhythms and grooves. "Mouth Of Kala" pushes boundaries even further as each element cascades into one raw exorcism of emotion. Put simply, the songs on L'Enfant Sauvage leave a mark. Roadrunner Records has proved to be the perfect home for the French outfit, and together they're going to make an even deeper imprint on metal.

 

You'll be thinking about L'Enfant Sauvage for a long time to come.

 

TRACKLISTING:  01. EXPLOSIA 02. L'ENFANT SAUVAGE 03. THE AXE 04. LIQUID FIRE 05. THE WILD HEALER 06. PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE DISC #2: 01. MOUTH OF KALA 02. THE GIFT OF GUILT 03. PAIN IS A MASTER 04. BORN IN WINTER 05. THE FALL