There is something about brothers playing together. From The Allman Brothers through Van Halen and Oasis and Pantera to Lamb of God and French technical/thrash/groove metal outfit, Gojira, whose latest offering is a testament to their ability to suck out substance from concrete walls of sludge-like heaviness. Joe Duplantier treads the fine line between articulate and guttural with panache, and Mario Duplantier manages to throw in impossible accents and ghost notes in patterns chock-full of beats. The beauty of Gojira lies in their efficiency. Every second of every song has something going on, which is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. On the title song, ‘L`enfant Sauvage’, the volume on the guitars are kept low, almost out of respect for the train-wreck of a pattern that Mario steers around. Again, in ‘The Mouth of Kala’, un-relenting double bass breaks down into a heavy groove, around which the rest of the unit converges. But ‘L`enfant Sauvage’ is more than just artillery. Well-thought out song structures, poly-rhythmic verses and odd time signatures make ‘Explosia’ a pleasure to listen to. ‘The Gift of Guilt’ is heavy on the melody, with Alexi Laiho-esque (respect for the ‘Wild Child’ reference?) phrases underlying a slower tempo. Again, ‘The Fall’ is on a different page altogether. This song is the hay-maker in the flurry of blows, the bullet among the knives. Sub-heavy bass line, comparatively comatose tempo, almost an industrial, ambient texture to it, but definitely the song with maximum groove. The only weak song on this record is the instrumental ‘The Wild Healer’. Not recommended for the weak-hearted.
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