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Many music critics have identified "The Way Of All Flesh" by the French Gojira as the breakthrough metal album of 2008. Well, that statement seems a bit exaggerated to me, especially because, to be honest, they have been boosted by considerable media hype, which raised huge expectations even before the album's release. However, the album in question deserves tons of praise and general acclaim; it may not be the sensational revelation of the year, but it comes pretty close.
With a lot of experience behind them, they released this work hoping to finally make a "big hit" in the mainstream market, and they succeeded brilliantly. Their work skillfully blends very technical death metal well-associated with frequent thrash outbursts and massive (I would say "godzilla-esque") sludge/doom slowdowns. Twelve tracks in total, not all worthy of a gold medal but still high-quality and praiseworthy, which at first seem light to listen to, but over time reveal underlying layers and initially hidden details that keep the listener's attention for a long time, giving the album duration and a certain underlying complexity.
The tracks that alone are worth the price of the CD? The opening "Oroborous" without a doubt, a hypnotic and intense blow to the teeth, a majestic piece built on an enveloping riff and a voice that lies between a growl and an effected scream. The track maintains a constant drive throughout its duration, alternating slower moments with more furious and angry ones, thus constituting a perfect example of the fusion of genres achieved by the group.
In the following "Toxic Garbage Island", even the most inspired Meshuggah are brought into play, spreading an aura of desperate rituality and drama: this trait will remain almost constant throughout the album. Once re-emerged from the mire and magma that envelop us in the slow and sulfurous "Yama's Messengers", comes a series of tracks that, I am convinced, will remain in the hearts of the album's admirers as the diamond tip of this work.
"Adoration For None", interpreted by the singer of Lamb Of God, is an angry, violent, and crawling sound attack, a hammering, spiral, and relentless piece like an endless siege. Truly incredible is the chaos created in this piece, as incredible is the emotional power elevated at certain moments of the piece.
"The Art Of Dying" is in my view the most significant track of the entire album. Almost ten monumental minutes, the perfect synthesis of Gojira's thought: tribal, nerve-wracking, killing in riffing, obsessive in drumming, distressing, and touching in vocals. A true gem, which shines with its light in every second, every note, every change of tempo, every transition from melodic to fierce. After this track, everything else seems almost downhill, but the class does not run out. "Esoteric Surgery" captivates with its perfectly catchy anger, while the title track is tasked with closing the record in a more than dignified manner.
"The Way Of All Flesh" has a characteristic that belongs only to masterpieces: it knows how to conquer more with each listen, revealing itself in a different and mutable way according to the states of mind with which it is listened to. Great credit must be given to these French guys, capable of synthesizing many influences to conceive a product that may not be innovative, may not change the history of music, but will certainly enchant you as few metal albums have managed to do. Rightly so, it is named as one of the best works of metal branded 2008.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
06 All the Tears (03:41)
Are we left all alone?
Mother has no time but she cares for me
And she cried all the tears
I am joining now the river flow
I am three days old
Now the time has come
You have to be man
I don't want to destroy
The only chance I have
To survive down here
The wind blows I'm so scared
And the waves so big, I'm not prepared
I will have to be strong
But for now I cry all the tears
Now enter the storm and feel electric sword
My entire life is about to burn
I am struggling, life is illusion
But I keep the dream of a better time
This secret knowledge
I receive from where I am
So precious the treasured icons
Extended to this point
Forget the ones that hurt
They all want, they struggle
They fight and try to dry their tears
We are all left on our own
We are bound yet by each others lives
Now I'm leaving this world
I will never forget the river flow
The pains and traps of life
I put my scars away and love
I have to face the truth of living
I left my boat behind
I am not taking it
Where I go I won't be crying
I die
07 Adoration for None (06:19)
Everyone is doing their best to destroy it
simplicity's forgotten
and we all drill the ground
I stand free
I refuse to be surrounded
the stones and dust bite hostile
devours flesh and bones
the weakest lost in hatred
consequence is upon your door
reponsible for my own life
I'm reborn again and again
Driven to increase my own power
by creation the purest choice
destined to rule my life
and go the way of all flesh
nature is my only master
I will bow to no one
the ground is dry like rock
without any hope left
but now I decide to grab my life
with my hands
crave for freedom build my own life
adoration for none
Reaction is a weakness the strong cannot afford
my path is not determined by actions of others
they fill themselves with hate
covering their faces blackened
the wolves are back and crave to kill
slip on stones and break their legs
try to hide from termination
but the time has come
you will have to pay the debt of nature
And now you are the one
to change the face of the world
you wield the sword the pain is left aside
I have left my tears behind me
so I re find the way that I know
so bright to me
and I only adore the fact that we are the creators
of our own lives
lust for power is the master disease of our time
this force alone devours the weak
and rules the strongest
So mired in convolution
it chokes the life from your throat
break the chains of complication
I breathe the air of freedom
There is no room for your judgement
my life is mine alone
I purge myself to resentment
I breathe the air of freedom
breathe...
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By ElectricOne
In my humble opinion, this is their best work, in which their true artistic maturity is reached.
A truly intelligent proposition and certainly recommended to those who can no longer bear the current metal routine.
