Editing Gojira (band) (section)

==Musical style and development==
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Gojira's sound blends several styles. Rooted<!--]] NOTE to editors, by 2016 they no longer saw themselves primarily as a technical death metal band; this is why it is worded the way it is!--> in [[technical death metal]],<ref>Gojira is a band with technical death metal roots:
* {{cite news |last=Dedman |first=Remfry |date=17 June 2016 |title=Gojira, Magma: Album Stream (Interview) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/gojira-magma-album-stream-a7082706.html |url-status=live |language=en-GB |work=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108103355/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/gojira-magma-album-stream-a7082706.html |archive-date=8 November 2020 |access-date=18 January 2022 |quote=their technical death metal roots}}
* {{cite news |last=Slingerland |first=Calum |date=18 July 2016 |title=Gojira Evolve − Since 'Having a Metal Band Is About Doing Whatever the Fuck You Want' |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gojira_evolve_since_having_a_metal_band_is_about_doing_whatever_the_fuck_you_want |url-status=live |work=Exclaim! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301190611/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gojira_evolve_since_having_a_metal_band_is_about_doing_whatever_the_fuck_you_want |archive-date=1 March 2021 |access-date=18 January 2022 |quote=the band stray from their technical death metal roots}}
* {{cite news |author=Olivier, Bobby |date=29 October 2021 |title=The 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/10/best-rock-bands-2021/ |url-status=live |work=Spin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110092839/https://www.spin.com/2021/10/best-rock-bands-2021/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=18 January 2022 |quote=the searing technical death metal that fueled the band}}</ref> the band combines [[death metal]], [[thrash metal]], [[groove metal]], [[progressive metal]], and [[post-metal]].<ref>Gojira's sound encompass several musical styles:
* {{cite news|last=Renaud|first=Philippe|date=16 July 2016|title=Gojira: le calme après la tempête|trans-title=Gojira: calm after the storm|url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/475648/festival-d-ete-de-quebec-gojira-le-calme-apres-la-tempete|url-status=live|language=fr|work=[[Le Devoir]]|location=[[Quebec]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210320143519/https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/475648/festival-d-ete-de-quebec-gojira-le-calme-apres-la-tempete|archive-date=20 March 2021|access-date=20 March 2021|trans-quote="Technical death metal. Groove metal with a thrash tendency. Progressive metal. All of this at the same time".}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000721409/biography |title=Artist Biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |last1=Buchanan |first1=Jonathan D. |access-date=30 October 2021 |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104184927/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000721409/biography |url-status=live }}
* {{cite news|last=Mills|first=Matt|date=April 2021|title=10 metal bands who went 'soft' − and were better off for it|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/10-metal-bands-who-went-soft|url-status=live|work=Metal Hammer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414162140/https://www.loudersound.com/features/10-metal-bands-who-went-soft|archive-date=14 April 2021|access-date=30 October 2021}}
* {{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Gojira: The Link|url=https://hardforce.com/album/6796/the-link?tab=releases|url-status=live|language=fr|magazine=Hard Force Magazine|location=Paris|date=n.d.|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210424170507/https://hardforce.com/album/6796/the-link?tab=releases|archive-date=24 April 2021|access-date=30 October 2021|oclc=32640105}}</ref> They have also incorporated [[mathcore|math metal]]<ref name="AllMusic-bio"/> and [[avant-garde metal]] into their music.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sabouret|first=Jean-Pierre|date=2012|title=Gojira: L'Avant-Garde Française|trans-title=Gojira: The French Avant-Garde|department=Interview|magazine=Guitarist & Bass Magazine|language=fr|location=[[Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis|Montreuil]]|publisher=Duchâteau-Voisin|issue=255|page=24|oclc=644431866}}</ref> ''Magma'' marked a significant change in Gojira's sound. Writer Remfry Dedman said that the album "reinvented the band's signature death metal sound, introducing an accessible thread without compromising their raw intensity".<ref>{{cite news|last=Dedman|first=Remfry|date=20 April 2017|title=Gojira, Code Orange and Car Bomb Round–Table Interview|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/gojira-code-orange-and-car-bomb-round-table-interview-a7691961.html|url-status=live|language=en-GB|work=[[The Independent]]|location=UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123193516/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/gojira-code-orange-and-car-bomb-round-table-interview-a7691961.html|archive-date=23 November 2020|access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref> Thus, some songs showcased musical traits associated with [[post-punk]], [[neo-psychedelia]],<ref name="JurekFortitude"/> and leaning towards [[post-rock]].<ref name="Hadusek2016">{{cite news |last=Hadusek |first=Jon |date=24 June 2016 |title=Album Review: Gojira – Magma |url=https://consequence.net/2016/06/album-review-gojira-magma/ |url-status=live |work=Consequence |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429095838/https://consequence.net/2016/06/album-review-gojira-magma/ |archive-date=29 April 2021 |access-date=26 December 2021}}</ref> The band's musical palette sometimes extends by stepping into [[progressive rock]] territory on quieter passages.<ref name="Hodgkinson2023-02-23">{{cite news |last=Hodgkinson |first=Will |author-link=Will Hodgkinson |date=23 February 2023 |title=Gojira review – an arena spectacular from the French metal masters |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/gojira-review-an-arena-spectacular-from-the-french-metal-masters-grgvd0979 |url-status=live |language=en-GB |work=[[The Times]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230223174230/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gojira-review-an-arena-spectacular-from-the-french-metal-masters-grgvd0979 |archive-date=23 February 2023 |access-date=25 February 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Gojira plays a technical, rhythmic style of heavy metal with [[polyrhythm]]ic patterns, a [[Heavy metal drumming#Subgenres|fast double bass drum]],<ref name="Hartmann2019-03-25">{{cite news|last=Hartmann|first=Graham|date=25 March 2019|title=10 Times Mario Duplantier Was the Best Drummer on Earth|url=https://loudwire.com/10-times-mario-duplantier-best-drummer-on-earth/|url-status=live|work=[[Loudwire]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002340/https://loudwire.com/10-times-mario-duplantier-best-drummer-on-earth/|archive-date=8 November 2020|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref> [[blast beat]]s, precision drumming, [[Jazz drumming|jazzy fills]],<ref>Blast beats, precision drumming, and jazz drum fills:
* {{cite news|last=Renaud|first=Philippe|date=16 July 2016|title=Gojira: le calme après la tempête|trans-title=Gojira: calm after the storm|url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/475648/festival-d-ete-de-quebec-gojira-le-calme-apres-la-tempete|url-status=live|language=fr|work=[[Le Devoir]]|location=[[Quebec]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210320143519/https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/475648/festival-d-ete-de-quebec-gojira-le-calme-apres-la-tempete|archive-date=20 March 2021|access-date=20 March 2021|trans-quote="powerful blast beats distributor".}}
* {{cite news|last=Williams|first=Stuart|date=31 December 2020|title=The 10 best metal drummers in the world right now|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-10-best-metal-drummers-in-the-world-right-now-as-voted-for-by-you|url-status=live|work=[[MusicRadar]]|location=UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110091259/https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-10-best-metal-drummers-in-the-world-right-now-as-voted-for-by-you|archive-date=10 January 2021|access-date=30 October 2021|quote=Few metal drummers match such precision}}
* {{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=5 Greatest Metal Drummers of All Time|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-greatest-metal-drummers-all-time|work=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=5 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217020908/https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-greatest-metal-drummers-all-time|archive-date=17 February 2021|access-date=4 April 2021|quote=from extreme-metal blasts to jazzy fills}}</ref> and [[Syncopation|syncopated]] guitar [[riff]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morton |first=Luke |date=16 August 2018 |title=The 10 best Gojira songs, chosen by Car Bomb's Greg Kubacki |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-best-gojira-songs-chosen-by-car-bombs-greg-kubacki |url-status=live |work=Metal Hammer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020124721/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-best-gojira-songs-chosen-by-car-bombs-greg-kubacki |archive-date=20 October 2021 |access-date=31 October 2021}}</ref> Mario Duplantier's style on ''From Mars to Sirius'' and ''The Way of All Flesh'' was called a "paradise for drumophiles", and he has been considered Gojira's "anchor" since the group's inception.<ref name="Hartmann2019-03-25"/> Their songs have "atypical" [[Odd time signatures|time signatures]] and uncommon [[song structure]]s<ref>{{cite news |last=Renaud |first=Philippe |date=13 August 2012 |title=Gojira... |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/musique/critiques-cd/201208/13/01-4564636-gojira-plus-solide-que-ca-.php |url-status=live |language=fr |work=[[La Presse (Canadian newspaper)|La Presse]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211030165508/https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/musique/critiques-cd/201208/13/01-4564636-gojira-plus-solide-que-ca-.php |archive-date=30 October 2021 |access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> and display "technical precision" with a sonic characteristic described as "sheer heaviness".<ref name="Hodgkinson2023-02-23"/> The band's sound is characterized by a [[Pick slide|pick-scrape]] technique that occurred spontaneously for the first time while playing "Embrace the World" during their 2003 ''The Link'' tour. Subsequently, the Gojira pick-scrape has become "a calling card" of the band. Joe Duplantier's first electric guitar, a [[Gibson Flying V]], was used for guitar solos on albums. Andreu and Joe Duplantier's guitar playing includes [[tapping]] [[Guitar solo|solo]] techniques, and on ''Magma'', they introduced a new sonority with the use of the [[DigiTech Whammy|whammy pedal]]. Gojira creates [[Texture (music)|textures]] and [[Ambient music|ambiences]] throughout their albums.<ref name="Angle2021">{{cite news |last=Angle |first=Brad |date=3 June 2021 |title=Gojira's Joe Duplantier: 'My approach to guitar is very physical... but not sexual!' |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/gojira-joe-duplantier-fortitude |url-status=live |work=Guitar World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605223544/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/gojira-joe-duplantier-fortitude |archive-date=5 June 2021 |access-date=16 January 2022}}</ref> They also use [[Palm mute|palm-muted]] guitar riffs and [[String harmonic#Guitar|pinch harmonics]].<ref>Pinch harmonics and palm muting technique:
* {{cite news |last=Begrand |first=Adrien |date=2 November 2008 |title=Gojira: The Way of All Flesh |url=https://www.popmatters.com/gojira-the-way-of-all-flesh-2496111788.html |url-status=live |work=[[PopMatters]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210827221951/https://www.popmatters.com/gojira-the-way-of-all-flesh-2496111788.html |archive-date=27 August 2021 |access-date=7 November 2021}}
* {{cite news |last=Schafer |first=Joseph |date=29 April 2021 |title=Gojira's Fortitude Embraces Melody Without Losing Integrity |url=https://consequence.net/2021/04/album-review-gojira-fortitude/ |url-status=live |work=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029172914/https://consequence.net/2021/04/album-review-gojira-fortitude/ |archive-date=29 October 2021 |access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref> [[Minimal music|Minimalist]], almost [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]] guitar riffs occasionally appear, contrasting with intricate drum patterns.<ref name="Hodgkinson2023-02-23"/><ref name="Hadusek2016"/> Their albums have been punctuated by instrumental interludes, which also feature non-musical sounds mingled with the band's music.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=5 Best Instrumental Metal Songs|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-best-instrumental-metal-songs|url-status=live|work=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320140910/https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-best-instrumental-metal-songs|archive-date=20 March 2021|access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> Vocal styles vary, from the [[Screaming (music)|screaming technique]] often used in [[extreme metal]] to death metal's [[death growl]], [[Pitch (music)|pitch]] screaming and [[Singing|clean vocals]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Alfano |first=Chris |date=28 July 2014 |title='I Wanted to Be a Fireman' − an Interview with Gojira's Joe Duplantier |url=https://geargods.net/rigged/i-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-an-interview-with-gojiras-joe-duplantier/ |url-status=live |work=[[Gear Gods]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119212554/https://geargods.net/rigged/i-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-an-interview-with-gojiras-joe-duplantier/ |archive-date=19 January 2021 |access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> Screams and clean vocals are sometimes combined to create an aggressive, melodic effect.<ref>Sing-screaming, melodic screaming:
* {{cite news |last=Hadusek |first=Jon |date=17 February 2021 |title=Gojira Announce New Album Fortitude... |url=https://consequence.net/2021/02/gojira-new-album-fortitude-new-song-born-for-one-thing/ |url-status=live |work=Consequence |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414114034/https://consequence.net/2021/02/gojira-new-album-fortitude-new-song-born-for-one-thing/ |archive-date=14 April 2021 |access-date=17 January 2022}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Dickinson |first=Finn |date=17 June 2016 |title=Gojira − Magma |url=https://pearshapedarchive.com/article/gojira-magma/ |url-status=live |magazine=PearShaped Magazine |place=[[University of Exeter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123181034/https://pearshapedarchive.com/article/gojira-magma/ |archive-date=23 January 2021 |access-date=18 January 2022}}</ref> Joe Duplantier's vocals feature a post-punk<!--He is compared to Jaz Coleman of post-punk band Killing Joke.--> singing style in some of Gojira's songs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ayers |first=Chris |date=1 February 2006 |title=Gojira: From Mars to Sirius |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gojira-from_mars_to_sirius |url-status=live |work=[[Exclaim!]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210807160337/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gojira-from_mars_to_sirius |archive-date=7 August 2021 |access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref>

===Influences===
<!-- These bands are ranked in order of importance based on what Gojira has said in interviews throughout their career. -->
Gojira was influenced by the early albums of [[Death (metal band)|Death]], [[Metallica]], [[Sepultura]], [[Tool (band)|Tool]],<ref name="Soenen2016-06-10">{{cite news|last=Soenen|first=Marie-Hélène|date=10 June 2016|title=Les cinq albums de metal qui ont changé la vie de Gojira|trans-title=The five metal albums that changed Gojira's life|url=https://www.telerama.fr/sortir/les-cinq-albums-de-metal-qui-ont-change-la-vie-de-gojira,143153.php|url-status=live|language=fr|work=[[Télérama]]|location=Paris|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210227161623/https://www.telerama.fr/sortir/les-cinq-albums-de-metal-qui-ont-change-la-vie-de-gojira,143153.php|archive-date=27 February 2021|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref> and [[Morbid Angel]],<ref name="Grow2017-06-29">{{cite magazine|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=29 June 2017|title=Gojira's Joe Duplantier: My 10 Favorite Metal Albums|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/gojiras-joe-duplantier-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-201839/|url-status=live|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210227162805/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/gojiras-joe-duplantier-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-201839/sepultura-chaos-a-d-1993-193622/|archive-date=27 February 2021|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref> and have also cited [[Led Zeppelin]]<ref name="Lecaudey2004"/> and [[Rage Against the Machine]]'s [[Rage Against the Machine (album)|debut album]] as influences. Mario Duplantier called Death "an obligatory path; they are at the origin of death metal", and Andreu agreed: "It's our culture, we come from Death." One of Labadie's earliest influences was Metallica's ''[[Ride the Lightning]]'', the first metal album he listened to at age eleven. Joe Duplantier said that "''Ride the Lightning'' saved my life when I faced difficult times in high school"<ref name="Soenen2016-06-10"/> and has also cited Machine Head's 1994 album, ''[[Burn My Eyes]]'', as an influence. He described Morbid Angel's 1993 album, ''[[Covenant (Morbid Angel album)|Covenant]]'', as "beautiful, and it's full of magic and epic brutality" and praised their 1995 album ''[[Domination (Morbid Angel album)|Domination]]''.<ref name="Grow2017-06-29"/> Other musical influences,<!--To a lesser degree, according to Gojira: as mentioned in the interview.--> to a lesser degree, include [[Slayer]], [[Pantera]], and [[Meshuggah]].<ref name="Soenen2016-06-10"/> Gojira's music has been compared to that of [[Neurosis (band)|Neurosis]].<ref name="Bagot2006-02-17"/> In 2003, Joe Duplantier expressed admiration for [[Sade (singer)|Sade]].{{sfn|Portnoi|2003|p=51}} By 2016, the band had admitted their interest in the music of [[the Beatles]].<ref name="Colombani2016-06-10">{{cite news|last=Colombani|first=Franck|date=10 June 2016|title=Gojira: 'Le metal, c'est de la dentelle'|trans-title=Gojira: 'Metal, it is lace'|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/2016/06/16/gojira-le-metal-c-est-de-la-dentelle_4951952_1654986.html|url-status=live|language=fr|work=[[Le Monde]]|location=Paris|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160617224915/http://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/2016/06/16/gojira-le-metal-c-est-de-la-dentelle_4951952_1654986.html|archive-date=17 June 2016|access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> Gojira also named [[Pink Floyd]]<ref name="Marraud2017-01-22"/> and [[Mike Oldfield]] as influences.{{sfn|Blanchard|2016|p=40}} On ''Fortitude'', they focused on the lingering influence that the "classic" rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s had on them.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kajzer |first=Jackie |author-link=Full Metal Jackie |date=22 March 2021 |title=Gojira's Joe Duplantier Wants 'Fortitude' Album to Inspire the Best in People |url=https://loudwire.com/gojira-joe-duplantier-fortitude-album-full-metal-jackie-2021-interview/ |url-status=live |work=Loudwire |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210508233713/https://loudwire.com/gojira-joe-duplantier-fortitude-album-full-metal-jackie-2021-interview/|archive-date=8 May 2021 |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> The British sound continued to inspire the band's writing, citing [[Radiohead]] and [[trip hop]] act [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]]. In 2021, Joe Duplantier said that [[Rock music|traditional rock]], [[blues]], and [[Americana (music)|Americana]] had been childhood influences "reawakened" by long conversations with Mastodon guitarist [[Brent Hinds]]: "The older the other guys and I get, the more we appreciate it".<ref name="Law2021-02-18"/>

In recollecting the band's early history, Joe Duplantier explained how they were "nourished by the rock energy of the Basque Country, fairly unique in France," but, by contrast, compared it to the broader context of their lifestyle, secluded in a forest with their American musical influences while being detached from the local scene. He said: "Thus, we created our own language, our own musical codes. The Gojira sound comes from there."<ref name="Soenen2016-06-24"/> Andreu and Joe and Mario Duplantier described [[classical music]] as a particular inspiration;<ref name="Colombani2016-06-10"/> Andreu said, "I listen to 70 percent classical music".<ref>{{cite magazine|author1=Jagunk|author2=Yoch|date=24 August 2009|title=Discussion − Gojira (Interview with Christian Andreu)|url=https://issuu.com/zyva/docs/zyva1/28|language=fr|magazine=Zyva Magazine|location=[[Lyon]]|publisher=[[Issuu]]|issue=1|page=28|oclc=743017035|access-date=29 January 2022|archive-date=17 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220917152616/https://issuu.com/zyva/docs/zyva1/28|url-status=live}}</ref> About Gojira's songs, which rely on [[syncopation]] and ''contretemps'' ([[Beat (music)#On-beat and off-beat|on- and off-beats]]), Mario Duplantier said: "Joe and I were introduced to classical very early on. There was a love and an understanding of this music in the family. There is a strong link between metal and classical music through [their] solemn side and attention paid to existential subjects: life and death. Pop [music] is more focused on romantic feelings."<ref name="Colombani2016-06-10"/> The Duplantier brothers said that their upbringing in a Landes house "lost in the forest, with no neighbors," was reflected in Gojira's music and lyrics. Their father, Dominique Duplantier, was a French [[Architectural drawing|architectural drafter]] and painter; their mother, Patricia, was an American with [[Azores|Azorean]] roots. Mario Duplantier described his mother as

<blockquote>... a very free spirit, who has always encouraged our creativity. On the one hand, we had this extroverted mother who drew, sculpted, and made magnificent paintings out of driftwood; on the other hand [we had] a silent, 'workaholic' father who could spend whole days on gigantic drawings in Chinese ink with an almost-worrying rigor. These two aspects of our upbringing are found in Gojira, a mixture of discipline and something more extroverted, wacky, and chaotic.<ref>{{cite news|last=Soenen|first=Marie-Hélène|date=8 July 2016|title=Gojira, une affaire de famille|trans-title=Gojira, a family affair|url=https://www.telerama.fr/musique/gojira-artistes-de-mere-en-fils-et-de-pere-en-fille,143998.php|url-status=live|language=fr|work=[[Télérama]]|location=Paris|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212133248/https://www.telerama.fr/musique/gojira-artistes-de-mere-en-fils-et-de-pere-en-fille,143998.php|archive-date=12 December 2020|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref></blockquote>

===Lyrical themes===
[[File:Gojira live Toronto 2016 119.jpg|thumb|alt=Gojira onstage, performing in front of a large screen|Spirituality, philosophy, and human domination over his environment are among the themes addressed in Gojira's songs]]
Gojira's lyrics address spirituality,<ref>{{cite news|last=Pasbani|first=Robert|date=29 August 2011|title=Gojira Frontman Talks Lyrical Themes Of Upcoming Album|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/gojira-frontman-talks-lyrical-themes-upcoming-album|url-status=live|work=Metal Injection|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210227185023/https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/gojira-frontman-talks-lyrical-themes-upcoming-album|archive-date=27 February 2021|access-date=27 January 2021}}</ref> life, death, rebirth, and nature.{{sfn|Laffilé|2008|p=27}} The band realized from the start that it could combine metal's "darkness" with Joe Duplantier's lyrics, which were inspired by the "mystery of nature", the environment, [[human nature]] and [[psychology]]. When Joe proposed a song entitled "Love", his fellow musicians were uncertain but the audience reaction was positive. Duplantier then wrote about his beliefs in [[reincarnation]] and the "existence of the [[soul]]".<ref name="Colombani2016-06-10"/> The band's lyrics revolve around the [[human condition]] and humanity's place in the world.<ref name="Guerin2012-05-02"/> Andreu said that to "speak and commit ourselves in the fields of ecology and spirituality is essential to the band."<ref name="Bagot2006-02-17"/>

''From Mars to Sirius'' was a [[concept album]] about [[environmental issues]], the death of Earth, and its "resurrection".<ref name="Richardson2019">{{cite news|last=Richardson|first=Jake|date=2019-04-22|title=10 Artists Helping To Save The Planet...|url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/10-artists-helping-to-save-the-planet-this-earth-day/|url-status=live|work=Kerrang!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409230131/https://www.kerrang.com/features/10-artists-helping-to-save-the-planet-this-earth-day/|archive-date=2021-04-09|access-date=2021-11-20}}</ref><ref name="Balaš2017-08-15"/> Mario Duplantier said that the album's lyrics and title are "an allegory of [Joe's] desire to see humanity go from a destructive and masculine energy (symbolized by the warrior [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]) to an energy based on emotion and femininity". Gojira's lyrics have been described as [[Philosophy|philosophical]] "reflections on life". Mario Duplantier said about his brother's lyrics, "each album is a situational analysis of his life. I can see his convictions and his emotions of the moment by listening to our music again".<ref name="Nartz2017-01-23"/> ''The Way of All Flesh'' addressed the question of life after death. Joe Duplantier said, "That's the theme it's about death itself&nbsp;... It's also about the immortality of the soul. That's the main subject for us."<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Gojira Frontman: 'I'm So Pissed Off With The Situation On Earth Right Now'|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-frontman-i-m-so-pissed-off-with-the-situation-on-earth-right-now/|url-status=live|work=Blabbermouth.net|date=20 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629005103/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=99417|archive-date=29 June 2008|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>  The title of ''L'Enfant Sauvage'' (''The Wild Child''), according to Joe Duplantier, could not be adequately conveyed in English: "''Sauvage'' is something that is not educated or something that is like free and completely free in nature&nbsp;... The idea with ''L'Enfant Sauvage'' is like with a human that would grow up in nature, raised by wolves, for example, without the influence from others and the influence from institutions or society in general."<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=Gojira Frontman Talks About The Making Of 'L'Enfant Sauvage'|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-frontman-talks-about-the-making-of-l-enfant-sauvage/|url-status=live|work=Blabbermouth.net|date=28 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014212043/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-frontman-talks-about-the-making-of-l-enfant-sauvage/|archive-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> The album's title made an indirect reference to [[François Truffaut]]'s film, ''[[The Wild Child]]'', but Mario Duplantier said that "it is first and foremost about poetry".<ref name="Guerin2012-05-02"/>

Gojira is well known for [[Environmentalism in music|environmentalism]], and have used their lyrics and music videos to highlight [[climate change]], [[marine pollution]],<ref name="Brannigan2016-05-22"/> and [[deforestation of the Amazon rainforest]].<ref name=":0" /> The song "Global Warming" explore [[human impact on the environment|human impacts on the environment]], and "Toxic Garbage Island" refers to the [[Great Pacific garbage patch]], a trash vortex in the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{cite news|last=Camp|first=Zoe|date=2018-06-25|title=See Gojira Debut Rare Studio Performance of 'Global Warming'|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/see-gojira-debut-rare-studio-performance-global-warming|url-status=live|language=en|work=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625215942/https://www.revolvermag.com/music/see-gojira-debut-rare-studio-performance-global-warming|archive-date=2018-06-25|access-date=2021-04-21}}</ref><ref name="Guerin2012-05-02"/> "Amazonia" has been characterized by Alec Chillingworth of ''Metal Hammer'' as a [[protest song]] - "amidst a discography littered with them".<ref>{{cite news |last=Chillingworth |first=Alec |date=26 April 2021 |title=Gojira's Fortitude is metal for the masses − and all the better for it |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/gojira-fortitude-album-review |url-status=live |work=Metal Hammer |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210501215741/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/gojira-fortitude-album-review |archive-date=1 May 2021 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> The band's members were raised in the [[Côte d'Argent|southwest of France]] and [[French Basque Country]] ([[Pyrénées-Atlantiques]]).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Humbert |first=Paul |date=3 February 2019 |title=De la scène à l'Etna ... |trans-title=From the stage to the Etna with Jean-Michel Labadie (Gojira) and Jérôme Clementz |url=https://www.vojomag.com/de-la-scene-a-letna-avec-jean-michel-labadie-gojira-et-jerome-clementz/ |url-status=live |language=fr |department=Interview |magazine=Vogo Magazine |place=[[Savoy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811181306/https://www.vojomag.com/de-la-scene-a-letna-avec-jean-michel-labadie-gojira-et-jerome-clementz/ |archive-date=11 August 2020 |access-date=21 November 2021|trans-quote=Labadie: "...the whole band having grown up in the South-West of France. I grew up in the Basque Country."}}</ref> Thus, the rugged coastline and its surrounding scenic countryside inspired Gojira's interest in nature and the sea. Mario Duplantier has said that seeing [[oil spill]]s in the nearby ocean inspired the band's interest in environmentalism.<ref>{{cite news|last=Andersen|first=Eric|date=2009-10-09|title=Gojira Spreading Eco-Friendly Message|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-spreading-eco-friendly-message/|url-status=live|work=[[The Daily Iowan]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210402152250/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-spreading-eco-friendly-message/|archive-date=2021-04-02|access-date=2021-04-02|via=Blabbermouth.net}}</ref> Joe Duplantier believes that songs can make concrete changes in environmental practices. In articulating his environmentalist position, he also shared a sense of anger and frustration with the [[political corruption|corrupt political systems]] and [[financial crime]].<ref name="Brannigan2016-05-22"/> ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' called the song "Into the Storm" a "revolutionary anthem".<ref>{{cite news |last=Russell |first=Scott |date=16 April 2021 |title=The 10 Best New Songs |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-new-songs/best-new-songs-lucy-dacus/ |url-status=live |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422202322/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-new-songs/best-new-songs-lucy-dacus/ |archive-date=22 April 2021 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref>