Whale Riffer

It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing for this site. I really do. I think the problem is that my enjoyment doesn’t necessarily reveal itself until I’m about halfway through a new post. I suppose I’ve also been having inspiration issues lately, pretty lame. Thus is the cycle of metal. I mean, I can’t keep writing about the same bands over and over and it’s pretty rare that a new one comes along that I feel the need to devote enough time to educating myself about to the point where I feel comfortable posting about them. I guess there’s nothing stopping me from posting daily stuff about current stories but there are enough sites devoted to that so it would seem kind of cheap.

What am I trying to say exactly?

I don’t know man, that you’re lazy?

Sure, probably. I’m not going to say that it’s hard but…

…but, just finish the post.

Fine. Remember my top 10?

Yeah.

Gojira, the French band. Remember them?

Yeah, From Mars to Sirius. Seriously, how awesome is that record.

Ridiculously awesome. Honestly, some of the best production I’ve ever heard. The drums are so huge and solid.

I know, and the vocals? Talk about a delivery. I mean, you notice when good vocals are good or the opposite, when you just can’t get into something, but this guy…

…unreal, so much conviction. Would have liked to have seen him record them, pretty amazing that he was able to put himself in that headspace in a vocal booth. It sounds like he wanted to eat the wood from the walls.

It’s conscious too which is refreshing. I guess if you think about it it wouldn’t be that hard to draw that much aggression from environmental subject matter. And let’s be honest, whales make for some heavy duty imagery.

That sounds dumb, I know what you mean though.

Whatever.

It’s also pretty cool that they pretty much cornered the market on that pick scrape across the strings thing. You know, when you rake your pick from the high E to the low E? Close to the bridge? SCREEEAAAAW.

Yeah, it’s wicked. Zakk Wylde does that thing too but these guys actually incorporate it into the riffage, it’s not just some trick, it’s really in there and part of the song.

Oh man, I know. Like that section 2 minutes into the tune “The Heaviest Matter in the Universe”? Where the riff falls into that bulldozer grind? And your ears keep getting tweaked by that, that SCREEEAAAW.

It rules.

Yep.

It’s funny too because since this record came out other bands are starting to use it more and when I hear it I just think, ‘man, they’re ripping off Gojira, from a record that’s less than 2 years old’. Talk about getting something right.

Yeah, like Chimaira.

Definitely, I mean, you know I think that last Chimaira record was pretty cool but that new song they have? Resurrection? They go into a big slow riff at the end and bring in what to me is already known as the Gojira scrape. It’s like, c’mon guys, people know.

You speak the truth.

Yes I do. I’m going to watch that live Gojira video of ‘The Heaviest Matter in the Universe’ now.

Good idea.

Thanks.