UMUR "The Way of All Flesh" is the 4th full-length studio album by French metal act Gojira. The album was released through Listenable Records/Prosthetic Records in October 2008. It´s the successor to "From Mars to Sirius" from 2005, which was the album, which gave Gojira their international (metal scene) breakthrough. "The Way of All Flesh" was predominantly recorded at the band´s own home studio Studio des Milans with lead vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier acting as producer. The drums were recorded at Undercity Recordings in Los Angeles and engineered by former Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader.

The musical direction hasn´t changed that much since "From Mars to Sirius (2005)". It´s still crushingly heavy, angular, and relatively complex and technically well played progressive metal featuring powerful, raw, and aggressive yet occasionally melodic tinged singing. The pace varies both within tracks and between tracks so the album features everything from slow to really fast-paced parts. The music is mostly mid-paced and heavy though. The tracks, while generally featuring relatively accessible vers/chorus structures, do often go beyond that format to explore more adventurous song formulas, which is part of the reason why this music can be labelled progressive.

The material are well written and the album is consistent in quality and style, which makes it hard to pick standout tracks. I´d mention tracks like the opener "Oroborus", the brutal "Adoration for None", the catchy "Esoteric Surgery", and the 9:54 minutes long "The Art of Dying" as some of the highlights, but I could have picked just about any track off the album as the quality is high throughout. The music is played with great technical skill and Gojira seamlessly combine elements from death metal, thrash/groove metal, and progressive metal to create a sound that is their own.

"The Way of All Flesh" features an intense, powerful, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. If he hadn´t opted to become a musician, Duplantier could easily have landed the job as professional producer/engineer (he is a bit of a multi-artist, as he is also credited for creating the cover artwork for the album). So upon conclusion "The Way of All Flesh" is a great follow-up album to the much praised "From Mars to Sirius (2005)". It´s also a bit "safe" though, as it sounds a lot like "From Mars to Sirius (2005)" number 2, but there are differences, and it would be wrong to say that Gojira haven´t evolved in the three years between the two albums. "The Way of All Flesh" is sligthy more catchy and the tracks are generally a bit more memorable than the tracks featured on the predecessor, but it´s little details really. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

Warthur Gojira's The Way of All Flesh is an interesting experiment in producing progressive death metal. It is not an exercise in technical complexity to such an extent that you'd call it technical death metal; rather, it works in some prog metal and prog rock song structures and compositional approaches and motifs into the tunes here. Keeping the emphasis on high-quality compositions rather than technical showboating ensures that, despite being a 75 minute album, it never really drags, with the end result being a release which both brings the death metal thunder and uses it carefully and artfully for maximal effect. Great stuff.

Phonebook Eater 7/10

"The Way Of All Flesh" is a ferocious grip, fast-paced like no other album by the band.

Gojira's fourth album is the first one after the seminal “From Mars To Sirius”, and shows that they still are a strong band that can release solid efforts. While not as well developed and written as the previous album, “The Way Of All Flesh” is nevertheless an album enjoyable from beginning to end, with only very few, slight bumps during the ride.

This last effort is a somewhat return to the band’s older days: a more thrashy, groove metal influenced take on Death Metal, with extremely tight compositions and a high level of technicality. Joe Duplianter’s vocals are, as usual, perfect growls, strong, powerful, and mighty, and give yet another touch of violence to the sounds. The production is top notch, better than ever before, with almost flawless mixing (some moments I wish the vocals were louder).

With more than an hour of music and with twelve, average-length pieces, “The Way Of All Flesh” keeps the entertainment rate high, starting with the first two tracks, “Ouroboros” and “Toxic Garbage Island”, this last one definitely the best, most brutally technical song of the record. Then, we have songs like the energetic, quasi-metalcore feeling of “All The Tears”, “Vacuity”, the tribal “The Art of Dying”, or the mighty title track that boasts amazing performances by all the musicians. Some songs like “Wolf Down to Earth” or “ A Sight To Behold” are little too plain and don’t add much to the album, same for “Yama’s Messenger”, a plain, destructive episode that simply doesn’t add anything at all.

Despite the few flaws “The Way of all Flesh” is another extremely impressive piece of work from Gojira, a band that so far has shown immense talent and absolutely worthy of their reputation.

Conor Fynes 'The Way Of All Flesh' - Gojira (9/10)

As with many others who have since become fans of Gojira, I was first introduced to this French extreme metal band through their third album 'From Mars To Sirius', which sounded very fresh at a time when metal was feeling all but a little too generic and tired. Instead of continue down the path they had developed with the third album however, Gojira decided to do what any truly great band; to reinvent themselves once again, while retaining their core elements. The final result is 'The Way Of All Flesh', a more challenging listen than its predecessor, more technical, and more dissonant. While it's clear from the beginning that the album demands a greater attention than 'From Mars To Sirius', it is also clear that this is the most profound musical achievement the band has created to date.

Lacking any atmospheric or mellow introduction to ease the listener into the album, 'Ouroboros' starts with a memorable and technical riff over the meticulous and complex drumming of percussionist extraordinaire Mario Duplantier. From this first song onwards, there are still familiar sounds for Gojira; the crushingly heavy guitars, distinctive growls, and a lyrical gravitation towards environmental plights. 'The Way Of All Flesh' takes a greater sense of distinction with the next two tracks however, bringing the music to the brink of technical dissonance, and odd electronic melodies, respectively.

Towards the middle of the album are quite a few tracks that would have easily fit in 'From Mars To Sirius', and are quite a bit less memorable than the songs that really show the band experimenting with their sound. However, although leaving quite a bit less of an impression, these are far from filler pieces. 'The Silver Cord' is a relatively sludgy, but mellow interlude piece, leading into two tracks of technicality and heaviness. The album's highlight then takes the form of the ten minute piece 'The Art Of Dying', which begins with a highly distinctive, meditative drum introduction that slowly builds with each repetition, bringing the listener to a feeling of great tension, regardless of how many times it's already been listened to. Then, just as a listener begins to be lulled into a sense of security, the guitars kick in, destroying the sense of tribal serenity with rhythmic experimentation and heaviness typically associated with Meshuggah.

Something besides the added heavy aspects of 'The Way Of All Flesh' that makes it a unique piece of work is the addition of atmospheric leitmotifs that appear throughout the album, towards the end of a few songs. These can either take the form of space electronic vibrations, or a sombre guitar picking played in reverse. In any case, while the couple of small mellow sections are used quite a few times, they only get more beautiful and introspective with time.

Although with a topic and subject matter slightly less gripping than the fantasy-leanings of 'The Way Of All Flesh', this album's darker and more experimental feel all contribute to give Gojira's first legitimate masterpiece in their careers.

Primeval Scum Best Gojira album

Stronger songwriting than The Link but more consistent and immediate than From Mars To Sirius. The Way of All Flesh contains some of the highest points Gojira has ever recorded. There are some great songs, a few good ones and a couple mediocre ones (by their standards). It is progressive death metal, but their sound is completely their own and unlike anything else in the genre. This album will be an instant winner among genre fans, and has that "it" factor that will keep even the non-metal fans intrigued. There is just something so fresh about this album that makes it insanely re-playable. The lyrics are passionate and intelligent - something I truly love about it. It's Gojira at their finest. Great for headbanging, great for contemplation, great for blasting through you car's stereo, great for anyone who appreciated good music.

Oroborous - 4

Toxic Garbage Island - 4.5 (best riff on the album)

A Sight To Behold - 5 (an atypical gojira song, but fabulous - do not miss)

Yama's Messengers - 3.5

Adoration For None - 3 (weakest song on album)

All The Tears - 4

The Art of Dying - 4.5 (an 8-minute epic, dem drums)

Esoteric Surgery - 4.5

Vacuity - 4.5 (catchy)

Wolf Down The Earth - 4

The Way of all Flesh - 3.5