Magma (Gojira album)

Joe Duplantier relocated to New York City, and construction began on his own recording studio (Silver Cord Studio) in Queens, in November 2014, and his brother Mario joined him there. By April 2015, the studio was complete, and the band began recording music.

The album's sessions were put on hold when Joe and Mario Duplantier's mother fell ill and flew back to France. At this stage, the Duplantier brothers decided to associate the album title with the imagery of the magma in the Earth's core, saying that they "were feeling a mix between memories of the past and a fear of the future, with all the emotions burning inside. Magma is this expression of something boiling inside: we cannot touch it, but eventually, it will erupt. It makes perfect sense for how we were feeling at the time."{{cite news|last=Brannigan|first=|date=22 May 2016|title='We can change the world' An audience with Gojira – metal's most important band|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/we-can-change-the-world-an-audience-with-gojira-metal-s-most-important-band|url-status=live|work=Louder Sound|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210129223556/https://www.loudersound.com/features/we-can-change-the-world-an-audience-with-gojira-metal-s-most-important-band|archive-date=29 January 2021|access-date=29 January 2021}} Their mother subsequently died in July 2015. The band spent some time touring before returning to the Silver Cord Studio to continue the album's sessions, consequently taking on a darker tone.

The writing process for Magma differed from previous albums, with Joe Duplantier saying that "We do things a little differently. We dump songs, we dump riffs, which we never did before. [In the past] we would prepare 12 songs, get in the studio and record them just exactly as they are on the demos. We decided to do it differently this time."{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojiras-joseph-duplantier-says-next-album-will-feature-some-pantera-ish-kind-of-riffs|title=Gojira's Joseph Duplantier Says Next Album Will Feature 'Some Pantera-ish Kind Of Riffs'|date=9 June 2014|work=Blabbermouth.net|access-date=24 May 2016}} The musical orientation of the album was intended to be "more mature, less visceral", and they also tried to refine the music; "it was a real challenge to develop simplified things on drums", said Mario Duplantier.{{cite news|last=Nartz|first=Grégoire|title=Mario Duplantier: 'Le metal reste un style marginal'|trans-title=Mario Duplantier: 'Metal remains a marginal style'|date=23 January 2017|url=https://www.lamontagne.fr/clermont-ferrand-63000/loisirs/mario-duplantier-de-gojira-le-metal-reste-un-style-marginal_12253981/|url-status=live|language=fr|work=La Montagne|location=Clermont-Ferrand|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201227115046/https://www.lamontagne.fr/clermont-ferrand-63000/loisirs/mario-duplantier-de-gojira-le-metal-reste-un-style-marginal_12253981/|archive-date=27 December 2020|access-date=27 December 2020}} Bassist Jean-Michel Labadie noted that they desired more breathing in the compositions.{{cite news|author=Ronan|date=30 June 2016|title=Gojira: 'C'est dur de sortir du néant une idée fédératrice' (Interview)|trans-title=Gojira: 'It's hard to come out from the void a federative idea' (Interview)|url=https://sourdoreille.net/gojira-cest-dur-de-sortir-du-neant-une-idee-federatrice/|url-status=live|language=fr|work=Sourdoreille|location=Bagnolet|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210131182509/https://sourdoreille.net/gojira-cest-dur-de-sortir-du-neant-une-idee-federatrice/|archive-date=31 January 2021|access-date=31 January 2021}} About the album's general direction Joe Duplantier stated: "We want a short album. Something less epic than what we usually do. People's attentions are shorter now. So a lot of the songs are four minutes."{{cite news|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/gojiras_new_album_is_incredibly_emotional_and_very_different_heres_a_music_sample.html|title=Gojira's New Album Is Incredibly Emotional and Very Different, Here's a Music Sample|date=30 March 2016|access-date=17 June 2016|work=Ultimate Guitar}} He also stated: "We have some Pantera-ish kind of riffs, which is kind of new for us. But [...] we want riffs to be a little punchier sometimes."{{cite web | url = https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/gojira_album_update_we_have_some_pantera-ish_riffs_we_want_to_be_a_little_punchier.html | title = Gojira Album Update: 'We Have Some Pantera-ish Riffs, We Want to Be a Little Punchier' | date = 11 June 2014 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | publisher = Ultimate Guitar}} Two months would be required to record the vocals. The mixing of the album was completed in February 2016.

On Magma, Gojira placed less emphasis on the notion of extreme metal than the previous albums.{{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|location=UK|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=27 December 2021}} Mario Duplantier said, "It's a need that corresponds to our ages, to our life experiences, to the periods we have lived through", referring to the birth of their children and the death of their mother.{{cite news|last=Guérin|first=Benoit|date=18 June 2016|title=Gojira: 'Il y a paradoxalement beaucoup d'amour au Hellfest'|trans-title=Gojira: 'There is paradoxically a lot of love at Hellfest'|url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/les-herbiers-85500/gojira-il-y-paradoxalement-beaucoup-damour-au-hellfest-4303488|url-status=live|language=fr|work=Ouest-France|place=Clisson|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210322212058/https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/les-herbiers-85500/gojira-il-y-paradoxalement-beaucoup-damour-au-hellfest-4303488|archive-date=22 March 2021|access-date=12 November 2021}} The album marked the beginning of a departure from their technical death metal, taking the path of groove, atmosphere, and melodies. Magma has been characterised by music critics as progressive metal, groove metal, post-metal,{{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=29 April 2021}} experimental metal,{{cite news |last=Kivel |first=Adam |date=28 November 2016 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2016 |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/11/top-50-albums-of-2016/2/ |url-status=live |work=Consequence of Sound |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415080901/https://consequence.net/2016/11/top-50-albums-of-2016/ |archive-date=15 April 2021 |accessdate=23 October 2022}} with uncommon time signatures, and incorporating mathy riffs. Music writer Thom Jurek noted elements of neo-psychedelia and post-punk into the music.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic |class=album |id=mw0003483886 |pure_url=yes}} |title=Gojira: Fortitude |website=AllMusic |last1=Jurek |first1=Thom |access-date=27 December 2021}} Industrial guitar sounds appear periodically throughout the album.{{cite news |last=Skopp |first=Sam |date=17 June 2016 |title=Gojira: Magma |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2016/06/17/reviews/gojira-magma/ |url-status=live |work=mxdwn Music |location=Los Angeles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422121224/https://music.mxdwn.com/2016/06/17/reviews/gojira-magma/ |archive-date=22 April 2021 |access-date=23 October 2022}} "Stranded" and "Silvera" exhibits traits of sludge metal.{{cite news |last=J. Franklin |first=Naiko |date=29 June 2016 |title=Gojira: 'Magma' |url=https://hardforce.com/actu/16780/gojira-magma-chronique |url-status=live |language=fr |work=Hard Force magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115145507/https://hardforce.com/actu/16780/gojira-magma-chronique |archive-date=15 January 2022 |access-date=15 January 2022 |oclc=32640105}} Music critic Joseph Achoury Klejman felt that the album has "rich sound textures" and considered "Yellow Stone" as "Sabbathian". He further noted often "intrepid" production sections, such as "overmixed" tapping, which might have been questionable but eventually "uplifted the whole", as well as "synthetic" sounding drums contrasting with the guitars "of an organic heaviness".{{cite news |last=Achoury Klejman |first=Joseph |date=17 July 2016 |title=Gojira: 'Magma' |url=https://www.rocknfolk.com/albums/gojira-magma/10088 |url-status=live |work=Rock & Folk |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210131144343/https://www.rocknfolk.com/albums/gojira-magma/10088 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |access-date=28 December 2021 |trans-quote=Gojira even breaks its own codes, offering shorter pieces than before, thus gaining in efficiency without losing power... 'Liberation', an acoustic and instrumental piece where ethnic percussions are invited to finish in style a masterful album.}} Writer Sam Skopp commented that the band's music leans more towards experimentation near the end of the album. The ambiance of "Low Lands" was described as "Floydian", while Jon Hadusek of Consequence felt that the song was on the verge of post-rock.{{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=27 December 2021}} Writing for Consequence, Adam Kivel describes "Low Lands" as "math-y, magnetic", which, in conjunction with the acoustic "Liberation", contrasts sharply with the experimental metal showcased in the album. John D. Buchanan of AllMusic described "The Cell" as a barrage of "syncopated" and "brutal" drumming. As a whole, the complexity was slightly attenuated on Magma, and Gojira took a more straightforward approach to their music which remained, in the words of Buchanan, "still incredibly heavy". Skopp called the album "A Heavy Metal Acid Trip."

Joe Duplantier's clear and distant vocalizations, especially on "The Shooting Star", have been linked to the post-punk singing style, and thus, the nearest resemblance to his voice tone has been Jaz Coleman.Clear and distant post-punk vocal style:

• {{cite web |url=https://www.metalorgie.com/groupe/Gojira |title=Magma (2016) |author=Tang (staff writer) |date=2016 |website=Metalorgie |language=fr |access-date=14 January 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828065635/https://www.metalorgie.com/groupe/Gojira |archive-date=28 August 2021}}
• {{cite news |last=J. Franklin |first=Naiko |date=29 June 2016 |title=Gojira: 'Magma' |url=https://hardforce.com/actu/16780/gojira-magma-chronique |url-status=live |language=fr |work=Hard Force magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115145507/https://hardforce.com/actu/16780/gojira-magma-chronique |archive-date=15 January 2022 |access-date=15 January 2022 |oclc=32640105}} This style of vocal harmonies already appeared on From Mars to Sirius.{{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=27 December 2021}} Buchanan described Duplantier's singing on the album as having a "1990s vibe" and juxtaposed the chorus on "Stranded" to the most "sludgier" grunge bands. He further added that the stylistic aspects of Duplantier's vocals on the title track were "liturgical" and "monastic". Although the signature Duplantier death growl remained, he emphasized more on clean vocals, representing a natural progression. Duplantier said,

The real question for me is why did I start to scream in the first place? ... I've really wanted to sing for the longest time. I feel more at peace in my life now, I have love in my life and I have a family, but I still have this rage about the world, about politics, the environmental problems we face and the way people pollute the Earth, the fact that I suffered so much at school from the cruelty of other kids. All these things I carry inside me and I guess they made me scream into the microphone.

Mario Duplantier stated about the lyrical aspect of the album: "When you read Joe’s lyrics, for me, I cry right away" ... "They're very deep and to the point. No bullshit. We recycle our sadness and depression in the music." The title track described "a journey to the sun" and evoked Joe Duplantier's intuitions about reincarnation. Joe Duplantier sang in his native language in the song "Low Lands": "Par–delà le ciel, par–delà le soleil" ("Beyond the sky, beyond the sun").{{cite news|last=Soenen|first=Marie-Hélène|date=17 June 2016|title='Magma', de Gojira: que vaut l'un des albums de metal les plus attendus de l'année?|trans-title=Gojira's 'Magma': what worth one of the most anticipated metal albums of the year?|url=https://www.telerama.fr/musique/magma-de-gojira-que-vaut-l-un-des-albums-de-metal-les-plus-attendus-de-l-annee,143712.php|url-status=live|language=fr|work=Télérama|location=Paris|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518140926/https://www.telerama.fr/musique/magma-de-gojira-que-vaut-l-un-des-albums-de-metal-les-plus-attendus-de-l-annee,143712.php|archive-date=18 May 2020|access-date=15 January 2022}} The album was dedicated to Patricia Rosa Duplantier, the mother of Joe and Mario.{{cite news |last=Fortier |first=Christine |date=11 October 2016 |title=Gojira: ... |trans-title=Gojira: Reflections of Life |url=https://voir.ca/musique/2016/10/11/gojira-les-reflets-de-la-vie/ |url-status=live |language=fr |work=Voir |place=Montreal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420223509/https://voir.ca/musique/2016/10/11/gojira-les-reflets-de-la-vie/ |archive-date=20 April 2021 |access-date=30 December 2021}}

On 2 April 2016, Gojira released an official video for the track "Stranded", directed by Vincent Caldoni. On 20 May, the band released a music video for the song "Silvera", described by Rolling Stone as "frenetic" and "shocking". The music video directed by Drew Cox shows the band performing "on NYC rooftop amidst a flurry of bodies falling up".{{cite magazine |last=Blistein|first=Jon|date=20 May 2016|title=Watch Metal Outfit Gojira's Startling, Engrossing 'Silvera' Video|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-metal-outfit-gojiras-startling-engrossing-silvera-video-223072/|url-status=live|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212172117/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-metal-outfit-gojiras-startling-engrossing-silvera-video-223072/|archive-date=12 December 2020|access-date=12 November 2021}} In 2017, another official music video for the track "The Cell", also directed by Drew Cox, was released featuring the band playing in black and white thermal imaging.{{cite web |last1=DiVita |first1=Joe |title=Gojira Only See Black and White in 'The Cell' Music Video |url=https://loudwire.com/gojira-the-cell-music-video/ |website=Loudwire |date=23 February 2017 |access-date=14 May 2023}}

On 8 July, Gojira released a music video for the penultimate track of the album, "Low Lands".{{cite magazine |last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=8 July 2016|title=Watch Gojira's Eerie, Nostalgic 'Low Lands' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-gojiras-eerie-nostalgic-low-lands-video-159212/|url-status=live|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212172455/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-gojiras-eerie-nostalgic-low-lands-video-159212/|archive-date=12 December 2020|access-date=12 December 2020}} Described by the band as "an intimate and poetic piece",{{cite news |last=Barkan|first=Jonathan|date=8 July 2016|title=Gojira Release Dark, Haunting Video for 'Low Lands'|url=http://bloody-disgusting.com/music/3398092/gojira-release-dark-haunting-video-low-lands/|url-status=live|work=Bloody Disgusting|language=en-US|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160924085211/http://bloody-disgusting.com/music/3398092/gojira-release-dark-haunting-video-low-lands/|archive-date=24 September 2016|access-date=12 December 2020}} the music video was directed by photographer Alain Duplantier, uncle of Joe and Mario, and assisted by their sister, Gabrielle, also a photographer.{{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=15 January 2022}} The music video features the Duplantier brothers' childhood home in Ondres in the Landes forest, France, "near a stormy ocean", as well as "gothic visuals and some symbolically personal imagery" for the brothers, which mingled representations of "the absence and the omnipresence of the mother". In the video, Claire Théodoly, cousin of Joe, Mario and Gabrielle Duplantier, played the role of the mother "walking towards her deliverance". The music video was edited by the director of photography and editor Mathieu Laclau. The song was "an open letter" from Joe to his mother. At first, he was afraid that the video would be too personal; he nevertheless mentioned that the song would speak to those who have been "affected by the loss of a loved one". Mario Duplantier said:

Our mother wanted us to make a very big fire after she left, a celebration she called 'Patricia's Liberation'. Two days after her death, we gathered about a hundred people and lit a fire {{convert|7|m|ft}} high. Our uncle Alain was present and very moved. We recreated this giant fire for the filming.

Magma was first available for online streaming via Gojira's official YouTube channel, and two days later, on 17 June 2016, the physical album was released through Roadrunner Records.

File:Gojira live Toronto 2016 119.jpg, October 2016. According to Gojira, imagery plays an "important role" through concerts which are also real shows, visually speaking.]]

The Magma World Tour consisted of six weeks of touring then a one-month break before getting back on the road for five to six weeks, repeating the cycle for a total duration of about three and a half years.{{cite magazine|last=Michel|first=Magali|date=13 April 2017|title=Ils Oeuvrent Dans L'ombre:...|trans-title=They Work In The Shadow: Spotlight on Nicolas Riot, lighting designer, co-founder of Chirac Design|url=https://headlinemagazine.net/2017/04/13/ils-oeuvrent-dans-lombre-coup-de-projecteur-sur-nicolas-riot-concepteur-lumiere-cofondateur-de-chirac-design/|url-status=live|language=fr|magazine=Headline Magazine|department=Interview|place=Birmingham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127133502/https://headlinemagazine.net/2017/04/13/ils-oeuvrent-dans-lombre-coup-de-projecteur-sur-nicolas-riot-concepteur-lumiere-cofondateur-de-chirac-design/|archive-date=27 November 2020|access-date=26 February 2021}}

On 2 May 2016, Gojira announced a North American tour in support of Magma. The band was supported by the British metal band Tesseract and toured the United States and Canada from July to October 2016.{{cite news|last=Hartmann|first=Graham|date=2 May 2016|title=Gojira Announce 2016 North American Tour With Tesseract|url=http://loudwire.com/gojira-2016-north-american-tour-tesseract/|url-status=live|work=Loudwire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606063317/http://loudwire.com/gojira-2016-north-american-tour-tesseract/|archive-date=6 June 2016|access-date=20 March 2021}} In early June, the band debuted two new songs called "Silvera" and "Stranded" at the Rock in Vienna Festival in Austria.{{cite news|last=Kennelty|first=Greg|date=9 June 2016|title=Gojira Absolutely Crushed Their New Song 'Silvera' Live|url=https://metalinjection.net/video/gojira-absolutely-crushed-their-new-song-silvera-live|url-status=live|work=Metal Injection|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210131155239/https://metalinjection.net/video/gojira-absolutely-crushed-their-new-song-silvera-live|archive-date=31 January 2021|access-date=31 March 2021}} On 14 July, Gojira performed a secret intimate concert for three hundred people at Saint Vitus in New York,{{cite news|author=|title=Killer Photos of Gojira's Intimate Saint Vitus NYC Gig Posted|url=https://metalinjection.net/photos/killer-photos-of-gojiras-intiamate-saint-vitus-nyc-gig-posted|url-status=live|work=Metal Injection|date=18 July 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210320193617/https://metalinjection.net/photos/killer-photos-of-gojiras-intiamate-saint-vitus-nyc-gig-posted|archive-date=20 March 2021|access-date=20 March 2021}}{{cite news|last=Sacher|first=Andrew|date=5 July 2016|title=Gojira playing intimate NYC show at Saint Vitus this month|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/gojira-playing-intimate-nyc-show-at-saint-vitus-this-month/|url-status=live|work=BrooklynVegan|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160924085247/http://www.brooklynvegan.com/gojira-playing-intimate-nyc-show-at-saint-vitus-this-month/|archive-date=24 September 2016|access-date=20 March 2021}} which had sold out in ten minutes.{{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}} Loudwire wrote that "New York City will always be home to Gojira and fans will show up anywhere they play, no matter the size of the venue." They also reported that Joe Duplantier spoke about the terrorist attack in Nice, France, "which for most of us was the first time in the evening that we heard about the calamity." They also noted that it "was bittersweet because it was also the birthday of bassist Jean-Michel Labadie."{{cite news|last=Ramanand|first=Liz|date=15 July 2016|title=Gojira Heat Up Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, N.Y.|url-status=live|url=http://loudwire.com/gojira-saint-vitus-brooklyn/|work=Loudwire|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160924085222/http://loudwire.com/gojira-saint-vitus-brooklyn/|archive-date=24 September 2016|access-date=18 July 2016}} In July 2016, the band announced that they would support Alter Bridge and Volbeat on a European tour in November and December 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://teamrock.com/news/2016-07-04/alter-bridge-europe-tour-2016-volbeat-gojira-like-a-storm|title=Alter Bridge to tour Europe with Volbeat and Gojira|date=4 July 2016|language=en-GB|access-date=18 July 2016}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 79/100{{cite web | url = http://www.metacritic.com/music/magma/gojira |title = Magma – Gojira | publisher = Metacritic | accessdate= 18 July 2016}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/magma-mw0002940034 | title = Magma – Gojira | last = D. Buchanan | first = John | accessdate = 23 October 2022 | publisher = AllMusic}}

| rev2 = Exclaim!

| rev2Score = 7/10{{cite web | url = http://exclaim.ca/music/article/gojira-magma | title = Gojira Magma | last = Slingerland | first = Calum | date = 15 June 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | publisher = Exclaim!}}

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/16/gojira-magma-review-hulking-grandeur-from-modern-metal-greats | title = Gojira: Magma review – hulking grandeur from modern metal greats | last = Lawson | first = Dom | date = 16 June 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | work = The Guardian}}

| rev4 = Kerrang!

| rev4Score = A{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/magma/gojira |title=Music – Review of Gojira – Magma |publisher=Kerrang! |date=17 June 2016 |accessdate=17 June 2016}}

| rev5 = Metal Hammer

| rev5Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web | url = http://teamrock.com/review/2016-05-24/gojira-magma-album-review | title = Gojira – Magma album review | date = 24 May 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | publisher = Metal Hammer}}

| rev6 = MetalSucks

| rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web | url = http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/06/16/gojiras-magma-magnificent-mixed-bag/ | title = Gojira's Magma: A Magnificent Mixed Bag | last = Rosenberg | first = Axl | date = 15 June 2016 | accessdate = 18 June 2016 | publisher = Metal Sucks}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 7.6/10{{cite web | url = http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22015-magma/ | title = Gojira: Magma Album Review Pitchfork | last = Camp | first = Zoe | date = 8 July 2016 | accessdate = 11 November 2022 | publisher = Pitchfork}}

| rev8 = PopMatters

| rev8Score = {{Rating|9|10}}{{cite web | url = http://www.popmatters.com/review/gojira-magma/ | title = Gojira: Magma | last = Ulrey | first = Jeremy | date = 17 June 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | publisher = PopMatters}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9Score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/gojira-magma-20160617 | title = Gojira's New Album: Magma | last = Epstein | first = Daniel | date = 17 June 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | publisher = Rolling Stone}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = 8/10{{cite web | url = http://www.spin.com/2016/06/review-gojira-magma/ | title = Review: Gojira Deserve to Take Experimental Riffage Mainstream on 'Magma' | date = 16 June 2016 | accessdate = 17 June 2016 | last = Begrand | first = Adrien | publisher = Spin}}

}}

Magma was met with favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album has received a score of 79 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

In Dom Lawson's review for The Guardian, he gave the album 5/5, writing that "Magma is the kind of album that metalheads would love non-believers to check out, if only because it confounds all the usual stereotypes about the genre being unimaginative and dumb." Adrien Begrand's review for Spin likewise received the album positively, writing that on Magma, Gojira "strip their distinctive sound down even further, most often building songs around one insidiously catchy riff and resisting self-indulgent flights of fancy. It's common for young acts in modern metal to show astonishing technical skill but no sense of restraint. By contrast, there's little else out there like the taut, minimalist Magma right now."

Rolling Stone{{'}}s Daniel Epstein noted that Magma marks a stylistic departure for Gojira compared to previous albums. "Largely absent are the epic song arrangements and neck-snapping displays of instrumental wizardry that marked their recordings up through 2012's L'Enfant Sauvage. Instead, new tracks like 'The Shooting Star', 'Stranded' and 'Pray' are more about finding a fearsome groove or riff and squeezing it for every last drop of darkness and catharsis." He noted the death of Joe and Mario Duplantier's mother as a likely influence on this development. Epstein also compared the album to Metallica's 1991 self-titled album and Mastodon's 2011 The Hunter, writing that "for those who can appreciate a tightly focused hard rock album infused with emotions that are often just as heavy as its riffs, Magma offers a listening experience that is as rewarding as it is therapeutic."

Writing for Pitchfork, Zoe Camp described Magma as "their most accessible release yet, melodically immediate and charged with emotion." Camp sided with Epstein and other critics in considering the album a stylistic departure from previous releases. Camp wrote that on Magma, Gojira "deliver a taut, catchy crossover effort that inoculates their [heavy] metal with equal parts melodic immediacy and emotional intimacy, while retaining the pillars of their caustic panoply: mathy riffs, uncommon time signatures, ferocious, death-metal-styled vocals, and above all, overpowering anxiety. The new sound's largely a consequence of the Duplantiers' grief; their mother died during the album's gestation, forcing the brothers to get out of their own heads and revisit the material they had so far—often fighting back tears during the sessions."

Joseph Achoury Klejman of Paris' Rock & Folk praised the musical direction and gave the album 4 out of 5; he wrote, "Gojira even breaks its own codes, offering shorter pieces than before, thus gaining in efficiency without losing power". He concluded his review by describing "Liberation" as "an acoustic and instrumental piece where ethnic percussions are invited to finish in style a masterful album". Author Marie-Hélène Soenen felt that the album was "Imbued with a more atmospheric and mystical aura than its predecessors". Music critic Naiko J. Franklin of Paris' Hard Force magazine considered Magma as Gojira's best work thus far and "that of maturity". He found it "Balanced, colourful, sometimes exotic, very often bewitching, dark and melancholic, powerful and refined, overflowing with rage and emotion, absolutely free of any filler or repetition". He concluded by calling the album "a definitively affirmed style, but above all defended with as much ferocity as grace".

Metallica's Kirk Hammett called Magma "an incredible piece of art", saying: "It's heavy, it's vibey, it's moody. It has all the things you want to hear — great complex rhythms, great drumming, great riffs, great songs".{{cite news |last=Divita |first=Joe |date=23 November 2016 |title=Metallica's Kirk Hammett Calls Gojira's 'Magma' Album 'An Incredible Piece of Art' |url=https://loudwire.com/metallica-kirk-hammett-gojira-magma-album-incredible-piece-art/ |url-status=live |work=Loudwire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030231822/https://loudwire.com/metallica-kirk-hammett-gojira-magma-album-incredible-piece-art/ |archive-date=30 October 2020 |access-date=27 November 2021}} Hammett told the Agence France-Presse that Magma was "the best album he had listened to in a long time".{{cite news|author= |title=Gojira... |trans-title=Gojira, French metalers at the Grammy Awards |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/musique/gojira-des-metalleux-francais-aux-grammy-awards-11-02-2017-2104054_38.php |url-status=live |language=fr |work=Le Point |location=Paris |date=11 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204220122/https://www.lepoint.fr/musique/gojira-des-metalleux-francais-aux-grammy-awards-11-02-2017-2104054_38.php |archive-date=4 February 2019 |access-date=27 November 2021}}

In 2017, Gojira received their first-ever Grammy nominations. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Magma was nominated for Best Rock Album, while its single "Silvera" was nominated for Best Metal Performance.{{cite magazine |author= |date=12 February 2017 |title=Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/7686168/grammy-awards-2017-winners-list/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022041538/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/7686168/grammy-awards-2017-winners-list/ |archive-date=22 October 2021 |access-date=12 November 2021}}

{{Track listing

| all_music = Mario Duplantier and Joe Duplantier. Lyrics by Joe Duplantier

| headline =

|lyrics_credits=|music_credits=|extra_column=| title1 = The Shooting Star

|note1=| length1 = 5:42

|writer1=|extra1=| title2 = Silvera

|note2=| length2 = 3:32

|writer2=|extra2=| title3 = The Cell

|note3=| length3 = 3:17

|writer3=|extra3=| title4 = Stranded

|note4=| length4 = 4:29

|writer4=|extra4=| title5 = Yellow Stone

| length5 = 1:19

| note5 = instrumental

| title6 = Magma

| length6 = 6:42

| title7 = Pray

| length7 = 5:13

| title8 = Only Pain

| length8 = 3:59

| title9 = Low Lands

| length9 = 6:03

| title10 = Liberation

| length10 = 3:35

| note10 = instrumental

|total_length = 43:51

}}

Personnel adapted from liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Magma |others=Gojira |date=2016 |pages= 6|type=CD liner |work=Roadrunner Records |id=RR7479-2 }}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

;Gojira

• Joe Duplantier – vocals, rhythm guitar, flute
• Christian Andreu – lead guitar
• Jean-Michel Labadie – bass
• Mario Duplantier – drums

{{col-2}}

Additional

• Joe Duplantier – production, mixing, arrangements
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Johann Meyer – mixing, engineering
• Alexis Berthelot – additional engineering
• Will Putney – additional engineering
• Jamie Uertz – additional engineering
• Taylor Bingley – additional engineering
• Hibiki Miyazaki – cover art
• The Visual Strategist – design
• Gabrielle Duplantier – band photography{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|title=Magma|artist=Gojira|award=Gold|relyear=2016|certyear=2023|refname="SNEP"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/gojira-preview-emotional-epic-new-album-20160330 | title=Gojira Preview 'Emotional,' 'Epic' New Album | magazine=Rolling Stone | first=Kory | last=Grow | date=30 March 2016 | accessdate=23 April 2016}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-completes-mixing-new-album/ | title=Gojira Completes Mixing New Album | work=Blabbermouth.net | date=20 February 2016 | accessdate=23 April 2016}}

{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/gojira-tease-emotional-new-lp-with-disturbing-stranded-video-20160422 | title=Gojira Tease Emotional New LP With Disturbing 'Stranded' Video | magazine=Rolling Stone | first=Ryan | last=Reed | date=22 April 2016 | accessdate=23 April 2016}}

}}

• {{Official website|http://magma.gojira-music.com/}}

{{Gojira}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2016 albums

Category:Gojira (band) albums

Category:Roadrunner Records albums