[Press Release]
2x Grammy® nominated band Gojira have released their widely anticipated new album FORTITUDE, which is available today on all streaming platforms with physical copies available at www.gojira-music.com [album artwork / tracklist below]. Today the band has also shared an official music video for “The Chant,” which is streaming now on their YouTube channel. Written / conceived by the band’s own Joe Duplantier and directed by Russell Brownley, the cinematic video was filmed on location in India’s West Bengal region in December of 2019. It examines the plight of refugee children from Tibet who fled their homeland in an attempt to preserve their culture following China’s invasion of the country in 1949.
Duplantier commented on the significance of the video stating,
“This work is inspired by the reading of Tenzin Tsundue’s poetry. A righteous Tibetan activist, that describes the cultural genocide perpetrated on its people. We’ve always been sensitive to the Tibetan struggle. One of the wisest and most compassionate traditions, victim of the worst human rights violations imaginable since its invasion in 1949. Tibetan culture inspired many of our lyrics and had a deep impact on our approach of philosophy and art in general. Our thoughts go out to all Tibetans. We’re hoping that we’ll see their land free from oppression in our lifetime.”
The center piece of an album-long call to action, “The Chant” is a slow-burning track featuring some of Gojira’s most melodic material to date. Where past anthems were driven by nuanced dynamics and technical guitar arrangements, “The Chant” is a self-described “healing ritual” emanating primordial warmth, culminating in a harmony-stacked chorus that bridges the gap between ancient hymnals and contemporary rock.
“The Chant” follows early album singles “Another World,” “Born For One Thing,” “Into The Storm,” and “Amazonia,” the latter of which was launched alongside a fundraising initiative to benefit the indigenous owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, Gojira curated a month long charitable campaign featuring an auction of one-of-a-kind items from the band and members of Metallica, Tool, Slipknot, Slayer, Slash and more, alongside a raffle for a customized signature Joe Duplantier guitar and a hand painted drum head by Gojira’s Mario Duplantier. All totaled, the philanthropic effort far surpassed the initial goal of $75k raising over $300k for APIB, which will be put toward aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely – victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.
- “Born For One Thing”
- “Amazonia”
- “Another World”
- “Hold On”
- “New Found”
- “Fortitude”
- “The Chant”
- “Sphinx”
- “Into The Storm”
- “The Trails”
- “Grind”
