Review by Daniel for Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (2005)

I first encountered Gojira via 2008's "The Way Of All Flesh" (3/5) but it wasn't until 2012's "L'enfant sauvage" (4.5/5) that they really grabbed my attention. "L'enfant sauvage" showed a more progressive & highly professional outfit with plenty of intensity & a load of fresh ideas. I later checked them out live & saw a band that was totally in control of their instruments & sound so it was only a matter of time 'til I got 'round to checking out their most popular album.  

"From Mars To Sirius" is a solid & highly focused album that sits somewhere between the sludgy death metal of mid-90's Morbid Angel & the melody & progression of early Devin Townsend. I find there's also a less distinct groove metal influence to some of the riffs. It's a heavy sound alright. One that's heavy enough to interest the death metal crowd but also has a strong sense of melody & an accessibility that you don't generally find in extreme metal. From memory it's a little less progressive than the bands later material but there's still plenty of variety.   

The production is of a very high standard with an extraordinarily powerful bass guitar sound that the rest of the metal scene should really take note of as it's very rare that I encounter anything of that quality. In fact I'd say the bass guitar is the highlight of the album for me. The vocals are not your average unintelligible grunting either. They're closer to Devin's heavier moments & should appeal to a fairly wide audience.  

I spent a fair amount of time deliberating over my score here. "From Mars To Sirius" is certainly a quality release & even though I don't think the more accessible moments appeal to me as much as the more brutal ones (or Gojira's more progressive ones from "L'enfant sauvage" for that matter) I can't help but be sucked in by the professionalism of the performances & production. It's 66 minute duration is certainly a little ambitious & the quality does fade just a little during the last few tracks but any fan of well-produced progressive death metal will find plenty to enjoy about "From Mars To Sirius" & it comes highly recommended.