MARIO DUPLANTIER on next GOJIRA album: "I have a feeling it's going to be heavier" | Revolver

MARIO DUPLANTIER on next GOJIRA album: "I have a feeling it's going to be heavier"

Drummer offers update on follow-up to 'Fortitude'
Mario Duplantier Gojira 2023 1600x900, Kevin Wilson
Gojira's Mario Duplantier
photograph by Kevin Wilson

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By many metrics, Gojira's most recent album, 2021's Fortitude, was their most successful yet. The record landed at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart during its first week of sales, earned them another Grammy nomination, and solidified the band's status as festival headliners. 

Clearly, Fortitude was a hit with Gojira fans, but the album did reign back some of the heaviness that defined their older material in favor of more epic, anthemic songwriting attributes. That said, drummer Mario Duplantier thinks the next Gojira record will be "heavier." 

In a new interview wit El Expreso Del Rock, Duplantier confirmed that the French metallers have already started piecing together ideas for their next record, which he also thinks might be longer than any of their recent albums. 

"We've [been working] on new stuff for a long time actually," Duplantier said. "We have a lot, a lot of ideas. We have structures of new songs. But we are so picky that we really want to take [our] time to drop something very unique.

"And why not having more songs to record? Instead of having 10 songs, maybe have like 15 songs. But we are working on it very hard. But it's a bit early in the process to talk about the date of release and all that.

"But what I can tell [you] is ... we are very proud of what we have right now."

The interviewer then asked if the new material is sounding any different than the music on Fortitude. "I almost want to say yes," Duplantier replied. "It's different. It's a bit early to say, but I have a feeling it's going to be heavier."

Check out the full interview below.