Metalpaths’ Panagiotis Karagiannidis recently conducted an interview with GOJIRA drummer Mario Duplantier. In the interview Duplantier talks about the band’s new album L'enfant Sauvage, touring with METALLICA, the upcoming tour with LAMB OF GOD, the Sea Shephred EP, the translation of the band's new album which means Wild Child, and more. Excerpt from the interview are below:

Metalpaths: How has been touring with Metallica? Do you have any special story to share with us?

Mario Duplantier: “It’s been wonderful because Metallica contacted the band. You know, they really liked our previous album The Way Of All Flesh and they invited us. We received a call one day like ‘hey guys, do you want to tour with us?’ you know, there haven’t been a deal between a management or a deal between a label or stuff like that. It was just something by heart, they really enjoyed the band and they had to vote us, they were very kind with us, they were very close to us, they were very respectful, very closed to us. We did 35 shows with Metallica since 2009. So yes, they were really supporting the band, we had fun and we love these guys, they are very down to earth people. It’s been amazing.”

Metalpaths: The translation of the title of the album is Wild Child. What inspired you to name the album like that? Have you been wild during your childhood?

Mario Duplantier: “Yeah we were very wild! (laughs) You know, we grew up in a big old house in the forest: you know very cold and traditional and we were little wild children. We were always on the trees and we kept something like this inside of us and it’s the same for the two other guys of the band Jean-Michel and Christian Andreu they are all very wild. There is something very strong and very true with this title because we feel like wild children. We all feel like how can we stay wild and free in this world, it’s just a reflection about everything actually.”

Metalpaths: Tell me a few things about the writing process of the album. What’s the process for a Gojira album to be created?

Mario Duplantier: “It depends, each album is very different. With this one, we just started jamming in the rehearsal room and most of the ideas come from Joe and I, then we go all together into practice room. We are very comfortable with compositions, Joe and I we have this emotional of a brother the blood between him and I we feel very close together and it’s very natural for us to compose music, to find ideas and we don’t need to talk, we just play and ideas come like this. So on that album most of the music is written by Joe and I and after that, when we compose the music, Joe writes all the lyrics usually.”

Read the entire interview at this location.

Gojira's new album, L'Enfant Sauvage, released on June 26th, sold nearly 11,000 copies in its first week, landing #34 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts. In France, the album landed at #7.

Check out Parts 1 - 3 of the band's track by track video describing the album below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

The tracklisting for L'Enfant Sauvage is as follows:

'Explosia'

'L’Enfant Sauvage'

'The Axe'

'Liquid Fire'

'The Wild Healer'

'Planned Obsolescence'

'Mouth Of Kala'

'The Gift Of Guilt'

'Pain Is A Master'

'Born In Winter'

'The Fall'

An exclusive live performance from the deluxe CD/DVD edition of L'Enfant Sauvage can be seen below: