According to UK-based Kerrang!, Gojira recently had a trio of brittle star fossils named in their honour by scientists at Luxembourg’s Naturmusee and America’s Florida Museum. 

The finds of the brittle stars – similar to the starfish – were discovered in France, Luxembourg and Austria on what was once the Jurassic Tethys Ocean bed. As well as cataloguing the discoveries for their scientific importance, the boffins working on the project immortalised Gojira’s name when they Christened the fossils: Ophiogojira labadiei, Ophiogojira andreui and Ophioduplantiera noctiluca.

In a report published by The Royal Society, as well as deeply detailed scientific info, the name is also explained for the record. ​“Genus named in honour of French metal band Gojira, for producing songs of an unfathomable intensity, beautifully dark and heavy, and exploring the abyss of life and death, of human strength and error, and of thriving and yet threatened oceans.”

New brittle star fossils named after Gojira: Ophiogojira labadiei, Ophiogojira andreui and Ophioduplantiera noctiluca, discovered by scientists from @naturmusee and @FloridaMuseum, connecting Gojira with Earth history for eternity. pic.twitter.com/0VVfAG5ray

— Gojira (@GojiraMusic) September 13, 2021

Gojira made a stunning global chart impact with their new album, Fortitude, earlier this year. The French band’s new studio album entered Billboard’s Top Albums chart at #1 this week, while also claiming the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums, and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for Gojira, arriving this week at #12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (#2), United Kingdom (#6), Australia (#3), Germany (#8), Belgium (#2), Netherlands (#4), Denmark (#3), Portugal (#4), Finland (#2), and Norway (#10).

Fortitude is available on all streaming platforms with physical copies available widely in store, online, and at gojira-music.com.

Recorded and produced by Joe Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio - Gojira’s Ridgewood, Queens, headquarters – and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine), Fortitude is Gojira’s first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016’s Grammy nominated LP Magma

Fortitude tracklisting:

“Born For One Thing”
“Amazonia”
“Another World”
“Hold On”
“New Found”
“Fortitude”
“The Chant”
“Sphinx”
“Into The Storm”
“The Trails”
“Grind”

“The Chant” video:

“Amazonia” video:

"Born For One Thing" video:

(Photo - Gabrielle Duplantier)