During an interview on the Downbeat Podcast hosted by Stray From The Path drummer Craig Reynolds, Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier spoke up in defence of Metallica's Lars Ulrich, who is often slagged on social media for his playing by some "fans" of the band as well as their detractors. 

Duplantier: "We need to bring some justice for him. I'm a bit tired of seeing all this conversation about Lars because what he did create is quite unique. Listen to fucking ...And Justice For All; it's amazing. It's very physical and what he brought to the table back in the day... you know, playing without shirts and doing all these faces, and standing up behind the kits, is almost more important than the rest. 

It's the personality on stage for me as a kid, I was just fascinated. It was not about the technique: 'Is it tight? Is he (playing well)?' I didn't care. I just saw someone behind the drums. A true personality."

Teaming up for what promises to be an unforgettable jaunt of epic proportions, Grammy Award-nominated French heavy metal luminaries, Gojira, will join forces with iconic Grammy Award-winning heavy rock band Mastodon (pictured above) for a massive co-headline tour across North America in 2023. The Mega-Monsters Tour finds these two juggernauts taking over arenas and amphitheaters throughout the spring and summer, alternating closing sets each night.

The tour kicks off at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on April 18 and includes stops at legendary venues such as the Forum in Los Angeles, CA on April 21. The first leg concludes at Santander Arena in Reading, PA on May 11 and resumes with a second leg that runs August 9 through September 2nd. Special guest Lorna Shore serves as direct support on all dates.

Fan pre-sales for tickets begin January 18 at 10 AM, local time and include both Mastodon and Gojira artist pre-sales. General on-sale will launch January 20 at 10 AM, local time with VIP ticket packages available at www.gojira-music.com and www.mastodonrocks.com.

Tour dates:

Leg 1:

April
18 - Portland, OR - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
20 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
21 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
22 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
23 - Las Vegas, NV - Virgin
26 - Dallas, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
28 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
29 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
30 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre

May
2 - Nashville, TN - Municipal Auditorium
4 - Boca Raton, FL - Sunset Cove Amphitheater
5 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
6 - Atlanta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
7 - Asheville, NC - Harrah’s Cherokee Center
9 - Richmond, VA - Virginia Credit Union Live
10 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Pavilion
11 - Reading, PA - Santander Arena

Leg 2:

August
9 - Cincinnati, OH - MegaCorp Pavilion
10 - Cleveland, OH - Jacob’s Pavilion<
11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE Outdoors
12 - New York, NY - Coney Island Amphitheater
13 - Syracuse, NY - OneCenter
15 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Temple
17 - Toronto, ON - RBC Echo Beach
18 - Laval, QC - Place Bell
19 - Portland, ME - Cross Insurance Arena
20 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall
23 - Milwaukee, WI - BMO Pavilion
25 - Hammond, IN - Horseshoe
26 - Omaha, NE - Westfair Amphitheater
27 - Minneapolis, MN - Waite Park Amphitheater
29 - St. Louis, MO - The Factory
30 - Kansas City, MO - Azura Amphitheater

September
1 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
2 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater