Joe Duplantier of Gojira called in to talk to Jason Rockman for I Heart Radio about the release of the band's seventh studio album, Fortitude, released on April 30th. He talked about the creation of the album and how they wanted to take it to a new level, the album's lead single "Born For One Thing" and the music video, and more. 

Check out the new BraveWords feature on Gojira here.

Today, the band has also shared an official music video for “The Chant”. Written / conceived by the band’s own Joe Duplantier and directed by Russell Brownley, the cinematic video was filmed on location in India’s West Bengal region in December of 2019. It examines the plight of refugee children from Tibet who fled their homeland in an attempt to preserve their culture following China’s invasion of the country in 1949.

Duplantier commented on the significance of the video stating, "This work is inspired by the reading of Tenzin Tsundue’s poetry. A righteous Tibetan activist, that describes the cultural genocide perpetrated on its people. We’ve always been sensitive to the Tibetan struggle. One of the wisest and most compassionate traditions, victim of the worst human rights violations imaginable since its invasion in 1949. Tibetan culture inspired many of our lyrics and had a deep impact on our approach of philosophy and art in general. Our thoughts go out to all Tibetans. We’re hoping that we’ll see their land free from oppression in our lifetime.”

The centrepiece of an album-long call to action, “The Chant” is a slow-burning track featuring some of Gojira’s most melodic material to date. Where past anthems were driven by nuanced dynamics and technical guitar arrangements, “The Chant” is a self-described “healing ritual” emanating primordial warmth, culminating in a harmony-stacked chorus that bridges the gap between ancient hymnals and contemporary rock.

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

On 2016’s Magma, Gojira found strength - and crossover success- through a singular commitment to self-reflection. The intensely personal record, penned in memory of the Duplantier brothers' late mother, was a painful significant turning point for the French group. The album earned the band two Grammy nominations - ‘Best Metal Performance’ and ‘Best Rock Album,’ and upon release, Magma took the #1 spot on Billboard's ‘Hard Rock Albums’ chart, a first for a French band.

Fortitude tracklisting:

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

“Amazonia” video:

"Born For One Thing" video:

(Photo - Gabrielle Duplantier)