Gojira

Gojira is a French heavy metal band from Ondres. Founded as Godzilla in 1996, the band's lineup – brothers Joe (vocals, guitar) and Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (guitar), and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass) – has been the same since the band changed its name to Gojira in 2001. Gojira has been known for its progressive and technical death metal styles and lyrics that often feature themes of spirituality, philosophy, and environmentalism. The band has gone "from the utmost obscurity during the first half of their career to widespread global recognition in the second".

Gojira's first two albums, Terra Incognita (2001) and The Link (2003), and powerful live performances established its reputation as a leading French metal band. Maciste All'Inferno was a silent film score composed and performed for a one-night show in Bordeaux. Its third album, the critically acclaimed From Mars to Sirius (2005) with "Backbone", "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe", and "Flying Whales", was covered in the British metal press. The band then signed with Prosthetic Records, which gave it visibility in North America. The follow-up album, The Way of All Flesh (2008), charted on the Billboard 200, and Gojira later launched its first overseas headlining tour.