I've been quite a fan of Gojira since hearing their 2005 release From Mars to Sirius, an album that had plenty of replay value and made me want to hear more. It has been 4 years since the excellent The Way of All Flesh, and I was excited to get another dose of the sludgy style of groove-laden metal that these guys are known for. This is the fifth studio effort from these guys, and while they have kept a pretty consistent sound since they began, there are also stylistic changes in theme and sound that don't leave me feeling like I've heard it all before. Once again I am impressed with the French four-piece, and I think that current fans will be happy with the end product.

One thing I noticed as soon as I started listening to this album is that Gojira's sound here seems to me a bit more stripped down; there are less experimental/weird areas than before. Instead we are greeted with powerful, focused riffs on almost every track. For some this may be an area of concern, but do not fear, for Gojira manage to deliver plenty of compelling songs that, while not very off-the-wall in the way they sometimes can be, are still unique and very enjoyable. Explosia creates the feeling of bombs being dropped with the screeching guitar slides and big, quick riffs in the opening. The vocals of Joe Duplantier sound brutal as always. I have always liked his loud and aggressive, and yet very expressive, style. This song slows down at the end and descends into a sort of melancholy, an emotion that has been present on every Gojira album thus far, though I do thing the outro of this song could have been shortened a bit to move things along. I can't really complain though as I love listening to these haunting riffs. The title track begins more quickly, rapid guitar blasts and drums open into a more melodic lead, and here is another great example of Duplantier being able to use his voice, rough as it is, to create an atmosphere of darkness and despair. Not that the music doesn't help with this atmosphere immensely, for it certainly does, and this is an area where Gojira really shines, using all elements of their sound together to create something really immersive to the listener. The riffs do slow down a bit in some places, but it only serves to deepen the atmosphere and create some tension. I like the diversity of the riffs in Planned Obsolescence, and it also seems to have a contrast of emotion between rage and despair. My favorite track from the album may be The Gift of Guilt, with its very memorable melodic guitar lead. The verse uses simpler riffs and the harsh vocals to create some aggression, the chorus coming back to the calmer melody. There really isn't a song on the album that I can say anything very negative about. Of course in this genre the repetition of similar sounding riffs can get monotonous, but these guys almost always find successful ways of diversifying their sound.

Gojira's music has never been all about breaking the bank technically speaking. While a solid production and attention to technical details is clearly something that these guys find very important, I feel that the ultimate quest for them is to present the listener with genuine human emotion and experience in musical form. I could certainly feel that showing through as soon as I started listening to this album, and the more I listened the stronger that feeling became. This is just solid, down-to-Earth sludge metal with plenty of memorable grooves and attention to detail. One again a job well done by one of the most talented extreme metal acts out there today.