Mastodon and Gojira
October 17, 2014
Fox Theater- Pomona, CA
Progressive metal bands Mastodon and Gojira once again teamed up for another tour across the USA as they did earlier this year. Mastodon was out to support the release of their new album, Once More ‘Round the Sun which was released on June 24, 2014. Gojira was on the final trek of supporting their newest release, L’Enfant Sauvage (French for “The Wild Child”) which was released in 2012. Both bands have a huge following in the states so having both bands together is a dream tour for many people. The Fox Theater in Pomona, California was in for a real treat.
The lights turned off and the stage was lit only purple strobe lights. It was time for the progressive metal band from France to take the stage and start things off with sheer animosity by playing the first track from the L’Enfant Sauvage album, Explosia. Right from the start, Gojira wasn’t messing around and all 4 members performed nicely and were constantly moving around. The crowd was on their feet whether they were jumping, moshing, or crowd surfing. Gojira played a vast array of songs from their catalog which made a nice mix of old and new material. Not a single song failed to impress or keep the crowd from being energized even when Gojira’s lyrics are environmental-themed. It’s the sound of the music that gets everyone moving. When Gojira finished, they thanked us for coming out and promised to come back not only to play for us again, but return with a new album as well.
Mastodon is a well-known band among the metal community. With them being around since 2000, they have lots to offer musically and continue to do so with the release of Once More ‘Round the Sun. Their sound has evolved over time with at first having a sludge metal sound and have now become a full-on progressive metal band. Both old and new fans of Mastodon gathered at the now packed Fox Theater for the headlining band hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. Mastodon opened with the first track from the new album called, Tread Lightly. Their setlist was a good mix of old and new songs and even played a song from their first album which they don’t do too often these days. Guitarist Brent Hinds is always entertaining to watch; as a backup vocalist, he’s known for his screeching voice and the variety of funny faces he does while doing so. Drummer Brann Dailor was amazing and was on point on the drums as always even when lending his voice as the lead vocalist on some songs. Mastodon ended the night with the song Blood and Thunder which is their most famous song and is also one of the best metal songs to be written. Mastodon and Gojira are two powerhouse metal bands that will bring crowds together like one big happy family which is one of the best feelings at any concert.
Review by: Misael Ruiz
Mastodon
Gojira
