What Makes Gojira HEAVY?!

This week, ALL my Patreon supporters get TABS for this lesson PLUS an extended and AD-FREE cut of this video with even more good stuff in it!

What makes Gojira HEAVY?!?! Your good buddy Uncle Ben is about to tell ya all about it!
Since their Olympic opening ceremony performance in their native France, Gojira has gotten a TON of new listeners, and I know they're all wondering the same thing: what is it about this band that makes them SO awesome, heavy, groovy, and memorable?! If you ask me, I'd say it comes down to the powerful simplicity of their riffs, and that's what we are talking about today!! I'll use riffs from their best songs to demonstrate all the things that make them GREAT, and you'll leave with some ideas of how to create your own killer Godzilla-sized riffs.
Gear:
USA Dunable Cyclops
Bareknuckle Riff Raff pickups
Synergy Peavey 6505 and DRECT modules
UA OX
Superior Drummer 3
#gojira @gojira #olympics2024 #olympics

[ivorlongshot]

Stuff Gojina does always gives me a giggle.

[TheShreddDude]

I think a lot has to do with Mario’s drumming acting almost like its own riff itself.

[Eric_]

"Infant Sausage" had me going for a while. I needed that.

[SomeRandomPangolin]

"What makes Gojira heavy?"

They're fuckin Gojira, that's what makes em heavy

[noahfaber]

I want to add 2 ideas here:

1.) The drums add complexity to these simple riffs that make them sound super heavy, and at times complex. Mario Duplantier gets all the credit he deserves when mentioning best drummers for metal these days.

2.) Lyrics from Gojira have a similar amount of despair and thought that other metal bands have, but in a way that isn't campy or cheesy. The perspective is empathetic and makes you think.

Just my thoughts on the matter!

[tood]

I saw Gojira open for Opeth. They were so punishing, yet the music was accessible, and the guys were engaging and receptive. I've loved them ever since.

[owenkitzmiller]

The thing I love so much about Gojira is how unconventionally they use their instruments. A lot of songs on the link and the song Toxic Garbage island come to mind, with weird palm slides, harmonic choices and pinches that set them apart from everyone else in my mind

[StrokedTac]

Lets be real here....its because of Mario. Mario is the heavy

[chairmankaga]

There’s alchemy between brothers. The Duplantiers, the Abbotts, the Van Halens.

[syntezjaofficial]

Joe/Christian: guys I have this simple riff
Mario: makes some complex patterns that suprisingly always work.

Love how these guys have groove and cool melodies but still can be heavy and progressive as fuck

[rockinatmidnight]

Only time I've ever seen Gojira was my first introduction to them. Walked in to the o2 Academy in Glasgow to see Trivium and turns out Gojira were supporting. Walked in to the venue as they were playing Ocean Planet. To this day, hundreds of gigs later I still remember that moment of hearing that simple yet in your face riff. It was also the clearest tone out of any live band I've ever seen. Became an instant fan there and then. Annoying I've never seen them live again but one day...

[Kajaah]

Mario is the answer 😉🤘

Seriously though, the simplicity of Gojira's riffs actually got me out of a sort of "guitar depression" where I just couldn't play any of the songs I loved. I'm a pretentious prog snob who chose hard mode emulating Petrucci and Akerfeldt, but I caught Gojira opening for Mastodon on one fateful night and was both blown away and inspired. I had never heard anything as heavy yet melodic as "Heaviest Matter, " and looking at Joe's hands... THAT LOOKS PLAYABLE!!!

After learning that song and Gift of Guilt, I fell back in love with my guitar and I haven't put it down for a single day since. Gojira will always have a special place in my heart for that.

[gingerbreadsam]

Some of my favorite bits of gojira is how they use simple riff formulas but they do it in such a unique way it still feels fresh, favorite band I’ve ever seen live

[akunz]

I really like it when they use the whammy pedal.
Also their way of using tapping and pull offs is very unique

[omgvague]

Wayne Static mentioned that he didn't understand his own band's popularity due to the simplicity of the riffs. But it worked excellently in that context and does as well with Gojira.

[vermillion]

The thing I really appreciate about the infant sausage's main riff is how when you get to the bridge, it feels like a release of melody and movement from the main riff which is more held back. It really feels like nature itself breaking her silence

[tripvillain]

I asked Joe about the pick scrape technique a few months ago and he showed me that he gets the harmonics with his giant thumb knuckle, not the left hand

[jamlsn]

Best line, “yes, you could’ve written that, but you didn’t”. Love it! So many people are all talk…

[blaeser]

My favorite Gojira riff is the final breakdown in Backbone. And the final breakdown in Rememberance. And the main riff in Toxic Garbage Island. And the main riff in Space Time. And the entirety of The Art of Dying. And....

[TurtleFaceMaGee]

I love that they've evolved their sound through every album, making each one unique. The huge sound on an album like Magma is amazing to hear, but Terra Incognita, or even The Link Alive (their live album of the same name) have such heavy death metal riffage and inspiration and it brings a raw feeling that other albums don't quite strive for, yet they are just as heavy doing their modern riffs all the same