Fortitude
by Gojira
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 79
  3. Negative: 8 out of 79
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  1. Mrsicknoodle
    May 9, 2021
    3
    Massively disappointing. I wanted to like this I really did. First two songs are pretty great. But then ballads start and basically never stop. "Chant" could almost be a Tom Petty song. I don't think there's a single song that doesnt somewhere include a melodic verse or chorus. I generally love this band and appreciate that they have a softer and atmospheric side. Unfortunately they haveMassively disappointing. I wanted to like this I really did. First two songs are pretty great. But then ballads start and basically never stop. "Chant" could almost be a Tom Petty song. I don't think there's a single song that doesnt somewhere include a melodic verse or chorus. I generally love this band and appreciate that they have a softer and atmospheric side. Unfortunately they have pushed that to the front to the detriment of everything else. It's not an inherently bad thing to make a softer album but they're basically writing alternative rock at this point. It's not atmospheric in an engaging way, its atmospheric in a put you to sleep way. Its reparative as hell in a lot of parts. If it was more experimental the atmospheric aspect might work, but unfortunately its atmospheric in a very generic almost psuedo new wave way, and I actually like that genre. However the issue is that I like my new wave to be new wave and my metal to be metal. A dash of influence from a disparate genre is often a wonderfully thing but on this I feel like they're almost a different band. There is an occasionally groovy riff and interesting rhythm, but half the time when the heavy parts kick in even they sound somewhat recycled from past albums. I do enjoy some of textures on the background, there are the usually odd bone sounding percussion noises and even a jaw harp on Amazonia, which is a great song. Ultimately I feel a lot like I did when Queens of Stone age released "...like clock work" and "Villains" several years ago. And Mastodon's last release as well. Those albums were very watered down and poppy relatively to the rest of their material, I feel the same way about this album.  Huge let down. I think that if these bands released these kinds of albums at the start of their careers literally no one would give a **** At most they might get okay reviews, people would say they're decent but boring. To me this album is part of a long running trend of high profile bands progressively watering down their music in a way that's appealing to...I'm not really sure? I think people just dont want admit something they love has become bland. I suppose it's good if you enjoy this, but I honestly would not be surprised if there was a guest appearance of Bono on their next record. This is not a bad album on a musical level. They're all very talented musicians. Hell, If they released this as a side project under another name and just made it a straight up alternative rock album it would be fine. But as it stands it doesn't seem to be able to commit to any one style. It's not complicated enough to be progressive metal anymore, it's not heavy enough to be death metal, it's not catchy enough to be alternative rock, and it's not atmospheric enough to be post rock, new wave or shoe gaze. It's just boring and somewhat pretentious. ,… Expand
  2. Matteusz
    May 17, 2021
    0
    the chant is so bad **** **** **** **************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ****
  3. lemon67
    May 16, 2021
    0
    This is an incredibly big let down as a fan of the band since they were still called Godzilla, and have the album cover from the band's late 90's album Saturate on my leg... Songs that blasted off Gojira into everyone's face like Remembrance, Flying Whales, Heaviest Matter in the Universe... they are all gone now. Im not sure why people are exclaiming this album to be experimental andThis is an incredibly big let down as a fan of the band since they were still called Godzilla, and have the album cover from the band's late 90's album Saturate on my leg... Songs that blasted off Gojira into everyone's face like Remembrance, Flying Whales, Heaviest Matter in the Universe... they are all gone now. Im not sure why people are exclaiming this album to be experimental and groundbreaking when the band is coming from albums like From Mars to Sirius, L'Enfant Sauvage, etc.... To this? Where did the complex Gojira go? Its gone... This will certainly appeal to a lot people (who don't like experimental metal) which is clearly why Nuclear Blast paid so much money for the new music videos (red flag, selling out)... But wow. A melodic hodgepodge of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus mediocrity. If there is ONE word to describe this album to a TRUE Gojira fan... it is: SAFE. My next descriptor if you choose two words would be, BORING... Damn, what a shame. I wanted to love this.… Expand
  4. Epicki_Epic
    May 20, 2021
    0
    Listen to anything from them, but not this smierdzace gowno. This album smells like unwashed kutas, especially The Chant. The Chant is worst than gowno gowniane. This album is really, really chujowy.

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. The Wire
    Sep 1, 2021
    80
    Gojira once again let loose their own brand of fury on the world. Fortitude is a tightly executed example of the way their songs are propelled as anthems – emblazoned metallic sound banners flapping loudly in the gale they have summoned up. [Sep 2021, p.62]
  2. PopMatters
    May 25, 2021
    70
    Unfortunately, 20 years of the same thematic thrust—coupled with the new material’s proximity to generic heavy rock—blunt the new material's impact just as the stage is set for Gojira to shine.
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  3. AllMusic
    May 11, 2021
    80
    Fortitude is a fitting, welcome follow-up, and a brave new chapter in Gojira's continuing musical evolution as they weave old sounds with new ones in creating a sonic tapestry that showcases startling imagination, thought-provoking musical and human intelligence, complex emotions, and immense physical power.
    Read full review
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