The Way of All Flesh (album)
Encyclopedia
The Way of All Flesh is the fourth studio album
by French death metal
band Gojira
.
. It sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at number 138 on the Billboard 200
chart.
The cover features artwork created by vocalist Joe Duplantier, who was responsible for the artwork on past albums. The album was recorded at the band's home studio while Joe Duplantier produced it. The drums were recorded in Los Angeles
and engineered by Logan Mader
, who also mixed and mastered the album.
Joseph Duplantier revealed to Total Guitar
magazine that the album deals with their vision about life and death.
Randy Blythe
from the American band Lamb of God
appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Adoration for None."
At the end of the song "The Art of Dying", there is a small part that is played backwards. If backmasked
, the section would bear a resemblance to the song "Esoteric Surgery." A similar technique is used at the end of "Wolf Down the Earth."
Critic's Choice 2008 end-of-year top albums list.
was released for the song "Vacuity", produced by Julien Mokrani and Samuel Bodin. The video was shot near the band's hometown in France
, and starred the Duplantiers' cousin, actress Claire Theodoly. On January 11, 2009, Gojira released a second music video from the album, an animated video for "All the Tears", illustrated by Jossie Malis.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by French death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Gojira
Gojira
Gojira is a heavy metal band formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on guitar and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass...
.
Background
The album was released on October 13 in Europe via Listenable Records and on October 14 in the US through Prosthetic RecordsProsthetic Records
Prosthetic Records is a record label specializing in heavy metal recordings. Founded by E.J. Johantgen and Dan Fitzgerald both former employees of Columbia Records, in Los Angeles, California in 1998...
. It sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at number 138 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart.
The cover features artwork created by vocalist Joe Duplantier, who was responsible for the artwork on past albums. The album was recorded at the band's home studio while Joe Duplantier produced it. The drums were recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and engineered by Logan Mader
Logan Mader
Logan Mader was born on November 16, 1970 in Montreal, Canada. Logan is best known for his work as a guitarist in the heavy metal band Machine Head, who formed in Oakland, California in 1992. Their 1994 debut, Burn My Eyes, was released by Roadrunner Records and quickly became the top-selling...
, who also mixed and mastered the album.
Joseph Duplantier revealed to Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Total Guitar is a monthly magazine based in the United Kingdom. The magazine is the best selling guitar magazine in Europe.The magazine is owned by Future Publishing, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to mountain bikes and knitting magazines.Total Guitar regularly...
magazine that the album deals with their vision about life and death.
Randy Blythe
Randy Blythe
David Randall "Randy" Blythe is the vocalist of American groove metal band Lamb Of God and side-project band Halo of Locusts. He is known as D. Randall Blythe on Lamb of God's albums....
from the American band Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Adoration for None."
At the end of the song "The Art of Dying", there is a small part that is played backwards. If backmasked
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
, the section would bear a resemblance to the song "Esoteric Surgery." A similar technique is used at the end of "Wolf Down the Earth."
Reception
It was listed at #5 in Metal Hammer'sMetal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
Critic's Choice 2008 end-of-year top albums list.
Music videos
On October 6, 2008, a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was released for the song "Vacuity", produced by Julien Mokrani and Samuel Bodin. The video was shot near the band's hometown in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and starred the Duplantiers' cousin, actress Claire Theodoly. On January 11, 2009, Gojira released a second music video from the album, an animated video for "All the Tears", illustrated by Jossie Malis.