Full Review by The Riff Report Blog – July 5, 2025
Stage: Back To The Beginning Main Stage
Band: GOJIRA (FRANCE)
Time: Somewhere between tectonic shift and alien abduction 🌍👽
🦖 “WE ARE GOJIRA, AND WE ARE HERE TO BREAK THE PLANET!” – METAL’S ENVIRONMENTAL TITANS UNLEASH HELL IN BRUM 🌪️
We thought Villa Park had seen it all by the time Anthrax, Halestorm and Lamb of God had torn through the grounds… but then Gojira hit the stage, and everything changed. You don’t just watch a Gojira show – you experience a spiritual awakening while getting your bones shattered by eco-friendly death metal. 🌿☠️
💥 THE SETLIST – A VOLCANIC ERUPTION OF RIFFAGE
- Born for One Thing
- Flying Whales 🐋 (yes, the pit went full Free Willy meets Godzilla)
- Stranded
- Backbone
- The Cell
- Silvera
- The Chant (arena-wide singalong that echoed into orbit)
- L’enfant Sauvage
- Another World
- Toxic Garbage Island ♻️
- Grind
- Amazonia (tribal drumming, throat-singing, total spiritual lift-off)
- The Gift of Guilt (closer = tears, fists, transcendence)
This set wasn’t just songs. It was a ceremonial riff purge. You left cleaner, lighter, and covered in dust. 💨
🎤 JOE DUPLANTIER: METAL’S EARTH-SAVING SHAMAN 🌍🔥
Joe doesn’t scream — he summons. Every roar came from a place between rage and love for this messed-up world.
He stomped across the stage like an ancient warrior preaching climate apocalypse through a distortion pedal, yelling:
“ARE YOU WITH US, BIRMINGHAM?! FOR THE PLANET? FOR THE MUSIC?! FOR THE WHALES?!”
The crowd? Fully feral. Fists, flares, and eco-conscious headbanging.
🥁 MARIO DUPLANTIER = NOT HUMAN. JUST SAYING.
Let’s be clear: Mario Duplantier is not a drummer. He’s a time wizard. A rhythmic chaos mage. A thunderous octopus in human form. 🐙⚡
His drumming during “Backbone” caused spontaneous outbursts of “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” from half the crowd.
He even stopped mid-song, stood up on the kit, and air drummed while the crowd did the rest. Madness. Genius. Tidy.
🎸 THE RIFFS = DINOSAUR-SIZED 🦕💣
Christian Andreu and Jean-Michel Labadie delivered riffs that could split tectonic plates. “Silvera” hit like being crushed under a sentient glacier. “Amazonia” sounded like an ancient forest rising up to punch you in the face with mossy fists.
The breakdowns? Not drops. Sinkholes. Whole new pits formed in the crowd. One guy went in and hasn’t been seen since. If you’re reading this from a parallel dimension, diolch for your service. 🙏
🌀 CROWD VIBE: MYSTICAL METAL HEADBANG THERAPY
This wasn’t chaos for chaos’ sake. Gojira fans are a different breed – spiritual, sweaty, and slightly terrifying. You had yoga poses in the pit, someone burning sage near the barrier, and a guy next to us trying to conduct the riffs with glowsticks. Respect.
During “The Chant,” the entire crowd hummed along like we were preparing for battle on Mars. It was otherworldly. 🛸
🕯️ MOST POWERFUL MOMENT – “THE GIFT OF GUILT”
The closing track. The harmonic build. The slow climb into devastation. The tears.
You could see the emotional exorcism happening around the stadium. Arms in the air. Eyes closed. People screaming into the void. One bloke yelled, “I’M RECONSIDERING EVERYTHING, MUN!”
👕 PIT STYLE REPORT: CARGO SHORTS, VEGAN PATCHES & RIFF TATTOOS
Gojira’s crowd brought their best gear – faded band tees from 2009, eco warrior slogans scrawled on denim jackets, and homemade signs that said things like “Mosh Responsibly” and “Riffs Not Rubbish.”
Sustainable destruction. That’s the vibe. ♻️💀
🎯 FINAL VERDICT: GOJIRA = THE SOUND OF THE EARTH SCREAMING – AND WE’RE HERE FOR IT 🔊🌍
This wasn’t just the loudest set of the festival. It was the most important. Gojira bring meaning to the madness, soul to the sludge, and purpose to every pummelling breakdown.
Score: 11/10 Tectonic Grooves 🌋
Mood: Crushed. Cleansed. Reborn in whale song and double-kicks.
Only Gojira can make you mosh for Mother Earth. Proper job, lads. Diolch.
