The Heaviest Matter In The Universe Gojira (2005)

Disorienting rhythms, juggernaut grooves and pick scrapes. A defining moment in 21st century extreme metal

t takes a serious amount of guts to name a track The Heaviest Matter In The Universe, but in the case of Gojira, it’s a musical quality that’s never been doubted or questioned – the French quartet’s take on extreme metal undoubtedly deserving of such brazen hyperbole.

This track from breakthrough third album From Mars To Sirius has served as a calling card of sorts, thanks to its head-twisting machine-gun rhythms and ferocious high gain thunder. With the opening riff evolving rapidly during its opening 15 seconds, there’s a lot to take in over a short space of time – a smorgasbord of palm-muted chords, pinched harmonics and single-note lines. Every two cycles, notes that were triple picked might then be double picked with different accents or mutes, each succession of change feeling far from subtle and yet thrillingly familiar. Ultimately, however, they are all variations on a main theme that plays off the 3rd, 2nd and 1st frets as well as an octave shape based on the 2nd fret of the fifth string – in this case producing an A, as a result of Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu’s Jackson loaner (a US Soloist, later returned) being tuned a whole step down.

The main verse riff pairs triple picked and palm-muted single notes on the lowest string with more open-sounding chords on higher strings, treating the listener to the same kind of death metal intensities that inspired the band as young music fans. The heaviest part of the song arrives one minute and 50 seconds in when drummer Mario Duplantier switches to an even faster blastbeat as Joe and Christian Andreu switch to a halftime groove-based idea. What stands out most here is their usage of a pick scrape, where the plectrum is turned roughly 90 degrees towards the ground and then raked upwards across the strings with additional harmonics provided by the side of the thumb. On this particular track, the fretting hand rests on the harmonics between the 4th and 5th frets, although Gojira have been known to use sliding harmonics to further intensify the sound effect – one of their most career-defining trademarks. It’s a great way of catching listeners off-guard and momentarily deviating from all the subterranean open-position riffing. Another key part of the song incorporates open-string pull-offs, using the fifth string – a low G – as a pedal tone against notes fretted higher and harmonised by both guitarists. Perhaps the main reason why The Heaviest Matter In The Universe ended up becoming one of Gojira’s setlist staples is how seamlessly it ebbs and flows – despite the angular ferocity of its heavy chromaticism and jarring rhythms, it’s all tied up in a way that makes perfect sense. A lot of that comes down to the Duplantier siblings, who cut their musical teeth together and ended up forging a creative relationship more complex and elaborate than that of your typical guitarist and drummer. C’est magnifique!