GOJIRA Has 'A Lot Of Ideas' For Next Album: 'I Have A Feeling It Is Going To Be Heavier', Says MARIO DUPLANTIER

In a new interview with Colombia's El Expreso Del Rock, GOJIRA drummer Mario Duplantier was asked if he and his bandmates have commenced work on the follow-up to 2021's "Fortitude" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. We work on new stuff for a long time, actually. We have a lot, a lot, a lot of ideas. We have structures of new songs. But we are so picky that we really want to take this time to drop something very unique. And why not having more songs to record? Instead of having 10 songs, maybe have like 15 songs; I don't know. But we are working on it very hard. But it's a bit early in the process to talk about the date of release and all that. But what I can tell is it's on a good way. We are very proud of what we have right now."

Asked if there is "a lot of difference between this new material" and the songs on "Fortitude", Mario said: "Um, I almost wanna say yes. It's different. It's a bit early to say but I have a feeling it is going to be heavier."

As for whether he and his bandmates are working on new material in New York, where Mario's brother, GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier, lives and owns a recording studio or they are working separately on music, Mario said: "We did work on tour a lot, actually, because we were touring so much that we share ideas and we jammed a little bit in dressing room. And then, yeah, we're working in New York, in France. It's our secret formula, but we send ideas to each other. We jam together sometimes. But definitely most of the work will be done in New York."

This past April, Joseph told Ireland's Overdrive that Mario "was very busy recording drum patterns and song structures over the pandemic period, and I have a few new things also. We're just sending a few ideas to each other here and there.

"Right now, I feel like I squeezed myself like a lemon for 'Fortitude', and I have nothing left in the tank," he explained. "I believe that the slow process is best for us. Some bands just pump out new music with lightning speed, and from what I've seen with a few bands, it's not a good vibe. In fact, it's very stressful and can cause bands to implode. I don't want that to happen to GOJIRA. I want to take it slow and do the very best that we can do when it comes to writing music and lyrics."

Duplantier also talked about how important having his own recording studio, Silver Cord, which is located near his home in New York City on the border of Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn, has been for GOJIRA's creativity. He said: "Building the studio was one of the best decisions I have ever made. For me, it's mandatory to have a place where I can work and not be interrupted. I can just be there feeling miserable and trying to come up with ideas, and it's okay if they don't come at once. Silver Cord is a place where ideas are born, nurtured and grow into bigger things, or perhaps not at all. [Laughs] Either way, it doesn't matter because I can just leave and come back tomorrow.

"Before Silver Cord, we had a studio in France [we recorded three albums there], and when I moved to New York in 2009-2010, I was between creative places, and away from the rest of the band… which was a really weird time," he explained. "But that's when I started thinking about building a studio, and Mario moved over for a few years and helped me build Silver Cord.

"I am notoriously slow when I work, because I like to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb, and then after a while, there might be a creative explosion where lots of music or lyrics are written in short period of time, so just being able to have this special place to do all of that, is absolutely vital for me personally.

"I'm not very organized," Joseph added. "I know people who prepare all their demos, go the studio, record, and then that's that. For me, I'm kind of all over the place. [Laughs]. Sometimes, I may start the writing process by mixing before I even have one song. For example, I have recorded an entire demo in the past, just to research how it sounds and how we are gonna do things going forward."

In October 2022, GOJIRA released a new song titled "Our Time Is Now". The track appears on the soundtrack to EA Sports' long-running NHL video game franchise "NHL 23".

"Fortitude" came out in April 2021 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Magma" was recorded and produced by Joseph at Silver Cord and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for "Fortitude" in 2020 with the surprise release of the single "Another World".

The artwork for "Fortitude" was created by Joseph.

GOJIRA and MASTODON recently completed two legs of "The Mega-Monsters Tour", a massive co-headline run across North America, along with special guests LORNA SHORE on all dates.