GOJIRA: 'The Way Of All Flesh' Tablature Book Available

"Toxic Garbage Island", a song by the forward-thinking French extreme progressive metal quartet GOJIRA — whose 2008 release, "The Way Of All Flesh", debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and topped many year-end best-of lists — is transcribed in the May issue of Guitar World, which is on newsstands now. Also, Universal Music Publishing has just released a 135-page tablature book for "The Way Of All Flesh", which can be ordered from the band's new webshop.

GOJIRA has granted its fans' wishes by announcing its first North American headlining tour, which launches May 1 in West Springfield, Virginia. THE CHARIOT and CAR BOMB will support.

Since making its American debut alongside CHILDREN OF BODOM and AMON AMARTH in late 2006 in support of their landmark album "From Mars To Sirius", GOJIRA has become one of metal's most acclaimed and admired acts. The group has also toured with such heavyweights as LAMB OF GOD, BEHEMOTH, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM and JOB FOR A COWBOY, and most recently, IN FLAMES and labelmates ALL THAT REMAINS. However, the band has not had the opportunity to perform a complete live set in North America with full production — until now.

Fan-filmed video footage of GOJIRA's February 15, 2009 concert at Elysée Montmartre in Paris, France can be viewed below (courtesy of "dirrteh").

"All The Tears", the animated video from GOJIRA, was directed by Spanish artist Jossie Malis and is "really something that fits what we want to create artistically as a band," according to guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier. Drummer Mario Duplantier explains: "We first came accross Jossie's work with his astounding animated films, 'Bend It To Machine' and we really liked the way he told stories in a very mysterious and unusual manner. His enigmatic animations deal with serious issues and are yet always permeated with a sense of poetry. We, as music writers, are trying to mix very different emotional atmospheres. We are happy to present a visual/audio work that gathers the sort of brutality of our music with the sensibility of his drawings."

When asked what the song is about, Joseph Duplantier replied, "It's all about all the tears that we cry through life. Because life is so hard, the simple fact of being alive is [there is always a constant] struggle. And it's about that — how hard it is."

GOJIRA sold around 4,200 copies of the band's new album, "The Way of All Flesh", in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 138 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD's cover artwork was created by Joseph Duplantier, who was also responsible for the artwork for GOJIRA's previous album, 2005's "From Mars to Sirius".