Mastodon
31st March 2018
Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
Self-Sacrifice. Camaraderie. The Brotherhood of Metal. No, these are not the names of songs; these are just a few of the things that were seen tonight as Mastodon came to town bringing with them the mighty Gojira. What could have turned out to be a cancelled show thanks to both Mastodon and Gojira’s gear winging its way back to the other side of the world rather than to New Zealand, instead became a remarkable night of music thanks to the coming together of several local musicians and a whole lot of roadies. Gear finally sorted, time unfortunately was not on their side, and so with heavy hearts, but true metal spirit, both Auckland based bands Mothra and Just One Fix graciously stood down from their support slots tonight. If ever a night encompassed the true meaning of the metal community – this was it.
As fans poured through the doors, Gojira strode forth and took their places. Dressed simply in plain black t-shirts, the French demi-gods looked across the sea of people and spilled forth music divinely pure in resonance; ‘Only Pain’ from the album Magma pathing the way magnificently for a set that would leave both fans and new comers alike breathless and begging for more. Originally beginning their career under the name Godzilla in 1996, the four piece have been a united front since their name change to Gojira (the Rōmaji spelling of Godzilla) in 2001. Hailing from Bayonne in France, their blend of everything from technical death metal to groove and progressive soon saw them grace the bill of many an international festival. Appearing tonight for the first time in New Zealand, fans craned over the barrier, mere meters from lead vocalist Joe Duplantier who delivered each and every track with such ferocity and power that it was sincerely awe inspiring.
“Holy moly! Don’t have to tease you guys too much, you are already on fire!” Duplantier told the crowd following a particularly blistering version of ‘Silvera’, the crowd roaring in agreement. After jokingly blaming the gear loss on a “fuck up by the NZ Post Office” Duplantier continued on to thank the local bands and crew who had come together to ensure that the show could continue, his gratitude indisputably genuine.
As the unadulterated head banger of a track ‘Stranded’ gave way to ‘Flying Whales’ the arena was filled with soundscapes, the stage bathed in the deepest of blues, shards of soft whites from above filtering through before jets of CO² punctuated the air, a shirtless Mario Duplantier on drums throwing out his drumsticks to the crowd upon its conclusion. And here lies the beauty in Gojira’s music; their ability to create song structures that embody not only the rugged coastlines from their home but the splendor of the earth itself. Indeed nature is a topic close to Gojira’s hearts, the four piece often partnering with Sea Shepard at their shows.
As the stage was plunged into darkness, the sound of a thunderstorm raged around the arena, lightning flashes bursting through and igniting the crowd. ‘The Cell’ whirled around the stage, Joe Duplantier encouraging the fans to clap and chant simultaneously as he reminded them that “we are all united in this room”, the message of being present in the moment, not lost on the audience as looking across the room there was barely a cell phone to be seen. Flanked on either side by bassist Jean-Michel Labadie – who wielded his long necked bass like a broadsword – and Christian Andreu, their performance was undeniably mouth-watering. Filling the gap while he tuned his guitar “I like this guitar, but it goes out of tune a lot”, Duplantier spoke of how the band spent the day on the beach yesterday, his appreciation of how beautiful New Zealand is evident in his words.
All too soon Duplantier was announcing the last song, the crowd hungry for more, expressing their displeasure at this announcement, Duplantier acknowledging that indeed the set is too short. Finishing on ‘Vacuity’, he pauses once more towards the end of the track to thank everyone, the song finishing to the howls of the fans as they vocally saluted this outstanding act.
While not their first visit to our shores, Mastodon were certainly eagerly welcomed back by their kiwi fans tonight, their last performance in 2015 at Auckland’s Powerstation proving so popular it sold out. Formed in Atlanta, Georgia in the year 2000, the four piece are unique in the fact that they often share vocal duties. While Troy Sanders takes the lion’s share, simultaneously delivering bowel shaking bass lines, guitar wizard Brent Hinds and the human mechanism that is drummer Brann Dailor also provide more than their fair share of lead vocals.
Suffused in red light, they pounded the audience with their Grammy Award winning track ‘Sultan’s Curse’ from their latest album Emperor Of Sand before quickly following it with ‘Divinations’, Sanders finishing the track with a huge windmill of his silver locks. The stage moved like water into a sea of blues and hypnotizing greens, smoke lazily curling between the two as Mastodon then delivered ‘Crystal Skull’ before Sanders spoke to the crowd for the first time, “Good Evening Auckland, thank you all for making tonight happen!”, the feelings of comradery we had already seen displayed tonight by Gojira continuing on throughout Mastodon’s set. The perfect pairing on this double header tonight, Mastodon too has their own unique inimitable style, bringing together elements of both sludge and stoner metal and melding it together with their own brand of progressive.
While Bill Kelliher – sporting a most impressive moustache – thrilled fans on the right of the stage, those on the left succumbed to the fast but impeccable finger work of Brent Hinds, his gravel tone voice unfortunately becoming lost in the sea of guitars on a few occasions, but never the less thrilling the crowd where it counted. One thing’s for sure, his humour remained intact as he joked about eating a cheeseburger while telling a bartender all about the missing gear issue, noting that it must surely have been his story that started the ball rolling for all the equipment for tonight’s show to have been brought together.
As Sanders, sporting a The Damned t-shirt strode towards Kelliher, the crowd erupted, those on the right side of the stage welcoming his appearance in their corner; turning it on, Sanders proceeded to unleash his wild side on them. Not to be outdone on the left, Hinds stepped down onto a riser, just inches from the fans as he gave them an up close and personal view of his exquisite finger work.
Throughout the set declarations of their love for New Zealand’s insane fans and beautiful country were often made, a true bond having formed between the band and this country we call home. Stepping away for just a moment from the heavier tones of their set, ‘Ember City’ from the exceptional album Once More ‘Round the Sun saw the room flooded with emotion as Sanders vocals ascended on the backs of those in the crowd, tearing a hole in the sky itself; ‘Megalodon’ then bringing pieces of it crashing back down to earth as the band delivered a payload of intensely hefty guitar composition; ‘Ghost of Karelia’ continuing on in this vein, a thunderous song that pierced through the darkness of the night.
Mastodon were heading for the finish line, but not before ensuring that the audience was left dripping, a voracious mosh pit consuming all they had to offer; track after track whipping the crowd into a frenzy before ‘High Road’ gave them a chance to step back for a second and raise both their fists and voices to the ceiling as they bellowed out the chorus. As Sanders once again thanked the audience for bringing both themselves and Gojira to the country he introduced their final track for the evening, one that many had undoubtedly been waiting to hear; ‘Blood and Thunder’ sounding just as earth shatteringly good as it always has. Upon its climatic ending Brann Dailor stepped down from behind the kit, his hands cradling a rather large pile of drumsticks. Adding to what many of the musicians had already expressed throughout the evening, he once again thanked all who were involved in pulling the show together, reaffirming that cancellation was never an option in either their or Gojira’s eyes before he generously distributed his sticks across the room.
Tonight once again proving that the true spirit of metal will never die.
Mastodon:
Gojira:
Were you there at Trusts Arena for this magnificent metal showcase? Or have you seen Mastodon perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Mastodon Setlist:
- Sultan’s Curse
- Divinations
- Crystal Skull
- Ancient Kingdom
- Trilobite
- Bladecatcher
- Black Tongue
- Colony Of Birchmen
- Ember City
- Megalodon
- Andromeda
- Toe To Toes
- Ghost Of Karelia
- Show Yourself
- Precious Stones
- Roots Remain
- High Road
- Mother Puncher
- Steambreather
- Blood And Thunder
Gojira Setlist:
- Only Pain
- Silvera
- Stranded
- Flying Whales
- The Cell
- Backbone (with Remembrance outro)
- L’Enfant Sauvage
- Toxic Garbage Island
- Vacuity
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