Metal in all its forms and colours

[Mendalla]

What a present from French metallers Gojira. While they aren't cry releasing their full set from this past summer's Bloodstock festival, they are allowing the festival to release five pro-shot highlights. If the name sounds familiar,Gojira are the band that made a big splash by playing in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, which netted them the Grammy for Best Metal Performance. That song, "Mea Culpa" is one of the new live releases, but I'm starting with today's, the third in the set, Only Pain from 2016's LP Magma.

"Stranded" also from Magma, was the first.

And the second was, perhaps inevitably, "Mea Culpa". Too bad the soprano from the Olympic performance wasn't at the show but they filled her part with a backing track.

Based on these, I wish the full show was coming out. The band were on fire and gave an incredible performance by all accounts.

 

[Mendalla]

The musical treats just keep coming this Christmas. "The Castaways" is from the upcoming (February) 5th album by Japanese power metal band Lovebites. They are easily the equal of any Western band in power metal, with influences from classic European power metal bands like Helloween and Dragonforce (with whom they've toured). And, yes, they are all women, a nice contrast with power metal in the West which tends to be quite testosterone-heavy (Dragonforce's current bassist is a woman and she's the only one I can think of). Songwriters are guitarist Miyako (who is also a wicked good classical pianist) and lead singer Asami.

 

[Mendalla]

Erie, Pennsylvania's First to Eleven are not normally a metal band. They cover a range of material from classic rock to modern pop. But they do seem to have an affinity for thrash gods Metallica and have covered them several times over the time I have been following the band. And here they go waaaaaaaay back, to Metallica's 1986 LP Master of Puppets, regarded as one of the greatest metal albums of the era and ever. And they give a solid, rockin' reading of the title track. Audra Miller (dubbed Audra Hetfield in the comments in a nod to Metallica's lead singer) is an unlikely thrash vocalist but is skilled enough to adapt her usually clean, clear sound to the harsher vocals of the genre.