Gojira just released their new song "Born For One Thing" and announced their new album Fortitude for April 30. Along with this announcement and single came a lengthy interview with guitarist and vocalist Joe Duplantier in Kerrang!, where Duplantier discussed everything from the new album to the band's philosophy on life.
Duplantier discussed the meaning of Fortitude, which he said is all about being the best version of yourself.
“Fortitude is what we need to display,” he said. “It’s what we need to embrace. It’s what we need to be in a world where everything is uncertain – even the near future. Since the beginning of our band, we have promoted compassion versus competition and love versus hate. The point of Fortitude is to inspire people to be the best version of themselves and to be strong no matter what.
“We have this incredible power that we totally ignore, and though it sucks to wake up in the morning and be caught up in the grind of life, there are all these moments where we can make a difference by our attitude; by our [perception]; by how we envision our own future and the future of humanity. It’s easy to despair and to lose faith. But at some point you’ve got to figure out where you stand.
“You’ve got to ask what your attitude will be if this is the end of the world as we know it.”
Duplantier also commented that Fortitude wasn't intended to be a COVID-19 album, but ended up being exactly that.
“It wasn’t a COVID album until it became a COVID album,” he said. “It’s crazy, almost as if we were influenced by a sort of global electricity in the air.”
