The Way Of All Flesh Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth album for the French metal band features Lamb of God's Randy Blythe as a guest vocalist on one track.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Achieving that key balance between accessibility and bravely forward-thinking is far from easy in extreme metal, but The Way of All Flesh pulls it off with aplomb.
  2. Excellent lyrics can’t save the record from the unnecessary length of some songs; Flesh sacrifices some of its immediacy and impact in tracks that can drift away from the point.
  3. Unfortunately, this humanity doesn't translate to the music. The performances are flawless, but overly so.
  4. 60
    Like the good postmodern thrashers they are, Gojira blend blast beats ('Adoration for None'), sludge stomp ('Yama's Messengers'), and death-and-doom riff spirals (take your pick) with unexpected quirks, like the solid minute of stick taps that open 'The Art of Dying' and the math rock of 'Toxic Garbage Island.'

See all 7 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. EricC.
    7
    The thing about metal, as I see it, is that lyrics should be the last thing you worry about. The music should create emotions and atmospheres that speak for themselves. But here, Gojira want you to hold on to every word, which is the albums biggest flaw, since the lyrics are clunky and blunt (not in the good way). They put them on the forefront of your listening, and they won't let you ignore them. But aside from this, the music itself is incredible. It reminds me a lot of Mastodon's Remission, one of my all time favorite albums. But they still have their own disctinct sound. It's a great album, just not a classic one. And they need to tone down the high school-level poetry. And I know I'm going to get cursed out by hardcore Gojira fans. Just be tasteful about it. Expand