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The Way Of All Flesh
by
The Way Of All Flesh Image
Metascore
67

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

User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 59 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth album for the French metal band features Lamb of God's Randy Blythe as a guest vocalist on one track.

Top Track

Vacuity
The sickness of this world is destroying all the dreams The fools are kings, tearing apart the soul The race for complication communicate... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. PopMatters
    80
    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. Prefix Magazine
    80
    Nobody sounds quite like them, though, and few metal bands balance spiritual and metallic consciousness so well.
  3. Alternative Press
    70
    The vocals occasionally become rhythmic and robotic, as if filtered through a demonic Vocoder, but there's no denying this album's rich humanity. [Nov 2008, p.158]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Pitchfork
    60
    Unfortunately, this humanity doesn't translate to the music. The performances are flawless, but overly so.
  5. NOW Magazine
    60
    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.
  6. Spin
    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.'
  7. Austin Chronicle
    50
    Tight and heavy and not terribly fast, The Way of All Flesh recalls Cathedral or Entombed in its groovier moments, but, more often, the chromatic, midtempo riffs and heavily syncopated drumming echo Mastodon.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Steven_Yatsuta
    Jan 14, 2020
    10
    From my point of view, The Way Of All Flesh is best Gojira album. It's true power, you can feed small Russian village with it. m/
  2. ToxicCheese
    Jul 16, 2013
    9
    This is my second favourite Gojira album ,after From Mars to Sirius. It is a fantastic mixture of melody and brutality. Every aspect of it isThis is my second favourite Gojira album ,after From Mars to Sirius. It is a fantastic mixture of melody and brutality. Every aspect of it is great. I'd definitely recommend it to any fan of metal, especially progressive, death, or extreme.… Expand
  4. mcwalsh
    Jul 28, 2015
    9
    After the success of their third album 'From Mars To Sirius', Gojira evolved in countless ways. The drummer Mario Duplantier had a noteworthyAfter the success of their third album 'From Mars To Sirius', Gojira evolved in countless ways. The drummer Mario Duplantier had a noteworthy progress towards complexity and speed on his equipment. The lyrics are melodic, following a general theme throughout the album and Joe's vocals blend in very well with the brutality of it, specially during 'All The Tears' and 'The Art Of Dying'.

    The increased complexity of the album with the addition of new elements brought Gojira to its peak, showing once and for all metal is not dead. Not while these bad-asses are still playing around.

    Highlights: Every single song.    … Expand
  5. howardkc13
    Apr 21, 2019
    8
    First time listening where I followed along with lyrics:

    A concept album about rebirth and literal death that is truly moving. Best and    First time listening where I followed along with lyrics:

    A concept album about rebirth and literal death that is truly moving. Best and most essential tracks to the concept of the album include: "Oroborus," "All the Tears," "The Art of Dying," "Esoteric Surgery,: "Vacuity," and "The Way of All Flesh." This isn't to say that the other songs don't serve a purpose in between the essential ones, though. This album, although filled with plenty of now-classic grooves, like the outro to "The Art of Dying," the built-up one throughout "All the Tears," and the reprised groove in "A Sight to Behold," has some unfortunate and unnecessary filler, like the extended outro to "Adoration for None" and the repeated-slamming groove presented in "Yama's Messengers." This album will no doubt connect with people that are not only forced to deal with debilitating adversity, but also, to just about anybody that has made some kind of big mistake/mistakes in their life.

    This is, without question, a good Gojira album; definitely not the best, but as mentioned, a moving concept album.    … Expand
  6. Xathiahs
    Jan 21, 2022
    8
    One of the most iconic album from the band. It contains the most famous songs: Toxic Garbage Island, The Art Of Dying, etc..
  7. EricC.
    Nov 22, 2008
    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 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

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Shared Album of 2008

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