Fortitude
by Gojira
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    Apr 28, 2021
    60
    There’s a playfulness in the way Gojira approach ‘Fortitude’. There are bursts of melody across the album – perfect for a stadium show of their own – and the likes of ‘New Found’ and ‘Born For One Thing’ flirt with crushing industrial breakdowns. There’s even a couple of soaring guitar solos in ‘Hold On’. The whole record feels agile, despite the weight.

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Discussed Album of 2021

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 79
  3. Negative: 8 out of 79
  1. Matteusz
    May 17, 2021
    0
    the chant is so bad **** **** **** **************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ********************the chant is so bad **** **** **** **************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ****… Full Review »
  2. Mrsicknoodle
    May 9, 2021
    3
    Massively disappointing. I wanted to like this I really did. First two songs are pretty great. But then ballads start and basically neverMassively disappointing. I wanted to like this I really did. First two songs are pretty great. But then ballads start and basically never stop. "Chant" could almost be a Tom Petty song. I don't think there's a single song that doesnt somewhere include a melodic verse or chorus. I generally love this band and appreciate that they have a softer and atmospheric side. Unfortunately they have pushed that to the front to the detriment of everything else. It's not an inherently bad thing to make a softer album but they're basically writing alternative rock at this point. It's not atmospheric in an engaging way, its atmospheric in a put you to sleep way. Its reparative as hell in a lot of parts. If it was more experimental the atmospheric aspect might work, but unfortunately its atmospheric in a very generic almost psuedo new wave way, and I actually like that genre. However the issue is that I like my new wave to be new wave and my metal to be metal. A dash of influence from a disparate genre is often a wonderfully thing but on this I feel like they're almost a different band. There is an occasionally groovy riff and interesting rhythm, but half the time when the heavy parts kick in even they sound somewhat recycled from past albums. I do enjoy some of textures on the background, there are the usually odd bone sounding percussion noises and even a jaw harp on Amazonia, which is a great song. Ultimately I feel a lot like I did when Queens of Stone age released "...like clock work" and "Villains" several years ago. And Mastodon's last release as well. Those albums were very watered down and poppy relatively to the rest of their material, I feel the same way about this album.  Huge let down. I think that if these bands released these kinds of albums at the start of their careers literally no one would give a **** At most they might get okay reviews, people would say they're decent but boring. To me this album is part of a long running trend of high profile bands progressively watering down their music in a way that's appealing to...I'm not really sure? I think people just dont want admit something they love has become bland. I suppose it's good if you enjoy this, but I honestly would not be surprised if there was a guest appearance of Bono on their next record. This is not a bad album on a musical level. They're all very talented musicians. Hell, If they released this as a side project under another name and just made it a straight up alternative rock album it would be fine. But as it stands it doesn't seem to be able to commit to any one style. It's not complicated enough to be progressive metal anymore, it's not heavy enough to be death metal, it's not catchy enough to be alternative rock, and it's not atmospheric enough to be post rock, new wave or shoe gaze. It's just boring and somewhat pretentious. ,… Full Review »
  3. Loyck
    May 2, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. This is not what I expect from gojira, most of the songs are linear and without any surprise, not only low technically but on writing too, boring verse chorus verse etc, sadly the strong ones are the heaviest.… Full Review »
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