Band:	Gojira
Album:	The Link
Style:	Progressive death metal
Release date:	April 2003

01. The Link
02. Death Of Me
03. Connected
04. Remembrance
05. Torii
06. Indians
07. Embrace The World
08. Inward Movement
09. Over The Flows
10. Wisdom Comes
11. Dawn

Every Gojira album has its own certain personality, its own certain theme of sorts. While the musical formula generally remains the same - the whole progressive/death/groove sound has been their signature since the beginning - the atmosphere is the thing that often changes with every release. This has become even more apparent on their later releases; for instance, The Way Of All Flesh is a much colder and darker album that deals with the concept of death in its various forms and guises. And then there's the incredibly expansive From Mars To Sirius, which revels in combining brutal riffs with environmental lyrics and more spacious arrangements. But as far as I'm concerned, the most unique vibe we've ever gotten out of Gojira was the tribal feel that encompasses The Link. I mean, it's right there in the name of the album... The Link. More specifically, the sound of the record seems to link the primal qualities of ancient folklore and minimalist percussion with the intense prog-death riffage we're used to from Gojira.

The result is an incredibly unique album that constantly benefits from its distinctive theme. The interludes "Connected" and "Torii" are definitely the most distilled and pure representations of the album's theme, but the odd instrumentation even bleeds into several other tracks. The title track immediately hits you with some tribal percussion before it kicks into the clanking metal rhythm that drives it, and the closing instrumental "Dawn" juxtaposes rapid-fire tremolo picking with a looming sense of sorrow in the melodies as sound clips of the wilderness eventually take over. These songs are able to sandwich several memorable metal tunes - such as the crushingly doom-laden "Inward Movement" and the breakdown-centric tremolo fest "Remembrace" - and unlike Terra Incognita before it, there's a greater sense of consistency and cohesiveness. Almost every song is keen on supporting the album's greater vision, even during the most heavy and thunderous moments.

Speaking of the progression from Terra Incognita, this album also expands upon the environmentally-conscious and philosophical elements from that album - something that would obviously become even more prominent on From Mars To Sirius after it. Aside from the obvious musical ties to nature in the percussion and various nature-based sound clips, there's a lot of talk about compassion and embracing your surroundings on the record. While that might sound a bit too flowery or pretentious for some tastes, it's never presented in a way that makes you forget who Gojira are and what they stand for. If anything, this all serves as a logical bridge from Terra Incognita to From Mars To Sirius; however, it's worth noting that - for how much I love this album - there are still some growing pains here and there. For one thing, "Dawn" does go on a bit too long and could have used about 2 or 3 minutes worth of condensing to get its point across. Also, for as brutal and intense as "Wisdom Comes" is, it just sounds like a leftover from the heavier and more one-dimensional side of their debut album rather than representing a step forward in their sound. Granted, that tremolo in the slower spots is pretty damn cool.

While I can concede that From Mars To Sirius is a better record overall, I urge you all to hear The Link if you haven't given it a fair shake. It's not the most consistent album in Gojira's catalogue, but it's probably the most unique one due to its strange atmosphere and unorthodox songwriting. The Link is one hell of an underrated album, and it was just the stepping stone they needed to reach the upper echelon of 21st century progressive metal.