Gojira’s year has been nothing short of historic, as they became the first metal act to play an Olympics opening ceremony over the summer in Paris. The good vibes are still going as the French band is currently touring North America as direct support for Korn.
A couple weeks ago, Gojira played the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, where they performed an explosive set in front of a massive audience. Heavy Consequence caught up with Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier backstage to chat about the Olympics performance, their current tour with Korn, his influences, his inclusion on Consequence‘s recent list of the 100 Best Drummers of All Time, and more.
“It’s mind-blowing, actually,” Duplantier told us of Gojira’s electrifying Olympics gig in the video interview above. “We are still a bit high in the band [from the performance]. We are still trying to understand what really happened. … In terms of the impact on the world of metal, we felt like the stars were aligned, because we are a French band, the ceremony was in France, and two of the creators of the ceremony were big Gojira fans.”
Duplantier landed at No. 56 on Consequence‘s list of the 100 Best Drummers of All Time, telling us, “What an honor!” As far as his own drum influences, he named Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Korn’s David Silveria, among others.
Elsewhere in the interview, Duplantier discusses the band’s support of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, among other topics.
Gojira’s tour with Korn and Spiritbox continues through an October 27th concert in St. Paul, Minnesota (pick up tickets here). The band was also just announced as part of the lineup for Las Vegas’ 2025 Sick New World festival, headlined by Metallica and Linkin Park.
Watch our video interview with Gojira’s Mario Duplantier in the player above.
Trouble viewing the interview in the player above? Watch on YouTube.