Photo Credit: Land Rover Our Planet
The French progressive death metal band Gojira is known for songs such as "Stranded" and "Flying Whales", along with the environmental causes and charities that have long been a part of their work. The band, led by brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier, make no exception with the release of their new album, Fortitude. A month ahead of Fortitude's release Gojira released the single "Amazonia", and with it used their influence within the metal community to raise awareness of a critical issue and bring about change for good.
The lyrics of "Amazonia" and the corresponding video discuss the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, a crisis that impacts and erodes the rights of Brazil's indigenous people groups. Forest land that belongs to them is being burned by outsiders to be converted into development, mining, livestock pasture or cropland. The rapid rate of deforestation disregards sustainability and the rights of these native people, who are often met with violence and criminalization in the struggle for their own land. They have also been disproportionately impacted by the recent pandemic.
Screen shot from the video for "Amazonia"
All proceeds generated from the song "Amazonia" are being donated to The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, an organization that works for the empowerment of these people and their health and rights. Gojira's incisive message is driven home with these lyrics: "Behold the life/the boundaries fools will crush/the greatest miracle/is burning to the ground." The track's tribal instrumentation is an homage to Roots, a 1996 album by the Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura, whose members have long been advocates for native cultures.
Habitat loss and degradation is considered the greatest threat to biodiversity on this planet. An estimated 40,000 plant species, 2500 terrestrial animal species, 3000 fish species, and countless invertebrates call the Amazon home, and local populations are directly endangered by forest destruction. For large carnivores like the jaguar, deforestation is a two-pronged threat. Jaguars and their puma relatives are apex predators with sparse densities and require large home ranges to roam, raise young, and hunt prey. Not only are the big cats displaced from critical habitat, the land is often converted into for-profit cattle ranching operations where the native animals are persecuted as predators. The plight of the jaguar, one of Amazon's iconic species, strongly parallels that of the indigenous people in the area - as well as around the world. Greed and the idea of "manifest destiny" have no limit and will ruthlessly destroy all that stands in the way of expansion and profit. This connection is reflected in the anti-consumerist message on another track from Fortitude, "Born For One Thing", as well as its music video.
Screen shot from the video for "Born for One Thing"
Gojira are not alone in their advocacy. The band launched an initiative auctioning several custom, one-of-a-kind personalized guitars and other band gear, with all proceeds benefitting the The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil. Members of other high-profile bands have also stepped in to donate equipment to the cause, and at the time of this writing almost $250,000 has been raised. Gojira's collective effort that truly showcases the power that a community can have when working together towards a meaningful cause. Though metal is a genre of music often unfairly stereotyped as violent or ignorant, Gojira has set an example we would do well to follow and learn from. We can accomplish good for others when we work together.
