May 11

May 11 Review: Gojira and Mastodon at Harrah's Cherokee Center — Asheville

I spent most of the May 7 show by heavy metal veterans Gojira and Mastodon completely drenched — and that was even before I spent two hours in the mosh pit.

As I rode my bike through town on the way to Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, the gloomy skies opened up in a nigh-biblical cloudburst. Thunder crackled, Lexington Avenue became a river of runoff, and all I could do was submit to the pounding thrash of elements. It was terrible biking weather but a great source of metaphor for the show to come.

The night opened with New Jersey deathcore act Lorna Shore, who appeared to fall victim to poor sound design. A backing track with symphonic strings swamped out much of the live guitar, and Will Ramos’ screamed vocals felt muddied in the mix (much like my shoes and socks at the time).

Mastodon was first of the co-headliners to play, and the Atlanta-based band came out swinging. The twin guitars of Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher immediately locked in with the fierce velocity of drummer Brann Dailor and bassist Troy Sanders, a hellbent drive that recalled classic Motörhead.

But after that opening statement, the band broadened its sound into prog and stoner metal elements, as reinforced by massive LCD screens pulsating with psychedelic eyes, jewels, and scarabs. Offbeat phrasing choices, grindy grooves, and the eerie atmospherics of touring keyboardist João Nogueira all gave the music impressive depth.

The group has been playing together for over two decades, and their well-trained cohesion was obvious at every moment. The way Hinds’ ludicrous Flying V solo turned on a dime into a crunchy verse, or how Dailor’s crystal-clear ride cymbal work guided the band through mathy passages was joyous to behold.

Gojira swept away Mastodon’s kaleidoscopic backdrops with a brutally bare-bones visual assault: white strobes, red backlights, black outfits. The French quartet blasted into an hour of punishing, technical metal, anchored with jaw-dropping athleticism by drummer Mario Duplantier.

While perhaps a bit more straightforward than Mastodon overall — think fewer guitar solos, more blast beats — Gojira’s sound achieves its own kind of groove by virtue of disciplined force. The set was nearly nonstop and expertly constructed, building an irresistible headbanging momentum from song to song.

There were a few breathers scattered throughout, such as Duplantier’s jazz-inflected drum solo and the spacey outro to “Another World,” the lead single from the band’s 2021 album, Fortitude. But they were just enough to help the crowd rage that much harder when the distortion kicked back on.

Gojira left no time for an encore, so I emerged from their set into a cool, clear night outside the arena. I was still drenched, but now from the well-earned sweat of a raucous show.

(Photos by Bryce Lafoon)