When Gojira released Fortitude on April 30, it topped the Billboard sales charts, the band’s highest opening week sales out of any of their albums. Today, they released a music video for one of the standout tracks from the album, “Sphinx.”
When the album came out, mxdwn writer Victor Nica described the track as one of the most interesting on the album, attributing its appeal to the “extremely strong choruses, esoteric drumming and vocal layering, in addition to a genuine, believable atmosphere.” This atmosphere is further enhanced by the colorful and intense world created in the music video.
Realistic cartoon versions of the band members stand on orange sands set against a violet sky, appearing small as ants in comparison to the statue after which the song is named. With each deep growl emanating from Joe Duplantier, the Sphinx comes alive. Animated clips of the rising sun upon a bird-eye view of the pyramids create a feeling of an impending revolution, a revolution that is then illustrated as the Pyramids are brought to life.
This video follows the band’s recent pattern of incorporating a variety of international cultures and historically significant sites in their music videos: the video for “The Chant,” for example, took place in a Buddhist temple.
Following the release of Fortitude, Gojira announced a winter 2021 U.S. tour with Knocked Loose and Alien Weaponry. The tour began on Sep. 3 in Chattanooga, TN and ends on Oct. 29 in Cleveland, OH. They will continue performing with Deftones throughout spring 2022, kicking off the tour on April 14 in Portland and concluding on May 28 in Minneapolis.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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