May 2, 20232 min read

The Heaviest Tour of the Year: Gojira Command The Mega-Monsters

An explosive elite lead with conviction, leveling a sold-out Forum.

gojira, heavy metal — Photograph by Ekaterina Gorbacheva

Text, Photographs by Ekaterina Gorbacheva (@ekaterinagorbacheva.art)

at the Kia Forum on April 21, 2023:

Upon its announcement earlier this year amidst a plethora of other tour unveilings, the Gojira and Mastodon co-headlining Mega-Monsters Tour stood tall among them for it brought together two of metal's most celebrated contemporary acts on a much needed arena stage. The bands, who are joined by the trailblazing Lorna Shore, hit the Kia Forum for a sold-out showing that elevated already celebrated discographies to grander scopes.

Last we caught Gojira, the band supported Deftones throughout North America, providing a welcome adrenaline boost to an eclectic touring bill. However, as great as the show was, LA's Greek Theatre didn't accurately capture the sheer power that exists within the French unit's compositions. The Forum did and for the lucky thousands in attendance (ourselves included), a spectacle of instrumentation and heart was on display.

Lorna Shore's blood-curling deathcore set a sinister yet uplifting atmosphere to the venue with signature orchestral passages alternating in between an explosive array of offerings from their latest album, Pain Remains (2022). Mastodon then perplexed with a career-spanning set that became one with tantalizing visuals sprawling across the large digital displays in the background. Piercing strobe lights and vivid colors filled the arena throughout their set, raising the excitement level for a tremendous showing to come.

gojira, mega monsters tour — Photograph by Ekaterina Gorbacheva

Gojira, who remain in support of 2021's Fortitude, kicked it off with the invigorating anthem, Born For One Thing, following it up with arguably one of the heaviest songs in their arsenal, Backbone. Surely enough, bodies began moving and fire began rising as frontman Joe Duplantier roared away. Mario Duplantier, Christian Andreu, and Jean-Michel Labadie built off the audience's energy and were notably enthusiastic as they ripped through stellar playthroughs of Flying Whales, The Cell, Grind, Silvera, and more across their career. Mario then put his talents on a pedestal with a drum solo to die for in between tracks. Each offering spoke highly of the band's masterful approach to composition and with pyro, electrifying digital screens, and arena sound to boast, tracks like The Chant and the closing The Gift of Guilt lived anew. As the show came to an end, one thing was reaffirmed and became ever so clear: big stages are where Gojira belong.

Few dates remain on this mighty trifecta of a tour, so scroll below for remaining tour dates, tickets, and photo galleries of each band ripping through their performance.

Lorna Shore Photo Gallery