Deftones w/ Gojira, @ Armory | 5-28-22
Written by Havyn Cornell & Scott Cornell | Photos by Scott Cornell
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On a beautiful Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis a buzz surrounds the Armory. What better way to celebrate the unofficial start of summer than with a sold-out metal concert.
Eleven illuminated symbols, some cryptic in nature (others not so much) stand static against a black stage covering. Faintly, behind the symbols a countdown began. Quaking, stomach-rattling bass riffs and thunderous double kick drums shook the building as guitarists are silhouetted against the curtain with spots and strobes. The curtain dropped to reveal amps that lined the width of the stage and bassist Jean-Michel Labadie, fill in lead guitarist Aldrick Guadagnino of Klone, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Duplantier, brother and drummer Mario Duplantier. As lasers streaked over the heads of concertgoers the big crowd push hit the barricade with horns raised. Gojira was in the house and taking no prisoners.
Lead guitarist Christian Andreu, left the tour ten days ago to be present for the birth of his child, leaving the role of lead guitarist in the most incredibly capable hands of doppelganger Frenchman Aldrick Guadagnino. The progressive/technical death-metal quartet, from Ondres in southwest France, ended their rescheduled Summer 2020 tour in Minneapolis. Touring in support of their seventh full-length studio album Fortitude.
Like highly choreographed fighter jets at an air show, Labadie, Guadagnino, and Duplantier narrowly missed one other when sprinting and bounding about the stage. Duplantier tossed sticks from behind his kit during the third track of the night “Stranded”. Gojira exuded superhuman energy playing with an undeniable viral intensity that envelopes spectators. Incredibly tight instrumentation in the low register filled the venue, energizing the crowd as pits developed and crowd surfers took to the hands of their fellow concertgoers relishing in the ferocity of the show.
The members of Gojira make the precise playing for such uptempo tracks look like just another kick-ass day at the office. Strobes were conservatively used and well placed to emphasize intense parts of the setlist. Each member took time to make eye contact and screamed with intense enthusiasm at fans from all corners of the stage. Lights crisscrossed above the band and shone upon the heads, horns, and surfers as the band played through its 12-song setlist spanning 60 minutes.
The quartet ended the night with “Amazonia”. A song dedicated to indigenous peoples of the Amazon and as their website states ”A CALL FOR UNITY and solidarity with indigenous peoples, to end genocide and ecocide in the Amazon.” Deftones frontman Chino Moreno joined them on stage for a rendition of “Territory” by Sepultura. Gojira wins over many crowds but isn’t for everyone. When Gojira comes to town the loyal local fans flock to catch a glimpse of the heavy spectacle.
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Fog muddied the darkness as band members took their places. Six large diamond-shaped fixtures packed with lights and outlined in LEDs loomed overhead. A plethora of multi-colored beams of light intersected one another like a giant game of pick-up sticks as Deftones kicked off their 90-minute set. Ending the 28 city tour in support of their ninth studio album, 2020 release Ohms.
Frontman Chino Moreno used every possible vantage point to further encourage the already galvanized fans. Stephen Carpenter on lead guitar, touring members Fred Sablan on bass, and guitarist Lance Jackman lined the front of the stage. Percussionist Abe Cunningham and Frank Delgado on keys, turntables, & samples, were positioned on either side upstage. Cunningham and Delgado book-ended a large open space for Moreno to sing or play guitar. When Moreno occupied the elevated upstage area, he created a visual hourglass when aligned with the lower most point of the overhead stage lighting.
Deftones, with their iconic sound, flawlessly played as pits relentlessly emerged. Crowd surfers constantly threw themselves at the stage. Seven column like screens lined the back of the illuminated fixtures for projected visuals. Expertly curated clips enhanced the band’s tone and emotion for the evening. Strobes peeked out from between the screens to illuminate the crowd. Technically sound and visually stimulating, the stage design was top-notch, impressive up close and from afar.
Moreno and company's energy matched their signature sound as each member emoted and expertly executed their roles. Sound waves reverberated through the crowd while singalongs and chanting, with little prompting, proved seasoned fans were out in full force. Throughout the 19-song set, exuberant cheers resounded when groundbreaking hits like “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” were played. Sprinkled throughout were “Ohms” and “Genesis”, new tracks from their latest album. The set was rounded out by the top tracks and fan favorites like “Beware”, “Digital Bath”, “Minerva”, Sextape” and “Swerve City”. Notably missing was "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" and Grammy Award-winning track for Best Metal Performance, "Elite" from the critically acclaimed and platinum record White Pony.
Deftones briefly left the stage and re-emerged with Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier to perform “Lotion” and closed out the tour with “Engine No. 9” and “7 Words”. Deftones have a loyal fan base that showed up in droves and the band did not disappoint. It’s a safe assumption both Gojira and Deftones added to their fanbases throughout this tour, although these brands of metal are not for everyone, especially the faint of heart.
