Why Gojira & Mastodon’s 2023 Co-Headline Tour Should Be On Every Metalhead’s Radar

Without
question,
Gojira
and
Mastodon
are
two
of
the
most
revered
modern
metal
bands
of
this
century.
Both
bands
have
built
loyal
fanbases
through
their
unwavering
core
musical
tropes,
all
while
staying
far
and
away
from
the
latest
sonic
trends
in
a
given
year
or
decade.
Whether
it’s
Gojira’s
unforgiving
sense
of
heavy
songwriting
or
Mastodon’s
ubiquitously
progressive
arrangements,
neither
band
has
catered
to
the
masses
or
at
least
in
ways
like
their
peers
Slipknot,
Avenged
Sevenfold,
and
Ghost
have.

With
that
being
said,
Gojira
and
Mastodon
are
eyeing
what’s
likely
to
be
their
most
ambitious
year
yet
as
they
embark
on
their
co-headlining
arena/amphitheater
tour
across
North
America
this
spring.
For
many
this
tour
may
seem
insignificant
as
far
as
what
it
indicates
for
the
future
of
the
metal
scene
at
large.
However,
when
taken
into
account
that
this
tour
provides
the
first
concept
of
what
Mastodon
&
Gojira
are
like
as
North
American
arena
headliners,
the
implications
of
this
tour
start
to
paint
a
much
bigger
picture
for
the
scene’s
future.

To
put
it
candidly,
metal’s
routine
headliners
are
slowly
yet
surely
going
into
retirement,
therefore
a
new
era
of
headliners
is
imminent
as
the
older
generations
begin
wrapping
up
their
careers
i.e.
Metallica,
Iron
Maiden,
Megadeth.
It’s
an
inevitable
scenario
that’s
already
started
to
take
place,
and
the
more
the
industry
and
concertgoers
alike
are
cognizant
of
this
the
better
chances
it
paints
for
bands
like
Gojira
and
Mastodon
to
be
ushered
in
as
next-gen
headliners.

Speaking
of
metal’s
future,
the
band
offering
direct
support
for
Mastodon
and
Gojira’s
tour
is
none
other
than
Lorna
Shore
—
one
of
metal’s
most
popularized
and
highly

praised
young
extreme
metal
outfits.
Lorna
Shore
getting
the
support
slot
on
this
tour
not
only
emboldens
the
sentiment
that
there’s
a
hunger
for
a
new
generation
of
bands,
but
that
extreme
metal
shouldn’t
be
limited
to
small
club
shows.

At
the
rate
Lorna
Shore
has
climbed
in
the
scene
they
easily
stand
as
one
of
metal’s
most
mainstream
acts
currently
(the
band
is
nearing
1
million
monthly
listeners),
despite
them
sounding
far
from
the
norm
of
most
mainstream
metal.
However,
that’s
exactly
why
Lorna
Shore’s
placement
on
this
tour
could
not
be
more
perfect,
as
neither
Mastodon
or
Gojira
have
accumulated
their
respective
followings
from
appeasing
to
the
mainstream.

To
further
conclude
the
significants
of
this
tour
and
growth
of
these
bands,
it’d
be
ignorant
to
not
mention
the
fact
that
Mastodon
and
Gojira
actually
embarked
on
a
co-headline
North
American
tour
together
back
in
2014.
At
the
time

this
tour
was
limited
to
club
venues
and
state
theaters,
but
now
some
9
years
later
both
bands
are
slated
to
co-headline
LA’s
KIA
Forum
this
spring.