Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier has returned and lent his growl to a new single by Swedish post-metal luminaries Cult Of Luna.
The Umeå band released their track Sadness Will Reign, featuring Duplantier, earlier today (November 4), as part of their build-up to new studio album In The Shadow Of Your Shadow, out on Friday.
The song, the fourth single from the upcoming album, sees Duplantier and singer/guitarist Johannes Persson roar in unison over five minutes of dense heavy metal riffing. Listen below.
The guest performance will hopefully tide fans over as Gojira continue to work on their as-yet-unannounced eighth album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2021’s Metal Hammer album of the year, Fortitude. Drummer Mario Duplantier told Bloodstock TV last year that a new album will arrive in 2026, although that now seems unlikely, and that they’ve recorded some drum, guitar and bass parts.
“We needed that time, I think, just to make sure we are all on the same page: make sure what Gojira is bringing next is strong enough,” he explained.
“Also, we don’t have that much pressure. We are not a young band anymore… We’ve been a band for 30 years, so Gojira is already an established band. It doesn’t mean that we can be lazy – it doesn’t mean that – but it's very crucial to take the time to bring something fresh and new and powerful.”
Gojira have had a vigorous touring cycle since Fortitude’s release, supporting such superstar bands as Metallica and Korn, headlining multiple tours and headlining such festivals as 2025’s Bloodstock Open Air. In 2024, the band played a new song – Mea Culpa, a reworking of French Revolutionary anthem Ah! Ça ira! – at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.
They currently only have two live shows on their slate, supporting System Of A Down at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on June 10 and 12.
Meanwhile, Cult Of Luna have a European tour in place to promote In The Shadow Of Your Shadow. Supported by Bruit ≤ and Youth Code, the band will kick things off at Les Docks in Lausanne, Switzerland on February 26 and conclude at Archa + in Prague, Czech Republic on March 13. The sole UK date will take place at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on March 6. Get tickets.
As well as Duplantier, In The Shadow Of Your Shadow will feature a guest performance by David Eugene Edwards of 16 Horsepower and Wovenhand, who appears on the song One More Day. The band have previously collaborated with Mark Lanegan, Julie Christmas and Hereditary composer Colin Stetson, among others.
