French metal outfit Gojira have announced their first album in five years, Fortitude, will be released on April 30 via Roadrunner Records.

Following on from the universal acclaim 2016’s Magma received, Fortitude again follows a more accessible landscape sonically, with drummer Mario Duplantier sitting down with HEAVY this week to discuss the upcoming release.

"It's a good mix between heaviness and melody,” he measured in his broken English. “I would say it’s the perfect balance. The people who enjoy Gojira for the technicity and the heaviness will be happy I think but also there is this feminine aspect of our music - with a lot of melodies - so it's a very diverse album. I would say it's good to listen from the first song to the last one because it's like a piece of art. The entire album is telling a story a little bit so you cannot really isolate one track here and there. It’s more like a whole.”

In the full interview, Mario discusses Fortitude in more detail, runs through the focus of the album, especially following on from the success of Magna, the singles released so far and how they relate to the overall feel of the album, having brother and Gojira vocalist/guitarist Joe produce and record the album and the advantages of it, making a difference musically, Gojira’s causes and views on the problems facing humanity and more.