From Mars to Sirius

The album was largely written by Joe and Mario Duplantier, but Christian Andreu contributed certain parts such as the outro of "Where Dragons Dwell" and the central melody on "World to Come". According to Mario, the album was entirely self-produced by the band. Jean-Michel Labadie was involved in the production, especially on the coherence of his bass in the compositions, and with his work the band sought "to bring a much warmer note into their sound". Gojira had emphasized more interludes and melodies in this album. Joe Duplantier said that From Mars to Sirius represented a journey; saying, "and as in every journey, there are air gaps, variations and moments of calm". After the recording of Terra Incognita made in ten days in a studio in Brussels, the band decided to build their own studio called, Le Studio des Milans, located in their hometown, where From Mars to Sirius would be recorded. The drum recordings were made at Le Florida in Agen. Prior to the album's release date, the band performed two songs at concerts in France, "Backbone" and "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe". The mastering of the album was completed in mid-July 2005. == Concept and artwork ==

A concept album, From Mars to Sirius relates the resurrection of a dead planet through an interplanetary quest, tackling environmental issues such as climate change and impacts on marine life as well as broader themes of life, death, and rebirth. Explaining the meaning behind the album title, Joe Duplantier said in an interview that "In some cultures, Mars symbolizes war and Sirius peace. I'm simplifying! It is a journey of a state of war, even if in France we are preserved, but it can be a war within us, in our flesh, in our mind, a war with ourselves". The song "Flying Whales" is "a homage" to whales and their intelligence. The concept emerged during the second album's tour and resulted in the imagery and artwork for From Mars to Sirius. The cover art was created by Joe Duplantier. == Release ==

Listenable Records reissued the album on vinyl in September 2012 and in November 2015 in limited quantities. A 10th anniversary box-set was released on 12 February 2016, again through Listenable Records. A video directed by Alain Duplantier was filmed for the song "To Sirius". == Critical reception and legacy ==

From Mars to Sirius was received positively by critics. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia noted the influences of bands such as Pantera, Meshuggah, and Neurosis on the album, particularly in the guitar work and emphasis on atmosphere. Loudwire ranked it as the 15th best progressive metal album of all time, and named it the second-best metal album of 2005 in a retrospective list. Metal Hammer named this album No. 15 out of The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia describes the album as marking a turning point for the band, "gaining them access into the exclusive top echelon of the world's progressive metal elite." In 2018, Decibel inducted the album into their hall of fame. Loudwire included "Flying Whales" on their list of the 66 Best Metal Songs of the 21st Century (list sorted by year). Graham Hartmann said it utilized "one of the best riffs and breakdowns of the century", adding that the song "becomes more iconic as the years pass, stretching the limits of what a metal band can achieve without clean vocals or flashy guitar solos". ==Track listing==

Personnel taken from CD booklet. Gojira • Joe Duplantier – vocals, guitars • Christian Andreu – guitars • Jean-Michel Labadie – bass • Mario Duplantier – drums Technical personnel • Gabriel Editions – production • Laurent Etchemendy – engineering, mixing • Joe Duplantier – mixing, artwork • Jean-Michel Labadie – mixing • Jean-Pierre Chalbos – mastering • Seb Dupuis – mastering ==Charts==