Gojira (2) – Magma

Does anyone here know why the CD was "Made in USA", but the back cover marked it as "Made in the E.U."?

Dead quiet.
Add some treble and you got a great sounding record.

Sound is as good as the look of this record. The only problem is lack of that last minute of Low Lands but I can live with that ;)

This is a wonderful album. Metal mixing and mastering is always hit or miss for me, but joe and his team did a good job with this.

This pressing sounds okay enough for playback but not the best out there as I can see. I got this copy about 2 weeks after release, not sure if that changes anything.

Cons: On my current system* it sort of sounds mono which can kill some of the mastering/mixing I got used to listening to the CD version (though that is in comparison to blasting in the car; not apples to apples). Some of the layering that increases volume and stage is gone and the drums are hardly panned. Not saying this is complete mono but it had the effect which flatttens the mood of tracks like Magma, Low Lands, and Stranded.

Pros: That aside, this is a playable version of Magma. The instruments are clear, it sounds decent cranked up, not a noisy press, and it's a golden Gojira album imo.

However, based on the comments around, there are better pressings available. If you're interested in buying look at updated presses for an improved experience. Thanks!

*Current system: Denon DP-500M turntable w Nagaoka MP150 cart and Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2

Low Lands borrows the ending guitar parts from "Like Siamese" by Timo Maas.

I have nine GZ pressings in my collection and, for the plant's poor reputation, all nine are stellar. This is among the best of them, next to DIRT (somewhat noisy vinyl), SUPERUNKNOWN, and FEAR INOCULUM. While listening to MAGMA just now, I guessed it was pressed at Record Industry or Optimal and then I came here to look it up. It's perfectly flat and I couldn't be sure that my phono stage was even on or not until the music started - that's how silent this vinyl is. Perfect pressing! Could only be bested on 2xLP at 45rpm, like my incredible pressing of L'ENFANT SAUVAGE.

Mine has a different text layout underneath the barcode. Doesn’t say “Made in E.U.” and only lists one catalog number instead of 3. Not sure if that warrants a separate listing. Thoughts?

3/5. Pressing sounds OK. Not bad, but not great. Always unfortunate when the digital sounds better than the vinyl. Hopefully this gets a vinyl specific remaster soon with the popularity of the album, cause this is a phenomenal album and deserves that kind of treatment.

Anyone have the black lp with the hype sticker? I