Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash recently addressed the difficulty of predicting success for younger bands, singling out Gojira as a notable exception.
Slash explained that it’s tough to gauge how new bands will develop over time, though he pointed to acts he currently enjoys touring with, including Pierce the Veil.
“It’s hard to look at younger bands and know what’s going to happen. I think that the thing is more to be in the moment and appreciate what’s happening and hope that that continues on,” Slash said. “We’re doing- I think there are a few shows with Pierce the Veil, who are awesome. I have no idea where they’ll be 10 years from now, but it’s not about that; it’s about what you’re doing in the moment at the time.”
He went on to note that even artists he believes will succeed remain unpredictable. He also noted that few young bands today have the kind of power he associates with lasting greatness.
“It’s great to try and get a perspective on what’s going to happen, but sometimes, even if I was to say, ‘These guys [will succeed]’, you never really know what the fuck’s going to happen. Anybody that you really dig, you just sort of have to appreciate in the moment what they’re doing right now,” he continued. “There aren’t too many young bands I can think of that have the kind of power that these recordings have. So that’s what I mean: it’s hard to tell how really good bands are gonna blossom and turn into something great.”
Slash then singled out Gojira as a band that defied his uncertainty, crediting their persistence for their eventual rise.
“Gojira was one of those bands. Man, those guys are fucking awesome. But when I first heard them, I was like, ‘These guys are amazing,’ but I had no idea where they’d end up. But now they finally arrived at that place because they just kept going,” he said. “The perseverance and tenacity, the staying power to be able to do this for a long period of time, keep your band together, keep your head together, and endure, is a lot to expect from young bands.”
Slash’s admiration for Gojira is not a new development. It stretches back years and reflects a broader appreciation he holds for the modern metal scene as a whole.
Slash has previously pointed to metal, rather than traditional rock, as the genre producing the most inventive music today. He has specifically praised Gojira’s musicianship, highlighting the band’s double-kick drumming, intricate riffs, harmonic movement, and melody as elements that set them apart from acts that rely on sheer heaviness alone. He has described their sound as “very, very musical,” rather than simply aggressive. This distinction speaks to why Gojira ultimately earned his respect over the years.
That respect has been validated on a wider stage. Gojira won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!),” a milestone that underscores the “kept going” narrative Slash described. The band’s evolution from a promising act he once admired from a distance to a Grammy-winning group mirrors exactly the kind of long-term perseverance he says is rare among younger bands.
Slash’s own band remains active on multiple fronts. This activity gives him firsthand experience of the current touring and recording landscape, shaping his perspective on newer acts. Guns N’ Roses have “so much material” for a follow-up to 2008’s “Chinese Democracy.” Slash has confirmed the long-awaited album is “coming.” The band continues to tour alongside acts like Pierce the Veil, giving Slash a direct vantage point on the newer generation of musicians he discussed.
That ongoing activity, both on stage and in the studio, keeps Slash closely connected to the acts sharing bills with Guns N’ Roses. It reinforces his view that appreciating a band in the moment matters more than predicting where they’ll end up.
