Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier has undergone hand surgery and won’t perform guitar on the band’s upcoming tour of France.
The singer-guitarist took to Instagram to reveal that he injured his hand a few weeks ago, and to announce that Car Bomb axeman Greg Kubacki will be filling in on guitar while Duplantier handles vocals only.
Duplantier wrote the following in his post:
“I hurt my hand a few weeks ago. After getting minor surgery, I’m on the mend but unfortunately I won’t be able to play all my guitar parts on the next tour in France. No worries though, we hired our good friend Greg of the incredible Car Bomb to ‘Give us a hand’. The mood in our camp is up there, as we’re embarking for an interesting experience on our own turf. Show must go ooooon.”
Joe’s post was welcomed by words of encouragement from his fellow metal musicians, such as Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia (“Get better sooner than soon”), Slayer’s Gary Holt (“Get well soon!”), and Six Feet Under’s Ola Englund (“Hoping for a fast recovery!”).
Fill-in guitarist Kubacki also chimed in enthusiastically: “Ready to rip, let’s goooooo!”
Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Duplantier suffered an injury bad enough that it will keep him off the guitar past this tour of France, which launches this Thursday, November 27th, in Reims.
As previously reported, the French extreme metal stalwarts are prepping the release of a “powerful” new album in 2026, and the band is already lined up to support dates on Metallica’s 2026 “M72 Tour” in Europe.
Below you can see Duplantier’s Instagram post.
