Gojira Announce Fill-In Drummer for Upcoming Shows After U.S. 'Immigration Issue'

Gojira have announced a fill-in for dummer Mario Duplantier for their upcoming festival performances after being faced with U.S. visa issues.

The French outfit has four scheduled festival performances between today (July 16) and late September in the U.S. They shared a post on social media revealing that Duplantier is facing some immigration problems and thus cannot make it to the U.S. in time to perform this weekend.

"Hey everyone! Important update regarding our Festival performances. Mario is dealing with an immigration issue that has made it impossible for him to travel to the US in time for our shows. Mario is heartbroken not to be here with us and has fought hard every step of the way to find a solution," they wrote in their post.

"We're so grateful for the incredible Luigi Paraventi of Paleface Swiss, who has stepped in on short notice. Player 2 has entered the game. Respect!"

Further making light of the situation, Gojira shared two side by side photos in the carousel after the statement, one of Duplantier and Paraventi and the other of the cartoon twin brothers Mario and Luigi of Nintendo franchise fame.

Thus, Paraventi will play with Gojira at Rock Fest today (July 16), Upheaval Festival tomorrow (July 17) and Inkcarceration on Saturday (July 18).

They didn't specify when Duplantier will be able to make it over to the U.S., so as of now it's unclear whether he'll be able to play the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky this fall. Meanwhile, Paleface Swiss have a European festival circuit starting at the end of July that runs through late August, so fortunately for Paraventi, the dates don't interfere with each other.

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