Joe and his brother Mario wrote their first song, titled 'Victim,' in 1996. Their band, initially called Godzilla, was later renamed Gojira. Gojira's debut studio album, Terra Incognita, was released in 2001. Joe Duplantier's influences include bands such as Death, Metallica, Morbid Angel, Sepultura and Slayer. He was also in a band called Empalot with his brother Mario Duplantier from 1999 to 2004. Max Cavalera and Igor Cavalera initially asked Jean-Michel Labadie, bassist of Gojira, to do bass duties for their band, Cavalera Conspiracy; however, Labadie was busy with prior commitments, including Gojira. Instead, Duplantier ended up being the band's bassist. He has stated that Gojira is his main priority and that is the reason he has not done extensive touring with Cavalera Conspiracy. In 2008, he was replaced by Johny Chow on bass duties for Cavalera Conspiracy. Duplantier did not appear on the band's second album, Blunt Force Trauma. Joe is the owner of Silver Cord Studio, a recording studio located in New York, which he designed himself. Joe also plays drums occasionally during live performances when he and his brother Mario Duplantier switch places.
Personal life
Joe was born in Paris but raised in Bayonne, South-West France near the Basque country. He started playing his mother's classical guitar, which only had three strings. His mother played and sang country music, having grown up in Wisconsin and California. Due to this, Joe has dual citizenship of France and the USA. His mother was a yoga instructor, his father is a painter and his sister Gabrielle is a photographer. Joe went to the university during two years and four years in an art school, then he started working as a graphic designer. Afterward, Joe decided to live in a cabin that he had previously built. He lived with his girlfriend in this cabin in a forest during two years without income or electricity. Terra Incognita was written during this experience. Some of the lyrical themes of Gojira reflect Duplantier's personal beliefs in preserving the environment. He is part of the environmental corporationSea Shepherd Conservation Society. Joe is a vegan. Though he lived and was raised in Bayonne, France, he now resides in Brooklyn, New York City, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Equipment
When playing with Gojira in 2009, Duplantier's equipment was listed as the following:
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature San Dimas Style 2
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro Mod San Dimas Style 2
