Gojira becomes first metal band to perform at Olympics, impressed Internet says they 'nailed it'

FRANCE, PARIS: France's top metal band, Gojira, made history at the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, becoming the first metal band to perform at the event.

The band delivered a memorable performance, collaborating with opera singer Marina Viotti under the direction of Thomas Jolly during the 'Libertie' portion of the festivities.

Gojira's rise to global fame

The performance featured a castle facade where a beheaded Marie Antoinette sang to the crowd, complemented by the intense double-kick drumming of Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier, according to Loud Wire.

NBC News noted, "The French are showing their range this evening. Not long after Lady Gaga’s dazzling performance in pink, French heavy metal rockers Gojira, clad in black, got heads banging with a dramatic balcony-edge performance."

Gojira has achieved global recognition as one of France's most popular metal bands, having toured with renowned bands like Metallica and Slipknot.

The band was founded by brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier in 1996 in the southern French town of Ondres under the name Godzilla.

However, in 2001, copyright concerns forced the group to rename itself Gojira, the Japanese name for the legendary monster that debuted on the big screen 70 years earlier, as per the Washington Post.

That same year, Gojira released their debut album, 'Terra Incognita'. Since then, they have released seven studio albums, the most recent being 2021's 'Fortitude'.

Gojira singing for the cause and Grammy wins 

Gojira's music often incorporates environmental themes, addressing issues such as deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, marine pollution, and climate change. The band has received three Grammy Award nominations.

Rolling Stone magazine named the band’s 2005 album 'From Mars to Sirius' the 97th greatest metal album of all time in 2017.

Two of the songs on the album featured “themes of marine-mammal preservation.”

“An immediate hit in their native France, the band soon became spokespeople for environmental causes and Joe became the country’s first bona fide guitar hero in decades,” as per the report. 

Forbes first reported Gojira was slated to become the first metal band to perform at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Internet reacts to Gojira's 'crazy' performance at Paris Olympics

Netizens buzzed with reactions to Gojira's Olympic performance.

"That was crazy," wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). "Best part," wrote another, while someone else commented, "This got me fired up."

The unexpected nature of the performance left many viewers pleasantly surprised. "This was unexpected and actually amazing. I heard riffs in the next room and said WTF. Turns out I wasn't wrong that it was Gojira!" wrote one more.

Fans expressed their admiration for the band, with comments like "What a band!" and "Gojira nailed it."

One enthusiastic viewer added, "Gojira just showed the world how it's done. I love that a French heavy metal band opened the Olympics with headless Marie Antoinettes, that's so f'ing metal!"

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