GOJIRA‘s recent performance at the Olympic Games‘ opening ceremony, held last month, is now available on streaming platforms.
The band delivered a surprise rendition of “Ah! Ça Ira,” a well-known song from the French Revolution, featuring opera singer Marina Viotti. The performance also included a group of beheaded figures symbolizing the executed Queen Marie Antoinette. This striking display took place outside the Conciergerie, a historic site that once served as both a prison and royal residence during the French Revolution, where Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution in 1793.
Their rendition of “Ah! Ça Ira” alongside decapitated figures representing Marie Antoinette was seen by some as a “satanic” display.
The band’s frontman, Joseph Duplantier, has since defended their performance against these accusations.
Even controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate joined the criticism, claiming the West is “worshipping the devil.”
Tate wrote on social media while sharing video of GOJIRA‘s performance: “Satanists control the west and they show you that they worship the devil. It’s not a conspiracy theory. They literally show you. Are you blind?”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, when asked about Tate‘s criticism that GOJIRA‘s performance was “satanic,” Duplantier responded: “It’s none of that. It’s French history. It’s French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine, and blood all over the place — it’s romantic, it’s normal. There’s nothing satanic. [Laughs]
“France is a country that made a separation between the state and religion during the revolution,” he continued. “And it’s something very important, very dear to the foundation of republican France. We call it laïcité. It’s when the state is not religious anymore, so therefore it’s free in terms of expression and symbolism. It’s all about history and facts. We don’t look too close closely at symbolism in terms of religion.”
When asked if he and his GOJIRA bandmates considered the responsibility of representing metal on the world stage, Joseph said: “I try not to think too much about that because it continues to blow my mind. [Laughs] The Olympic Committee could have asked literally anybody to play. I’m thinking of bands like METALLICA or AC/DC that are household names and powerhouses in our genre that we all revere and are our heroes. We never considered ourselves the biggest band in the world that would be worthy to play the Olympics or anything like that. It’s so weird.
“The way I think about it is it’s a challenge in 2024 to give hope to people, to show something original. People have seen everything from landing on the moon to A.I. So it was a challenge for Paris and the Committee to express something fresh, new, and original [by booking us] and also show what France is all about.
“At least for our part, the fact that metal and opera had never been seen together on TV and in front of so many people before is a statement for the country of France. It’s saying, ‘Hey, look. We’re still pushing the boundaries in the world.’ So congrats to France for putting this together.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.