Know everything about the French band Gojira, including the meaning of their band name, members, playing style, etc., as while athletes were preparing to compete for gold in the Paris Olympics 2024, a different kind of metal stole the show on Friday
Not aware? Here’s the brief.
Gojira, a widely recognized French heavy mental band, that made history as the first ever band to perform in an Olympic Games opening ceremony, is also known as Godzilla.
Who is heavy metal band Gojira, its members, songs and name meaning which performed at the Paris Olympics Games 2024 opening ceremony
The Ondres, France-based band was founded in 1996 by a group of friends, namely, Joe Duplantier, Mario Duplantier, Christian Andreu, and Jean-Michel Labadie.
During their performance at the Paris Olympics 2024, the band delivered a metal version of “Ah! Ça Ira,” a song popular during the French Revolution.
Gojira reworked the song in a collaborative effort with Victor le Masne and performed alongside opera singer Marina Viotti.
Conservatives have proclaimed Gojira's performance at this year's Olympics to be Satanic in nature. pic.twitter.com/XPF244Fuc4
— State of the Scene (@SOTSPodcast) July 27, 2024
Total Albums
For the curious, so far, Gojira has released a total of 7 albums and received three Grammy nominations. Their powerful songs often address environmental issues.
Their last album, Fortitude, that was released in 2021, includes a track that talks about the Amazon rainforest, including a warning with guttural growls and aggressive riffs that the forest is “burning to the ground.”
Müzik kulağı Rock metal müzikle pek sıvanmamış Fransa gibi bir ülkenin, açılış için 'gojira' hamlesi, hem kıymetli, hem de sağlam bir tokat. Vizyoner olarak kim bu hamleyi planladı ise takdir edilesi. Dayatılan ve iteleye iteleye popüler edileni değil de, seyircisini,… pic.twitter.com/3pRTILIIc6
— HAYKO CEPKİN 🖕 (@HAYKOCPQN) July 27, 2024
Prior to the Olympics performance, 47-year-old Joe Duplantier, who is widely recognized as the band’s singer and guitarist, gave a statement regarding their performance as he can be heard saying that having a mental band play at the Paris Olympics is a revolutionary anthem is a clever idea.
He also revealed that they felt pressure to represent “the whole metal community on the world stage,” while reassuring that they would not tone anything down.
Meaning of Gojira
Reports indicates that the band’s name ‘Gojira,’ is inspired by the legendary kaiju Godzilla, and they were originally named Godzilla until 2001. Known for their progressive and groove metal styles, Gojira has achieved global recognition, transitioning from obscurity to widespread fame.
In 2009, Gojira were ranked 6th on Paris magazine L’Express’ list of the top 10 best-selling French music artists in the US.