Gojira is now streaming their cover of "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)" from the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The cover was performed alongside visuals of a beheaded Marie Antoinette and blood cannons, as well as additional vocals from opera singer Marina Viotti. Check it out below and relive arguably one of the biggest days heavy metal has had in a long time!
And no – Gojira's performance was not "Satanic" despite what many (very misguided) people may have thought. Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier addressed the accusations in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, saying all the violence and heavy metal is simply a part of French culture.
"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," said Duplantier.
"There's nothing satanic [laughs]. France is a country that made a separation between the state and religion during the revolution. 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."
Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier took a much shorter approach to criticizing the critics on his Instagram, simply posting the below goof on the Olympics logo.
