Who is Gojira?How to handle a metal band during the opening ceremony of the Olympics

“Gojira emerged in the early 2000s with a guts-meets-brains combo of rock, thrash, and death metal, during a time dominated by black-metal purists and emo-metal crossover scenesters,” the music publication stated.

It’s easy to understand why French hard rock band Gojira was selected by the organizers of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to showcase heavy metal music, which just had its historic Olympic debut. The musicians who have won numerous awards are revered as rock stars in the nation that is hosting the Olympics. Their loud sound has caused fans to react so strongly over the years that they have actually broken records.

Swiss opera singer Marina Viotti was part of the band, and they combined their sounds on platforms off of a building. The outcome was a legendary show.

Gojira: Who are they?

According to what Joe Duplantier told Revolver Magazine in 2012, the origins of Gojira, which is a vague translation of “Godzilla,” date back to 1993, when the French-American brothers Joe and Mario were just teenagers and were jamming out in their garage in the Bayonne suburbs of southwest France. Joe, the rhythm guitarist and singer for the group, said that his cousins were the ones who first exposed him to bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden when he was 14 years old. Joe described his decision to start a band as “impulsive” at the time.

He went on, “It had a strange effect on me like no other music.” “We could perform Metallica covers, but our skill level was insufficient.”

Joe claimed that Mario, who was five years his junior, formed a rock band at the age of twelve and that it was “ten times better.” However, the brothers—who were then 14 and 19 years old—later came together to form the group that would eventually become Gojira, and in 1996 they brought on lead guitarist Christian Andreu, who was 19 at the time. Two years later, bassist Jean-Michel Labadie joined.

Their earlier aggressive death- and thrash-metal sound changed over the years to a more uplifting and melodic metal sound, frequently included songs that advocated for environmental and human rights.

The Ascent of Gojira

Gojira became extremely well-known in the music scene of the Basque nation thanks to their early demos and their first two albums, Terra Incognita and The Link, released in the early 2000s. But they gained enormous recognition in Europe with the release of their third studio album, From Mars to Sirius, which was produced by the American record company Prosthetic. Rolling Stone included “Ocean Planet” and “Flying Whales,” two hits that promoted environmental campaigning and marine conservation, in their ranking of the top 100 metal albums ever.

According to Revolver, American death metal band Lamb of God heard about the radio play and went on to become one of Gojira’s earliest supporters in the metal community. James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica, also enjoyed their song “Flying Whales.” Gojira gained even more recognition in the American metal scene when they toured with both bands in 2009, both in the United States and Canada.

According to Le Parisien, during Gojira’s 2012 tour with Metallica at the nation’s biggest stadium, the Stade de France, they shattered the record for the loudest sound produced there, with 120 decibels.

The Duplantier brothers maintained a foothold in both France and New York City, where Gojira usually recorded at Joe Duplantier’s Queens-based studio. They already had significant ties to America thanks to their mother’s family. In their home town of Ondres, France, they record at Le Studio des Milans.

In a 2013 interview with Decibel Magazine, Joe stated, “I’ve been fascinated by the city, by New York in general, since I was a kid.” There is a lot going on in New York, and so many different people are involved in it that it’s like an explosion of energy, culture, and entertainment. There is a lot going on, which is excellent for my mood and for me personally. My house is in Brooklyn.

Gojira produced their sixth studio album, Magma, in New York. The album was nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award in the Best Rock Album category. Silvera, the album’s lead track, received a nomination for Best Metal Performance as well. Their 2021 single, Amazonia, earned them a third Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance and assisted in raising money for the rights of Indigenous people in Brazil.

Gojira has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in metal, such as Children of Bodom, Meshuggah, and Cannibal Corpse. Their songs are still at the top of rock music charts worldwide, and they have received multiple honors and accolades from publications like Loudwire, Revolver, and the Heavy Music Awards.

One of the greatest rock bands in French history, it still exists today.

Regarding Gojira’s advocacy

As if being well-known worldwide as rock stars wasn’t enough, Gojira is an amazing group that fights injustice and inequity. On their website, the band lists their many causes, including fighting to save the Amazonian rainforests, end the poaching of elephants, and raise awareness of climate change.

In an interview with Guitar.com, Joe Duplantier discussed the band’s advocacy while promoting Gojira’s 2021 Billboard-topping album, Fortitude.

He declared, “Rock is the music of rebellion; it has all the ingredients.” It must contain an intellectually stimulating or thought-provoking element. If it doesn’t, the music and words that are released are merely sounds.