Who are Gojira, the Metal Band from Olympic Opening Ceremony?

If spectators thought the Opening Ceremony’s musical lineup couldn’t get more exciting, think again.

Heavy metal music just made its epic Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, and it’s plain to see why organizers chose French hard rock band Gojira to perform. The award-winning musicians are hailed as rock gods in the Olympics’ host country, drawing such an audible response from fans over the decades that they *literally* hold records for their loud sound.

The band performed from platforms off a building, fusing their sound Swiss opera singer Marina Viotti. The result was an iconic spectacle. 

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Keep reading to learn more about Gojira and its impact on the music world.

Who are Gojira?

The early days of Gojira — which loosely translates to “Godzilla”— began in 1993 with teenage French-American brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier jamming out in their garage in the Bayonne suburbs of southwestern France, Joe told Revolver Magazine in 2012. Joe, the band’s rhythm guitarist and vocalist, said he was first introduced to bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden at age 14 thanks to his cousins, and his immediate decision to form a band was “impulsive.”

“It had a strange effect on me like no other music,” he continued. “We’d do Metallica covers, but we weren’t good enough to do them right.”

Joe said Mario, five years his junior, went on to start his own rock band at 12, and they were “ten times better.” But the brothers, at ages 19 and 14, eventually joined forces to create the band that would become Gojira, and in 1996, they recruited then-19-year-old lead guitarist Christian Andreu. Bassist Jean-Michel Labadie joined two years later.

Over the decades, their heavier death- and thrash-metal sound evolved into a more spiritual and melodic metal style, often with lyrics supporting human and environmental rights.

The Rise of Gojira

Their early demos, plus their first two albums, Terra Incognita and The Link, in the early 2000s, gained Gojira immense popularity in the Basque country’s music scene. However, their third studio album, From Mars to Sirius (produced by American record label Prosthetic) got them massive recognition in Europe. Singles “Ocean Planet” and “Flying Whales,” which highlighted marine conservation and environmental advocacy, helped Rolling Stone list From Mars to Sirius as one of the top 100 metal albums of all time.

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

Radio play got the attention of American death metal band Lamb of God, and they became some of Gojira’s first champions on the metal scene, according to Revolver. Metallica frontman James Hetfield also took a liking to their song “Flying Whales.” In 2009, Gojira joined both bands on tour in the U.S. and Canada, making an even bigger name for themselves on the American metal scene.

In 2012, touring with Metallica at the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium, Gojira broke the record with 120 decibels for emitting the loudest sound at the arena, according to Le Parisien.

The Duplantier brothers already had strong ties in America from their mother’s side, and they kept one foot in France and another in New York City, where Gojira regularly records at Joe Duplantier’s Queens-based studio. In France, they record at Le Studio des Milans in their hometown of Ondres.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the city, by New York in general,” Joe said in a 2013 interview with Decibel Magazine. “It’s like an explosion of energy, culture, and entertainment — there is a lot going on in New York, and so many different people… There is a lot going on, which is really good for me, for my spirit. I call Brooklyn home.”

In New York, Gojira produced their sixth studio album, Magma, which earned them a 2017 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Album. The album’s single, Silvera, was also nominated for Best Metal Performance. Their 2021 single, Amazonia — which helped raise funds for Indigenous people’s rights in Brazil — got them a third Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

Gojira has performed alongside some of metal’s biggest names, including Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, and Children of Bodom. Their music continues to top charts around the globe and has earned numerous awards and nominations in rock music, including those by Loudwire, Revolver, and the Heavy Music Awards.

It remains one of France’s biggest rock bands of all time.

About Gojira’s activism

As if being internationally renowned rock gods wasn’t enough, Gojira does tremendous work against inequality and injustice. In recent years, they’ve fought to protect the Amazonian rainforests, stop elephant slaughter, and promote awareness for climate change, among their numerous causes, as shown on the band’s website.

Joe Duplantier touched on the group’s activism when promoting Gojira’s 2021 Billboard-topping album, Fortitude, in an interview with Guitar.com.

“Rock is the music of rebellion; it has all the components,” he said. “It’s got to have something that will make you think, something that will activate you. If it doesn’t, the words that come out, the music that comes out, it’s just a noise.”

Joe added he wanted to be “part of a solution” in this world “instead of being part of the problem.”

The band has fundraised for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Greenpeace, and sea conservation, among other causes.  They continue to take their activism with them as they continue touring the U.S.A. in September 2024 with American band Korn, according to their website.