Gojira makes heavy metal history at Olympics ceremony

French death metal band Gojira set the bar high during they 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony performance, which included a headless Marie Antoinette.

As the first heavy metal band to ever perform at an Olympic Opening Ceremony, the head-banging quartet delivered a fiery rendition of "Ah! Ça Ira", a song popularised during the French Revolution, at the Conciergerie on the banks of the Seine River on July 26.

The band teamed up with opera singer Marina Viotti for a breathtaking performance directed by artistic director Thomas Jolly during the "Libertie" segment of the festivities.

WATCH: Gojira become first metal band to play Olympic Opening Ceremony: https://t.co/I4noCI1ItChttps://t.co/I4noCI1ItC

— Loudwire (@Loudwire) July 26, 2024

Their show not only illuminated the city with pyrotechnics but also grabbed attention when a performer dressed as a decapitated Marie Antoinette appeared on screen to sing along.

Gojira made history as the first band to perform metal music at the Olympics. Founded in the French village of Ondres in 1996, they've join a select group of rock bands that have performed at the Olympics, though none of those bands have been classified as metal or extreme music.

The band, founded by Mario and Joe Duplantier, has released seven albums and received three Grammy nominations for their powerful songs, often addressing environmental issues. 

Their latest album, "Fortitude" (2021), features a track about the Amazon rainforest, warning through guttural growls and aggressive riffs that it is "burning to the ground."

Gojira wasn't the only act causing a stir online. Lady Gaga evoked the spirit of the Moulin Rouge with a sultry rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire's "Mon Truc En Plumes", complete with pink, frilly pom-poms. Meanwhile, Céline Dion made a triumphant return to the stage after a yearslong battle with stiff-person syndrome.

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