Photo by Jimmy Fontaine
With the Olympic torchbearer overlooking the band going full scorched Earth from the side of Paris’ iconic Concierge, the official video for Gojira's history making performance of “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” has now landed. The epic performance would mark an important first, vaulting Gorjia to legendary status instantly as metal's first ever to perform for the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games.
In line with the spirit of upheaval and rebellion, “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” is an anthemic French Revolution-era entry, weaponized by the sonic artillery of France's most proved metal music practitioners in Gojira. Bolstered by some nearly 300 classical musicians and steered by the vision of composer Victor le Manse, the band's gargantuan showing was punctuated by the vocal brilliance of French-Swiss mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti.
Fortified by a wall of flames, Gojira blared from the windows of the historic location, making metal music history and becoming one of the most definitive moments of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. As a result, the band has since earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for the entry.
The official video for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” lands as the band close out a career year that included a lengthy touring stint supporting KORN on the band's 30th anniversary run. The band is currently working on the highly-anticipated follow up to their 2021 opus, Amazonia and will headline the U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air Festival in August of next year.
