French metal band Gojira, composer Victor le Manse and opera singer Marina Viotta have released the official audio from their performance of “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” from the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

Gojira made history as the first metal band to ever perform at the Olympic Games during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on July 26. Working alongside composer Victor le Manse, the quartet injected their signature heavy groove riffs and punishing rhythms into the French Revolution-era song “Ah! Ça ira!”. Joined by French-Swiss mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti and nearly 300 classical musicians, Gojira performed from the windows of Paris’ iconic Concierge amidst a grand spectacle of pyrotechnics and decapitation. The performance made international headlines and was widely regarded as one of the most talked about moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics.

“Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” sees Gojira at the very best. Mixing groove metal, prog metal and symphonic metal, this tribute to the French Revolution and French history in general utilizes all sounds and hallmarks of French fine art music. While Gojira are no strangers to technical prowess and virtuosic musicianship, “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” takes this to another level. Blurring the lines between fine art and folk art, this intense track pushes into the realms of insanity. With its layered operatic vocals from Marina Viotta and low-end growls from frontman and vocalist Joe Duplantier, the whole arrangement is dutifully executed well under the conducting of composer Victor le Manse. This may be perhaps the most triumphant and brutal display of artistry ever displayed from a musical group in recent memory.

In an article from Rolling Stone, Duplantier has commented on the whole experience of this memorable experience:

“We took it as an opportunity to represent the metal scene. So, it was our task to really go for it and lay it down, not just be there and play a few notes to shock people. We decided to go full-on with the double kick drums, screaming, growling, epic moments and tempo breakdown at the end; we really wanted to show what metal is all about.”

Photo Credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva