PARIS - Earlier known for energetic guitar riffs and raunchy humour, California rockers Eagles of Death Metal have become an unlikely symbol of freedom after their fans were cut down in the Paris attacks.
American rock group Eagles of Death Metal perform on stage on November 13, 2015 at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris
The Facebook page of the band has become a repository for hundreds of tributes to the rock group as well as dramatic accounts of survival by fans at the Bataclan club, where 89 people were killed Friday in the citywide assault claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.
Lorelei Fisher wrote in the comment section that she, her boyfriend and another man were able to jump for safety behind the band's cases stacked on the side of the stage, hiding for more than an hour as the attackers opened fire and set off bombs.
"The (piled-up) boxes and gear protected us from being shredded to pieces. In a way, our lives were saved because of you," she wrote.
Edwige Pannier, another survivor from the "dreadful night," hailed "the compassion and kindness" of Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes, who went to the Paris police headquarters with traumatised fans who escaped.
"We appreciated his help and efforts to provide comfort as much as he could to all of us," she wrote.
The flurry of tributes came after Eagles of Death Metal released a first statement on Wednesday, in which the rockers said they felt united with fans and with "all those affected by terrorism" in a "common goal of love and compassion."
"Vive la musique, vive la liberte, vive la France and vive EODM," the band wrote, playing with France's national slogan of "liberty, equality and fraternity."
- New interest in music -
The newly famous band had until the November 13 attack been more known for loud guitars, a heavy rhythm section and tongue-in-cheek humour. Despite its name the group does not play death metal but rather a hard-charging garage rock, although it remains unclear whether the show was specifically targeted due to the artists.
"The 'death metal' side is ironic. If they have songs that speak of the devil, it's the devil from cartoons," said Jean-Pierre Sabouret, a rock music journalist who survived the attack by hiding for several hours.
"To say that Eagles of Death Metal are a Satanic or metal group would be as idiotic as saying that Mozart played jazz," he told AFP.
Hughes formed the band nearly 20 years ago with his friend Josh Homme, a rock celebrity who also fronts the band Queens of the Stone Age and who plays with Eagles of Death Metal only when his schedule allows.
Homme was absent during the show at the Bataclan, where Hughes played with guitarist Dave Catching, drummer Julian Dorio and bassist Matt McJunkins.
"This is energetic rock and roll from the same family as AC/DC and Queens of the Stone Age, modern rock with older references such as Chuck Berry, The Who and Led Zeppelin. There are no flourishes, no long solos. These are songs that are easy to remember with clever lyrics and are quickly contagious," Sabouret said.
The music critic said that the brutally abbreviated Bataclan concert "was, on its own, astounding" and said he would offer a column on the show for Guitarist magazine, "but only on the concert, solely the musical part."
- Entering charts -
Eagles of Death Metal, who had been due to perform across Europe until December 10 in Portugal, have put a hold on all further concerts. But a number of online postings by French fans have appealed to the band to return to play.
British fans have launched a campaign to push the band's version of "Save a Prayer," played moments before the attack, to number one on the weekly chart, which comes out on Friday.
Duran Duran, who originally wrote the song and had been in Paris on Friday for a separate show related to the upcoming summit against climate change, promised to donate all proceeds from additional sales to charity.
In another sign of newfound interest in Eagles of Death Metal, the band has rapidly grown in popularity on major streaming platforms in France.
Two of their songs were Thursday among the most streamed in France on Spotify and the band's album "Zipper Down," released last month, entered the top five in France on Deezer.