Eagles Of Death Metal Break Silence Following Paris Attacks

Eagles Of Death Metal have issued their first full statement since the terror attack that besieged their Paris performance at the Bataclan theatre, ending in the deaths of 118 people, including crew member Nick Alexander.

In a statement released via social media, the band called for “love and compassion” and announced that they are putting all shows on hold. They added that they are “horrified” and “still trying to come to terms with what happened”.

“Although bonded in grief with the victims, the fans, the families, the citizens of Paris, and all those affected by terrorism, we are proud to stand together, with our new family, now united by a common goal of love and compassion,” the statement read.

“Vive la musique, vive la liberte, vive la France and vive EODM,” the band wrote, a play on France’s slogan of “liberty, equality and fraternity”. As ABC News notes, the statement attracted comments from several concert attendees who survived the massacre.

“They tried to kill me and my wife while dancing in front of our favourite band, thankfully they failed,” wrote Maxime Dourlens. “We saw what no one should have to see. Our thoughts are with everyone who lost their lives and their relatives.”

The Sweet Stuff Foundation, a charity in California connected to the band, has said it will dedicate all donations until the end of the year to families affected by the Paris attacks, which killed at least 129 people around the city.

The foundation was founded by Josh Homme, drummer for Eagles of Death Metal and frontman of Queens of the Stone Age, with the initial goal of supporting musicians, recording engineers, and their families who’ve fallen on hard times.

The members of EODM managed to escape the venue safely, but the statement mourned Nick Alexander, a British merch manager for the group who was killed, along with three slain employees of the band’s record label, Thomas Ayad, Marie Mosser, and Manu Perez.

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