Heavy metal rock 'n' roll band, The Eagles of Death Metal, is speaking openly for the first time about their experience during the Paris terror attacks.
During an interview with Vice, the band members talked about what happened inside the Bataclan theater. The members of the band survived the brutal attack but they lost their merchandising manager, Nick Alexander, along with members of their record label.
Guitarist Eddie Galindo talked about his initial reaction to the horrific scene. "At first, I thought it was the PA cracking up. And then I realized real quick that it wasn't, and I recognized what it was. ... We weren't sure if they were targeting us or what was going on," explained Galindo.
Sound engineer Shawn London was in the middle of the chaos but said that the atmosphere before the attacks was great, that everyone was having a good time, dancing and singing along. "These kids were having a blast – they were having a great time. The smiling, the dancing, the singing along with each song. And then, out of nowhere, I heard what I thought were these firecrackers directly behind me," said London. "[The gunmen] came in the door, instantly walked in and just started blasting. There was two of them, and instantly people started dropping to the ground. Injuries, death."
Drummer Julian Dorio explained that he knew something was wrong right away. "I bailed off my stool almost immediately [after hearing shots]," said Dorio. "turned, looked through my drum hardware to the side of an amp and that's when the second round started."
Jesse Hughes, one of the band's co-founder explained that many people tried to hid in our dressing room but almost everyone lost their lives, expect for a kid who was able to hid under a leather jacket. "People were playing dead and they were so scared. A great reason why so many were killed is because so many people wouldn't leave their friends. So many people put themselves in front of people," said Hughes.
Over 112 people died at The Bataclan on Nov. 13th.
This video does contain strong language.