Meet The Eagles Of Death Metal

By Steve Rhodes

Updates at bottom of post.
“Christian Pastor Steven Anderson spent part of his sermon [Sunday] telling his congregation that, while he doesn’t condone the actions of the Paris attackers, the concertgoers at the Bataclan theater who were there to listen to the band Eagles of Death Metal sorta had it coming,” Patheos reports.

When you go to a concert of death metal, somebody might get killed! You know, you’re worshiping death, and then, all of a sudden, people start dying! . . . Well, you love death so much, you bought the ticket, you love worshiping Satan! Well, let’s have some of Satan’s religion come in and shoot you! I mean, that’s what these people should think about before they go into such a wicked concert . . .

For those not in the know, the Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band – not that there would be anything wrong with that. The band is mourning its merchandise manager amidst an effort to push them to the top of the charts in a show of support and solidarity, so I thought I’d take the moment to share the band’s backstory and some of their music.

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“Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme, who are the only permanent members of the band, though Homme rarely plays live shows because of commitments to other bands. There are also a wide range of other musicians that play under the Eagles of Death Metal moniker, both on the albums and in live shows, frequently under humorous aliases,” according to the band’s Wikipedia page.
“Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre. When he played a song by the Polish band Vader and made a claim that the song was within the death metal genre, Homme then referred to Vader as ‘The Eagles of Death Metal.’ After hearing this phrase, he wondered what a cross between the Eagles and a death metal band would sound like. In a 2003 interview Homme described the sound of the band as a combination of ‘bluegrass slide guitar mixed with stripper drum beats and Canned Heat vocals.'”
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See also: So Much Love For Eagles Of Death Metal Is Descending On Joshua Tree Right Now.
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At Riot Fest in September.

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At Bottom Lounge in 2008.

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At Logan Square Auditorium in 2006.

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Updates:

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“A UK campaign group has set out to get the Eagles of Death Metal’s cover of Duran Duran’s ‘Save A Prayer’ [to No. 1], with the song entering the charts earlier this week. Duran Duran have pledged to give all proceeds they receive to charity.”
Here it is:

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EODM’s opening act, White Miles, has also issued a statement.

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Here’s White Miles in Glasgow eight days ago.

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Comments welcome.

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Posted on November 17, 2015