Eagles of Death Metal chief at trial over attacks: ‘I felt death approaching’

“That same night, we realized we had lost friends, because in my experience everyone who attended the party was friends,” Hughes testifies. The singer tells how he suddenly became aware of the sound of gunshots and how the band then escaped from the hall.

Former guitarist Eden Galindo also first recalled the confusion that followed the footage. “I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe the sound system was going off.” Galindo can still remember the panicked faces of the fans in the front row, who still didn’t know what was going on in the back of the room.

The same squad managed to escape through the wings. Galindo and Hughes rushed to find Hughes’ girlfriend who was still in the artist’s chest. After that they escaped from the Bataclan.

“We ran but we didn’t know where we were,” Galindo testified. He said they eventually got into a taxi that took them to the police station. There they found other bloodied astronauts, who had also come for help.

“The perpetrators wanted to silence the music, or the joy of life,” says the group leader. “But they failed.” In his words, Hughes was able to “forgive” the terrorists for the horror. “I pray for them and for their souls,” the singer said. Hughes ended his testimony with a quote from rock legend Ozzy Osbourne: “You can’t kill rock and roll.”