Paris Witnesses 1st Major Ceremony to Honor French Metal Artists

Paris’s iconic Bataclan Hall witnessed an unexpected ceremony dedicated to the French metal scene.

The event titled Les Foudres (“The Thunders”) which is the first official ceremony dedicated to celebrating French metal music.

The event aimed to highlight the leading artists and bands that have shaped France’s heavy metal scene, which has long been marginalized by major music awards such as the Victoires de la Musique, according to France’s CNews network.

Arnaud Maillard, executive director of the Bataclan, said that metal music had not been properly represented in official ceremonies, emphasizing that the time had come to honor this growing and influential scene in France.

The Marseille-based band Landmvrks won Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for "The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been."

While Gojira, which captured global attention during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, won Best Live Performance for their set at the 2025 Carcassonne Festival, along with the Foudre d’honneur (Thunder of Honor) award, recognizing their outstanding career and global influence.

The first edition of Les Foudres also honored several other leading names in the French metal scene. Revnoir was awarded Breakthrough Act of the Year, while the Hellfest festival, attended by over 280,000 fans in Clisson, won Event of the Year.

The duo Hotu & Vithia received Best Visual Work, the project Children of the Sabbath won Best Editorial Project, and Yoann Losel earned the Best Artwork award. 

The campaign More Women on Stage was recognized for Social and Environmental Commitment.

Behind-the-scenes contributors were also celebrated through the Shadow Professions award, presented to Frédéric Schauen and Laurène Wenk from Garmonbozia, as well as Pascal Larré and Corentin Charbonnier. 

The evening concluded with Ultra Vomit winning Best-Selling Rock/Metal Album for "Ultra Vomit et le Pouvoir de la Puissance."