# Eagles of Death Metal
**Eagles of Death Metal** is an American rock band formed in 1998 in [Palm Desert, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/palm-desert-california), by lifelong friends Jesse "[Boots Electric](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-hughes-musician)" Hughes and Josh "Baby Duck" Homme, the founder of [Queens of the Stone Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/queens-of-the-stone-age). Despite the name, the band plays riff-heavy, tongue-in-cheek rock rather than death metal, and it grew from a side project into a full-fledged band with its own identity.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000165652) • [2](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/eagles-of-death-metal/) The band became known worldwide under tragic circumstances when its 13 November 2015 concert at the Bataclan theater in Paris was attacked by terrorists, killing 89 concertgoers.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998, Palm Desert, California, by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme[2](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/eagles-of-death-metal/) |
| Name origin | A joke: Homme remarked that a song by the band Vader sounded like "the Eagles of death metal"[4](https://abc7chicago.com/post/what-you-need-to-know-about-eagles-of-death-metal/1083759/) |
| Debut album | *Peace Love Death Metal*, released March 2004[5](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/) |
| Studio albums | Four to date, from *Peace Love Death Metal* (2004) to *Zipper Down* (2015)[2](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/eagles-of-death-metal/) |
| Roles | Hughes sings and plays guitar; Homme, who uses the alias Carlo Von Sexron in the band, plays drums[5](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/) |
| Bataclan attack | 13 November 2015; 89 killed at the venue, including the band's merchandise manager Nick Alexander; the band members escaped unharmed[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks) |
| Recent activity | A "Death by Sexy" 20th anniversary tour announced for 2026[6](https://metalinsider.net/touring/eagles-of-death-metal-announce-death-by-sexy-20th-anniversary-north-american-tour) |
## Formation and name
Hughes met Homme at a pool party in the 1980s when Hughes, a grade above Homme at school, was thrown into a pool and bullied; Homme stood up for him, and the two became close friends.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jesse-hughes-josh-homme-he-lifted-me-out-of-the-pool-i-d-been-thrown-in-a6677731.html) They met in high school in Palm Desert and played on the same local soccer team; by high school Homme was already earning money in the desert rock band Kyuss.[5](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/) • [8](https://www.laweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/022317-928170.pdf)
The name began as a joke. One night in the 1990s, when both were in their early 20s, Hughes and Homme were riding in a "zombie green" VW van with the license plate "DOOMED" and teasing their friend Cole Loo, a genuine death-metal devotee. Hughes kept asking to hear something from "the Eagles of death metal," as if a "peaceful, easy feeling" could exist within the darkest corner of heavy metal.[8](https://www.laweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/022317-928170.pdf) A related account holds that Homme noted a song from the band Vader sounded like "the Eagles of death metal."[4](https://abc7chicago.com/post/what-you-need-to-know-about-eagles-of-death-metal/1083759/)
The band's first incarnation appeared in 1998 on Volume 4 of Homme's *Desert Sessions* recordings, with Loo himself, credited as "Loo Balls," providing a death-metal vocal.[8](https://www.laweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/022317-928170.pdf) The proper debut, *Peace Love Death Metal*, did not arrive until March 2004 because of Homme's commitments to Queens of the Stone Age.[5](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/) • [9](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/eagles-of-death-metals-jesse-hughes/1-16949)
## Music and albums
The band's sound is deliberately far from death metal. The Los Angeles Times described the 2004 debut as rudimentary riff-rock in the tradition of the Ramones, AC/DC, and [Ace Frehley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ace-frehley), with horn honks, cowbells, and Hughes's falsetto shouts.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-02-et-eagles2-story.html) AllMusic traces a progression across the catalog: *Death by Sexy* (2006) added seedy glitz to the debut's low-rent Rolling Stones worship, and *Heart On* made the band's scuzz-rock sleeker and catchier while including its first ballad, "Now I'm a Fool."[11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/heart-on-mw0000800182)
The second album was recorded over eight days in Los Angeles, and Homme convinced Hughes, then a recently divorced journalist, to start the project; Hughes took guitar while Homme drummed under the alias Carlo Von Sexron.[5](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/) The band's fourth album, *Zipper Down*, was the record being promoted on the 2015 European tour.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks) A fan-favorite recording is the band's cover of [Duran Duran](https://www.edgepedia.org/duran-duran)'s "Save a Prayer," which fans in the UK campaigned to push to the top of the singles chart in November 2015 as a statement of solidarity after the attacks.[12](https://time.com/4114741/eagles-of-death-metal-no-1-hit/)
## The Bataclan attack
On Friday, 13 November 2015, the band was onstage at the Bataclan in Paris when three gunmen entered the lobby and opened fire around 9:40 pm. The musicians escaped backstage unharmed, but 89 people at the venue were killed, including the band's merchandise manager, Nick Alexander, 36, and three executives from its parent label, [Universal Music Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-group).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks) The attack was part of a coordinated series across Paris that killed 130 people in total, and the Islamic State group took responsibility.[13](https://time.com/4151557/eagles-of-death-metal-reschedule-tour/) • [14](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2015/nov/16/kt.pdf)
In a VICE interview days later, Hughes said the attackers went into the band's dressing room and that the only survivor there hid under a leather jacket, and he described how many victims died protecting their friends.[15](https://time.com/4123657/eagles-of-death-metal-attacks/) The band issued a statement saying it was "horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France" and praising French law enforcement.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks) Homme, who rarely tours with the band, was not in Paris that night.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks)
## Aftermath and return to the stage
The band stated its intention to be the first act to play the Bataclan when it reopened, and it resumed touring: the rescheduled Nos Amis Tour began in February 2016 in Stockholm, with multiple Paris dates, though the Bataclan itself was not yet reopened in time.[16](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/music/why-the-bands-played-on-live-music-the-shadow-the-paris-attacks) • [13](https://time.com/4151557/eagles-of-death-metal-reschedule-tour/) In August 2016 a Guardian review of a Glasgow show described a cathartic, exultant crowd and Hughes's cry that "rock and roll will never die."[17](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/26/eagles-of-death-metal-review-exultant-crowd-radiate-a-protective-positivity)
Director [Colin Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-hanks) filmed the band's return to Paris for the documentary *Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)*; Homme's first response to the project was to warn Hanks off, and Hughes later said some of his remarks around that period had been taken out of context.[18](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-st-colin-hanks-eagles-of-death-metal-20170210-story.html) • [2](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/eagles-of-death-metal/) At the tenth-anniversary commemorations of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, Hughes led a choir in singing "You'll Never Walk Alone."[19](https://apnews.com/article/1f5982f90c96ad55d467e1c19ae6e639)
## Recent activity
The band remains active. In 2026 it announced a North American and European tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of *Death by Sexy*, with European dates including Bern, Paris, Cologne, Copenhagen, and [Gothenburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/gothenburg).[6](https://metalinsider.net/touring/eagles-of-death-metal-announce-death-by-sexy-20th-anniversary-north-american-tour) • [20](https://eaglesofdeathmetal.com/)
## References
1. [Eagles of Death Metal – Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000165652)
2. [Eagles Of Death Metal – uDiscover Music](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/eagles-of-death-metal/)
3. [Eagles of Death Metal issue statement following Paris terror attacks, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/eagles-of-death-metal-issue-statement-following-paris-terror-attacks)
4. [Here's what you need to know about Eagles of Death Metal, ABC7 Chicago](https://abc7chicago.com/post/what-you-need-to-know-about-eagles-of-death-metal/1083759/)
5. [Eagles of Death Metal, Jonk Music (Rolling Stone feature)](https://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/03/eagles-of-death-metal/)
6. [Eagles of Death Metal announce 'Death by Sexy' 20th anniversary North American tour, Metal Insider](https://metalinsider.net/touring/eagles-of-death-metal-announce-death-by-sexy-20th-anniversary-north-american-tour)
7. [Jesse Hughes & Josh Homme: 'He lifted me out of the pool I'd been thrown in', The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jesse-hughes-josh-homme-he-lifted-me-out-of-the-pool-i-d-been-thrown-in-a6677731.html)
8. [LA Weekly feature on Eagles of Death Metal (PDF)](https://www.laweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/022317-928170.pdf)
9. [Dancing with the Devil: A Conversation with Jesse Hughes, TIDAL Magazine](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/eagles-of-death-metals-jesse-hughes/1-16949)
10. [Hanging, rocking . . . good times, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-02-et-eagles2-story.html)
11. [Eagles of Death Metal: Heart On review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/heart-on-mw0000800182)
12. [Eagles of Death Metal Fans Try to Get the Band to No. 1 in the U.K., TIME](https://time.com/4114741/eagles-of-death-metal-no-1-hit/)
13. [Eagles of Death Metal Announce Rescheduled Tour After Paris Attacks, TIME](https://time.com/4151557/eagles-of-death-metal-reschedule-tour/)
14. [Kuwait Times, 16 November 2015 (PDF)](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2015/nov/16/kt.pdf)
15. [Eagles of Death Metal Speak Out About the Paris Attacks, TIME](https://time.com/4123657/eagles-of-death-metal-attacks/)
16. [Why the bands played on: Live music in the shadow of the Paris attacks, OpenLearn](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/music/why-the-bands-played-on-live-music-the-shadow-the-paris-attacks)
17. [Eagles of Death Metal review – exultant crowd radiate a protective positivity, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/26/eagles-of-death-metal-review-exultant-crowd-radiate-a-protective-positivity)
18. [How Colin Hanks found the 'emotional truth' in Eagles of Death Metal's return to Paris, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-st-colin-hanks-eagles-of-death-metal-20170210-story.html)
19. [10 years after the Bataclan massacre, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1f5982f90c96ad55d467e1c19ae6e639)
20. [Eagles of Death Metal official site](https://eaglesofdeathmetal.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Psychedelic and garage rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license