The Eagles Of Death Metal Top iTunes Rock Chart As Fans Fight The Paris Terror Attacks with Online Campaign

The Eagles of Death Metal have topped the iTunes rock chart in the U.K. after fans launched a campaign to get the American rock band, who were performing in the Le Bataclan in Paris during last Friday’s terror attacks, to number one.

The Eagles of Death Metal were performing to a capacity crowd of about 1,500 to promote the release of their album, Zipper Down, when masked gunmen opened fire, killing over 80 civilians.

Members of the band managed to escape the hall unharmed, but their merchandise manager Nick Alexander was one of the people shot dead as the masked men carried out their indiscriminate, and random killing spree.

The 38-year-old’s family were just one of many whose world has been shattered by the Paris Terror attacks.

“It is with huge sorrow that we can confirm that our beloved Nick lost his life at the Bataclan last night.

“Nick died doing the job he loved and we take great comfort in knowing how much he was cherished by his friends around the world. Thank you for your thoughts and respect for our family at this difficult time. Peace and light.”

Fox News reported that Michael Dorio, the brother of The Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dorio, explained that when the shooting began lead singer Jesse Hughes and members of the crew managed to exit the venue via a stage door that led directly to the street.

“They were about six songs into the show, and they heard, before they saw anything, they heard automatic machine gunfire. And it was so loud, it was louder than the band, and they all hit the stage floor. And as they got up to try to evacuate they saw men with machine guns just shooting anything and everything in the venue.”

The Mirror reported that eyewitness Mariesha Payne, who was present at The Eagles of Death Metal concert, revealed that ISIS gunmen used knives to torture their mortally wounded victims by slitting their stomachs as they lay helpless and dying on the floor.

One British woman, Mariesha, who went to celebrate her 33rd birthday at The Eagles of Death Metal concert, ended up hiding in the cellar for three hours as the ISIS murderers rampaged their way through the Bataclan Hall. She explained how she knew people were being tortured because she could hear their terrible screams of agony.

“We knew people were being tortured in the theatre because we heard people screaming, but they were not being shot and these were singular screams. When we escaped a man trapped on the level where it happened said to us the terrorists were stabbing people in the stomach. We were told they were throwing explosives at people. It was a horrendous ordeal.”

Another survivor, Pierre Marie Bertin, explained how he saw men pleading for the lives of their wives and girlfriends as the killers with their assault rifles told them to shut up.

In the wake of the coordinated Paris terror attacks, which killed 129 people and wounded 352, a Facebook group has been set up to “show solidarity against terrorism and support for peace,” and to get The Eagles of Death Metal’s cover version of Duran Duran’s Save a Prayer to number one.

“For those unaware, EODM and their fans were the band caught up in the horrific atrocities in Paris this week. We thought it would be a nice gesture to put their brilliant version of Save a Prayer to the U.K. No 1 spot as a show of support to the band and all of those affected. For the record no we aren’t associated with the band or their record company, we’re just fans of them that feel happy to be alive, as some of our fellow EODM fans are tragically not now. Royalties we assume would go to Duran Duran as they wrote the song but that’s not the point of this campaign. This is not for profit or financial gain, just to make a strong statement.”

It has not yet been confirmed if Duran Duran will donate proceeds to victims of the attacks, but the Guardian reports that the track has reached No. 1 in the Amazon rock charts, No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart already, and No. 35 on the iTunes’ main chart. The official charts company will announce the U.K. official No. 1 on Friday, November 20.

More details can be found on the Eagles of Death Metal for No.1 Facebook site.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]