Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dario has marked the first anniversary of the slaughter at the Bataclan music hall, during the attacks on Paris by Islamic State terrorists, by opening up about the horrific scenes he witnessed.

The musician was on stage with Jesse Hughes, Dave Catching, Eden Galindo and Matt McJunkins when Islamist gunmen stormed the venue, shooting indiscriminately and killing 89 people.

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Although all the band members who were on stage survived, crew member Nick Alexander, who was responsible for running the band's merchandising tables, was fatally shot.

Now Dario, along with other survivors, has spoken in detail about what he witnessed on the night of the attack in an interview for The New York Times.

"I heard and felt the gunfire at first. I didn't see it initially.

"We were near the end of playing a song [Kiss The Devil] when the rounds of gunfire began, but at the time we weren't sure what it was. One thing that will always stand out was how powerful it was. As a loud rock 'n' roll band, there's not much that's louder than us. I'll never forget how small we felt. It dwarfed the band.

"I was surprised I wasn't hit, because as a drummer on a riser I'm a sitting duck. I moved off the drum riser to my left, so I could take cover behind some of the guitar amps.

"I'll never forget looking up and seeing the first half of the audience coming towards the stage, and the back half I couldn't see at all. In a matter of seconds, those people had hit the floor or they are running and trampling each other. It was awful.

"It's at this point, I [could] see the shooters firing aimlessly into the crowd," Dario recalls.

Julian Dario
Julian Dario on stage as drummer for Eagles of Death Metal Getty Images

The 34-year-old's words come as hundreds gathered to remember the city-wide atrocities carried out that evening, including an attempted suicide bombing at the Stade de France, and gun attacks at the Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant that left 15 dead.

The attacks, carried out by IS (Daesh) terrorists, killed 130 people and left nearly 390 wounded.

American musician Sting re-opened the Bataclan last night with a special concert, amid conflicting reports that Death Metal frontman Hughes was banned from the venue.

The Bataclan's manager Jules Frutos, said the band's frontman was "persona non grata", because he suggested that some of the venue's security guards knew the attack was to take place, and so didn't go to work, in an interview given after the attack.

The Eagles of Death Metal's manager, Marc Pollack, denied the incident had occurred said Frutos was spreading "mean-spirited words of hate".

Dario did not speak about how he has coped after witnessing the tragedy, simply adding, "I looked out, and I saw some stuff that you can't unsee. I saw the most unpleasant things I'd ever seen in my life."

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