Satanic Warmaster kicked off Hellfest

[ravenheart]

Originally Posted by treghet

Wonder where they got that name.

Some of you guys have a worrying habit of having quick access to the gayest pics

[Derelict]

Originally Posted by ravenheart

Some of you guys have a worrying habit of having quick access to the gayest pics

i lol'd

[mankvill]

Originally Posted by ravenheart

Festival, not a tour. And it wasn't the promoters, it was other bands already booked. My guess was bigger bands than Satanic Warmaster threatened to pull out unless Warmaster were kicked off.

It's the "Dave Mustaine - Rotting Christ/Dissection" syndrome.

[ravenheart]

Organisers comments:

"The Hellfest has decided independently and in all conscience to cancel Satanic Warmaster’s performance. This decision was in no way caused by the pressure received by various small groups against the event. We had decided to confirm this artist when we noticed a strong demand. The ideology and political values adopted by some artists have never been selection criteria for the festival; we leave the right to each and everyone to forge their own opinions about the artists performing at the festival, and we are not bringing our event on political grounds which have nothing to do with the music.

However, we have received a large number of complaints partly from festival-goers but also from artists, considering this artist to be conflicting with the festival’s state of mind, and ready to settle things with a fight. We are not here to take position in this debate. The Hellfest is a celebration above all else, its purpose is not to divide, but to unite an audience under a single banner: passion for heavy music. It appears to be impossible to find an adequate solution without risking irreversible damage or violence during the festival which is to take place next June.

The Hellfest’s purpose isn’t to judge one’s opinions, but to insure a peaceful and friendly gathering. Consequently, we have decided to cancel Satanic Warmaster’s performance in order to insure order and safety during the festival. Clan wars related to difference of opinion do not have their
place at the Hellfest.

The festival would like to apologize to fans of this artist, and wishes to reaffirm its independent and apolitical position. We will not jeopardize this even, that has taken years to develop, for reasons which are unrelated to music, and have nothing to do with the purpose of this festival."

[Natrlhi]

^ Well, you certainly can't blame them for not wanting anybody to get hurt.

At the same time, doesn't it imply that all people have to do to get someone they don't like kicked off a tour is get a bunch of people to make (perhaps empty) threats of violence? If that's the case, maybe I should open a dummy e-mail account and start spamming the tour organizers for every band I don't like (or at least those with a controversial image) that violence is imminent if so-and-so isn't removed from the tour... It's a slippery slope, that's all I'm sayin'.

[ChildrenofSodom]

There are thousands of bands out there that make music like this. I can't jump on the "its about music, not politics" bandwagon. A Nazi is a Nazi is a Nazi. Fuck them. There a dozen bands of equal or greater quality that don't spew hate speech for every band that does. Listen to them instead of giving your money to hateful assholes.

[Indestructible]

Originally Posted by ChildrenofSodom

There are thousands of bands out there that make music like this. I can't jump on the "its about music, not politics" bandwagon. A Nazi is a Nazi is a Nazi. Fuck them. There a dozen bands of equal or greater quality that don't spew hate speech for every band that does. Listen to them instead of giving your money to hateful assholes.

[Wizzbang11]

Originally Posted by ChildrenofSodom

There are thousands of bands out there that make music like this. I can't jump on the "its about music, not politics" bandwagon. A Nazi is a Nazi is a Nazi. Fuck them. There a dozen bands of equal or greater quality that don't spew hate speech for every band that does. Listen to them instead of giving your money to hateful assholes.

SW doesn't spew hate speech at all. He is definitely NS, but he's not some white power skinhead. Aside from a few songs mention 'aryan heritage' and a song called My Dreams of 88, theres really nothing musically nazi-like about them. Almost all of the controversy is from his performing with openly NS bands, anti-Semitic interview comments, sieg heiling in a promo pic, using a (non turned) swastika as an avatar on a forum, and with that a bunch a pretty nazi like forum posts. If you casually listened to the band, or even read the lyrics to some of the releases (including the last album) you would just think it was a normal black metal band. I've actually never heard a modern BM band that does the traditional cold, wintery black metal in songs better than SW, and I think a lot of their records are better than some of the big second wave of black metal bands.
It's bullshit to kick Werwolf off this festival, if a band really had a problem with it they should have quietly left the fest and not made an uproar about why. Ironically Anal Cunt are playing here, and while they are somewhat of a joke, their music is MUCH more offensive. I seriously doubt there were any threats of violence. If this was Bolt Thrower's doing, I have lost a lot of respect for them.

[jhdeity]

Originally Posted by Wizzbang11

SW doesn't spew hate speech at all. He is definitely NS, but he's not some white power skinhead. Aside from a few songs mention 'aryan heritage' and a song called My Dreams of 88, theres really nothing musically nazi-like about them. Almost all of the controversy is from his performing with openly NS bands, anti-Semitic interview comments, sieg heiling in a promo pic, using a (non turned) swastika as an avatar on a forum, and with that a bunch a pretty nazi like forum posts. If you casually listened to the band, or even read the lyrics to some of the releases (including the last album) you would just think it was a normal black metal band. I've actually never heard a modern BM band that does the traditional cold, wintery black metal in songs better than SW, and I think a lot of their records are better than some of the big second wave of black metal bands.
It's bullshit to kick Werwolf off this festival, if a band really had a problem with it they should have quietly left the fest and not made an uproar about why. Ironically Anal Cunt are playing here, and while they are somewhat of a joke, their music is MUCH more offensive. I seriously doubt there were any threats of violence. If this was Bolt Thrower's doing, I have lost a lot of respect for them.

Well said on all points. What Mustaine did set a horrible example and I think we all knew it would be repeated.