nazi punks fuck off

To anyone reading this

So this my first proper blog post, addressing the topic of racism in alternative subcultures such as punk and metal. It is a topic that I feel strongly about, being part of this general subculture for most of my life.

Even if you are a fan of the persons music (and in this case I am) anyone with a shred of human decency should be disgusted when someone shouts "White power!" on stage. Earlier this year, Phil Anselmo, best known as the former lead singer of Pantera did this and although he apologised for it immediately it was not enough for people to stop thinking "Well why the hell would someone do this in the first place?" Despite the fact that Anselmo has dipped into this kind of territory before during his time with Pantera in the 90's with his rants about how white people are labelled as racist in circumstances where black people would not be, in the year 2016, it is quite possibly more shocking than ever. However, for me the feeling is not so much shock as much as disappointment, in the fact that someone who is one of the biggest names in the metal scene can honestly think that this is in anyway an acceptable thing to do. Also, for people on the outside who think that metal is a genre that preaches hate and intolerance, an incident like this is hardly going to convince them otherwise.

So the question is- is there a genuine problem with racism in metal? For the most part, I personally do not think that there is. As someone who probably would be described on the internet as a "social justice warrior" I personally would never deny that there is racism in metal but no more or less than many other genres of music, especially punk. Metal over the ages has been seen as sexist and homophobic, but race is not something that has ever been a massive issue, unlike certain areas of punk. Despite the fact that many metal fans today are white straight men, today metal is a genre that is a melting pot for people of all kinds and creeds. Put simply, if metal does have any kind of problem then surely it is merely a by product of racism in society as a whole.

In metal, you have the Norwegian black metal scene that features the likes of Burzums Varg Vikerness, who has frequently exposed openly facsist views but is widely agreed to be an exception in a scene that actually does a lot to promote tolerance and equality but never the less does have his apologists. Anselmo also has his apologists, much in the same that Jeremy Clarkson does when he makes an off the cuff remark. Basically, there are a percentage of Top Gear fans who are racist and the same goes for metal.

Again, much like punk did in the early days, metal has used Nazi imagery for shock value, but it has always been done in a way were no one would take it at face value. The biggest example would be Slayer and their use of iron crosses and Nazi eagles on their merchandise, not to mention their most celebrated song "Angel of Death" from their "Reign in Blood" album, a song and album considered by many to be the ultimate in heavy metal, written by the late guitarist Jeff Hanemen, who expressed bemusement at the fact that anybody could think that it was endorsing the subject matter which it was chronicling.  It is disturbing and relentless, but that is everything that Slayer are about. The main appeal of metal its ability to confront taboo subjects in a way in which people can enjoy. Lyrics about love and peace would not suit a band like Slayer.

Although there are definitely a few bad apples, most metalheads are very intelligent and open minded people. The main themes of metal are that of the underdog and the outcast and the quest for individualism. Although not an openly political genre like punk, it definateately has served as an excellent critique on the injustices in  society over its forty plus year history. In metal, most politicians are bastards. It is about being free and not hurting others.

Phil Anselmo probably did more damage to himself than anyone else. Metalheads know a dick when they see one and this incident was not an enjoyable one. Even though ill always be a fan, I cant help but feel a little embarrassed by it.