Can Metal Music Halt the Influence of a White Supremacist Narrative?

Phillip

Age 27

Avid Metal Music Listener

Earlier when we were speaking doing an Erasmus year you told me you wanted to go to Sweden. Why would you choose Sweden?

“It’s an awesome country and I love the culture there. Every German guy says it’s because of the girls but that was the last thing on my list. You know I am really into metal music and Sweden is like one of the top three countries with the best Metal Music. One of my favorite bands is from Gothenburg. This is how you can get to know a country. It’s just like how people learn some German when they like Ramstein. For me, it was Sweden and the Swedish language that I became interested in.”

What kind of Metal are you into?

“Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, and a lot of core stuff. Hard Core, Metal Core, all that stuff. I’ve been listening to metal since I was 10.”

How did you get into Metal Music?

“It’s a good means to relax. If you study something with so much logical thinking and concentration like I do, you just need something to let out tension. I think it’s a good balance. I am also from the last generation that used to watch MTV and watched all the music videos they had. I would watch everything that came on TV from 20:00 on. Everything that was not mainstream. I liked watching Rockzone. The first stuff I started watching was Metallica and then I moved way on from them. I first thought they were gods then I realized that there were even more amazing Gods.”

Is there much of an underground Metal scene here in Munich?

“No, if you want to build up and underground scene, Munich is the worst city. It’s so expensive and with such high rent prices, an underground scene wouldn’t work. There is also not a lot of diversity here in Munich either. There is a good metal band from Munich. They are called Emil Bulls. They play at all the festivals all over Germany. They always play at Waken.”

I find that Metal music can often be controversial because there are so many ties with white supremacy. I know that It can often be used as a front to spread and recruit white supremacists. How do you feel about this issue?

“In Germany, we don’t have that as a problem because the German racists and far-right people are more into Rock Music than into metal. White supremacist music here is more Rock Music. It’s pretty good for me because no one associates my music taste with something like that. It’s bad for people who like Rock Music because there are such great German Rock bands. German can be so lyrical and that’s why you can make such great rock music out of it.”

In the United States there exists a huge problem in which Metal music can often be associated with white supremacists. Concerts can sometimes be a front for a white supremacist gathering. Do you ever see this in Germany?

“Two or three years ago a lead singer from a famous band did a white power salute on stage. This doesn’t help because then it gives the whole genre an excuse to be shunned. It is a problem because the metal is a very niche type of music.”

This sounds very controversial. Are there any bands or fans who actively engage in anti-racist and anti-fascist support?

“Yeah, all the band I know and listen to are at least in a central political position. There are almost no conservative musicians. They stay more to the left. They are not Antifa but many bands are moving closer to these ideas.”

What political parties are supported by most metal bands that you know?

“Definitely the Green party, the social democrats, and for sure Die Linke. My favorite band would openly speak of being anti-fascist and would often talk on world politics.”

Do you actively seek bands that promote being actively against fascism and that try to change the white supremacists narrative?

“Of course, I do. This is one thing that I am very happy with about the bands that I listen too. I try to keep myself aware of what is going on in the world and I don’t agree with any band spreading hate. I choose not to be ignorant of what is going on in the world.”