44 Responses to “The problem with Jews and metal…”

1. so are you saying mayhem is antisemetic? what are their lyrics like? can you post some more information about them, or am i already supposed to know about mayhem to be allowed to post here?

   aaron said this on February 12th, 2007 at 5:50 am

2. I agree with you. Now, I don’t know what the others think that are in the band, but when a former vocalist comes out like this, it doesn’t sell well to me. I am not a huge fan of Metal, but this is one band I would avoid, even if I were.

   Neti said this on February 12th, 2007 at 5:54 am

3. these are murderers, plain and simple. Good, let ’em kill themselves…OK, let’s see what else I can come up with….whatever, scroll down- http://www.answers.com/topic/mayhem-band

   skazm said this on February 12th, 2007 at 6:04 am

4. they should kill you Jew

   Vikernes said this on February 12th, 2007 at 6:07 am

5. Mayhem is pretty popular in America, they pretty much spearheaded the 2nd wave of Black Metal in the early 90’s. Over the years, various members have mad statements or posed for pictures with neo-Nazi elements, so they’ve made no attempts to hide their anti-semetism (common practice among most of these corpse-painted knuckeheaded imitators). As a fellow “Athiest of Jewish blood” I personally wouldn’t do anything to support these bozos, not just because of their politics…but simply because they suck.

   Ryno said this on February 12th, 2007 at 6:10 am

6. Who needs to know the lyrics? Just look at his forehead.

   Deena said this on February 12th, 2007 at 6:11 am

7. If this guy is a former member then fuck him, does that mean we should punish the band. They came out to Israel to do a concert, that counts for something.

   gene said this on February 12th, 2007 at 7:07 am

8. but they get money. it counts for something to laugh at us about, I think.

   skazm said this on February 12th, 2007 at 7:14 am

9. If they came to play in Israel, it should say that they don’t really care. Many of them don’t care about Jews who live in Israel for example, but ARE against Judæo-Christians who deny them their own ancient religion, or infest their own countries. It doesn’t mean they are anti-semites, it means they are xenophobes.
   I am not giving name because I don’t know, I am saying as a principle matter.

   Nomæd said this on February 12th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

10. What do the guys in Salem have to say about all this, seeing as when Ze’ev was in touch with them waayyyyy long ago, Varg sent him a nailbomb in response to the very anti-Nazi live demo Millions Slaughtered.

    As a Jew, I can never support Mayhem, Graveland, or any other NSBM or BM that is set on harming Jews- or even Christians! I just don’t believe in people getting harmed because of one’s own belief…to each their own, but keep it to yourself.

    But back to Mayhem..come on! The church burnings? The murder and suicide of two different band members? All the publicity they’ve had over the years gives metal a bad name.

    Asa said this on February 13th, 2007 at 7:58 pm

11. Someone named Ruslan emailed me this on Myspace…
    I read your article and I do not think that there is any problem with Jews and metal. There is however a problem between jews and stupidity of certain metal artists. Either because of their lack of education or out of pure ignorance some of these artists think that pentagram and swastika are two intrerchangeable symbols. Being anti-religious and being a nazi are two diffirent things.
    As far as Mayhem situation goes, Salem (one of my favorite bands) had played several shows with Attila and appeared wearing Mayhem t-shirts on several occasions. Salem is a pro-jewish band in my view, so I do not think that they would support Mayhem if the band was anti-semitic in its core structure. When Jews listen to bands such as Burzum or Graveland conveys that they have very little self respect…

    Take care. Ruslan

    skazm said this on February 14th, 2007 at 3:05 am

12. Oh, I just love his little, cute heart tattoo. So fitting.

    Anyway, Mayhem has always tried to grab attention. I guess it’s OK when you’re all young and beautiful, but their minds seem to be stuck on the same level for far too many years. Their music is so-so, the earlier stuff was alright. I like Burzum’s early, dirty BM stuff as well, and early “cavemen” BM in general. I don’t think BM is necessarily anti-Jews only, it’s anti everything and some people do heart that. Fine with me, everyone deserves an opinion.

    Lihi said this on February 14th, 2007 at 7:24 pm

13. yeh I hear what you’re saying Lihi…the Nazis had nice boots.

    skazm said this on February 14th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

14. Oh yeah, and a great taste in fashion, no doubt.

    Lihi said this on February 14th, 2007 at 11:36 pm

15. Was this photo taken just after Blasphemer beat him up and threw him out of the band?!?

    Mayhem were supposed to have swastikas pinned up in their rehearsal room. However, having met Maniac a few years’ ago, I think that this use of Nazi imagery is shock value and not based on any support for Nazi ideology. Maniac mentioned to me that he didn’t like our culture’s obsession of WWII because he perceived that it wrongly suggested that we had gone through a moral transition and that we were all better since that time. My impression is that this is a middle finger gesture aimed at the hypocrisy of wider society, rather than the Jews as such.

    Nick said this on February 15th, 2007 at 1:41 am

16. my point is, Lihi, you have the right to hate who you want, but when someone hates you, it’s a lack of self respect to put money in their pockets…

    skazm said this on February 15th, 2007 at 2:28 am

17. Mayhem have been accused of antisemitism and yet played in Israel twice, therefore treating their Israeli fans with the same respect and consideration they treat everyone else, while many politically correct artists will never go there using safety concerns as an excuse, however having no problem whatsoever touring in other Middle Eastern countries.

    Luc said this on February 17th, 2007 at 7:27 am

18. That really doesn’t convince me, I’m sorry. Some Nazi band called Der Blutharsch was going to play in Israel and there are a lot of Nazis in Israel as well. As for Mayhem “treating their Israeli fans with respect and consideration” you make it sound like they’re doing it for free. Please.

    but yeh, you’re absolutely right about the other bands.

    skazm said this on February 18th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

19. My point was definitely not to make it sound like “they are doing for free” and if what I previously wrote was misinterpreted I’m sorry about it! The bottom line is that these guys have proved that they don’t give a shit about what others think about their opinion and I do believe that when they chose to play in Israel when several other “artists” won’t even think about it, they deserve at least some credit!… …A lot of Nazis in Israel?!!!

    Luc said this on February 18th, 2007 at 11:19 pm

20. nah, don’t apologize you did nothing wrong. what I was trying to say is that they get good money for coming out here.

    And yeh, there is a whole young Russian population who aren’t considered Jewish by halacha who have a Jewish father or grandparent, and they decide to be Nazis. They have their own nice little subculture.

     Hey, can you name specifically some of the bands who won’t play in Israel? 

    skazm said this on February 19th, 2007 at 2:35 am

21. uuhhhh. . . is that real blood all over him or just a swastika scar on his forhead AND red paint?

    anyway, i’m a roman catholic from the philippines and i dont like mayhem’s music that much, i haven’t fully acquired a taste for black metal.

    i’d judge this individual as an essentially shallow person who clings to anti-semitism for pure shock-against-the-grain-and-political-correctness-value. I mean, this dude believes that black metal=evil so why not go all the way? He probably hopes jews will cringe and his “admirers” will cheer when they see this picture. He thinks its cool, I think its in bad taste. . .i’d suggest still going for an inverted crucifix.

    juan said this on February 23rd, 2007 at 3:33 pm

22. Well, in my opinion if Mayhem is not anti-semitic then they are just stupid. I understand that a lot of metal artists like shock value but this is a little over the top… and especially offensive when they know they have a decent-sized following in Israel. As far as bands that didn’t come to Israel for “safety,” Depeche Mode is the first one that comes to mind, not they are anything even close to metal or hard rock. But they canceled their tour allegedly due to the Second Lebanon War.

    Yared said this on March 1st, 2007 at 6:30 pm

23. I am an anthropologist from Ireland currently researching Slavic black metal. I have found that one of the most effective ways of assesing the values that inform extreme music scenes, is to learn how individuals and groups interact with one another on both ‘mundane’ and ‘scenic’ levels. Black metal thrives on an overproduction of contentious symbolic artefacts and discourses but each is in turn mediated and responded to in an individualistic and culturally specific way. Therefore the swastika is perhaps the most ‘scenically’ useful image in black metal’s symbolic repertiore because every time it is produced in a scenic context it easily generates discourse and occasionally media attention. Yet as mentioned above and in KK-Harris book and articles, members of the black metal scene who have made fascistic statements have also maintained relationships with prominant Israeli musicians and played concerts in Israel.
    Also worth mentioning is the fact that black metal is a popular music scene and not an ‘institution’, therefore images of the swastika are mainly circulated within the confines of the scene and rarely find targets among those who would in fact be deeply offended by their use. But back to the picture above and how it is to be interpreted; personally I would view the swastika in the above picture as an indice of Manic’s commitment to his art, as opposed it being an attack against people of Jewish blood. But it must be remembered that extreme music scenes are by their nature a form of identity that people subscribe too, as opposed to the types of identity produced through blood, soil and dominant culture. Therefore why bother getting upset over something which reletivly marginal and as such, easier to ignore.

    Dave Murphy said this on March 3rd, 2007 at 5:28 pm

24. Mayhem are not an anti-semetic band, Maniac is a maniac and the Swastika is there for shock value, and a represetation of the extremity of his art. Nick’s comment “he didn’t like our culture’s obsession of WWII because he perceived that it wrongly suggested that we had gone through a moral transition and that we were all better since that time.” is what Maniac belives ,which I also believe, we are still humans and have the ability to do horrific things, and this must be remembered lest it happen again. There is a clear divide between National-Socialist Black Metal and normal Black Metal. Normal black metal has many themes, with only some centred around hate and opposition, so do not stereotype. This picture is only a picture, it is stupid to get so worked up over it as it is poor evidence. It’s this type of attention from attention seeking religious idiots that Maniac wanted in taking this picture. Try to think and not stir up trouble unjustly, its this principal of ignorance that leads to some of the horrors of modern society.

    Robbie said this on April 27th, 2007 at 2:01 am

25. 1. You speak for him?

    2. Why are you making it into a religious thing?

    3. You preach pretty well. Go back to church.

    skazm said this on April 27th, 2007 at 2:25 am

26. Wow, Dave, that was quite eloquent and intelligent. However, I personally have a gut response to that swastika because my whole family suffered and still duffer from the Germans.

    Anyone who decides to take that on as a symbol is repulsive to me. I don’t care why they mean it. All I know is what a Holocaust survivor who saw that picture would think – so he can take his artistic license and shove it.

    As for Robbie, if you think this has to do with religion, you’ve proved your own ignorance.

    skazm said this on April 27th, 2007 at 3:14 am

27. All I am saying is that a picture only says so much, and it is unfair to make harsh judgements on one picture, But at the end up of the thats probably what Manic wants. The Nazi’s are scum, but Maniac is not a Nazi and does not condone it. There is more to this picture than what appears at first glance. Personally I think that using a Swastika like that is wrong, because of how unfeeling it is towards people, but he is not a Neo-Nazi, just an artist that is uncaring abut what other think.

    Robbie said this on April 28th, 2007 at 5:21 pm

28. it’s not a swastika. you must tilt it 45 degrees so it stands on it’s corner – then it’s a swastika.

    trashMetal said this on July 12th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

29. well, jewes are a menace to world peace, therefore they a menace to mankind, israel territory is a mistake, but now it’s too late, the Nazi’s were very right about several things including the destructing of jewish culture and the gipsy race. christians are shit too, since we are 800 years more stupid because of the middle ages, they’re just a bunch of pedophiles, Be Laic and be free, oh and Mayhem is a damn good band!! so fuck you religious boy

    funeral fog said this on October 17th, 2007 at 11:34 pm

30. Never had much love for Mayhem, except for the De Mysteriis album. But I have no trouble with listening to NSBM, even with openly antisemitic content. Selfirony, my friends, and selfhumor, are the two things that helped us Jews to survive over the centuries of oppression and persecution. And knowing our enemy is the first step to neutralize him.

    Napi said this on March 15th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

31. I’m as you said an “Atheist of Jewish blood”, but I still listen to Mayhem and really doubt that they’re Antisemetic, well except Varg.
    1.They do a lot for the shock value, 2. they tour to Israel, and 3. Salem, a black metal band who is Jewish and supports Judaism wore Mayhem T-shirts at one concert.

    John said this on July 15th, 2009 at 8:43 am

32. Mayhem aren’t anti semitic… they’re anti human… they couldnt give a fuck less about your little discussion because this discussion is pointless because they ARENT ANTI SEMITIC

    mork sjel said this on July 22nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm

33. the ex mayhem vocalist “maniac” real name is sven-erik kristiansen. Have a look to his myspace page before juging him, there is a few pics where you can see him with a david star around his neck and he also has a tattoo of a david star on his back.

    Draconian said this on August 29th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

34. the ex mayhem vocalist “maniac” real name is sven-erik kristiansen. Have a look to his myspace page before juging him, there is a few pics where you can see him with a david star around his neck and he also has a tattoo of a david star on his back. If you look carefully at his pics you may notice some jewish features too.

    Draconian said this on August 29th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

35. It’s ironic .. they are only fucking with your mind .. regardless if you a jewish/christian/muslim or whatever you are all flithy humans who deserve to fucking die

    master lowsferatu said this on September 3rd, 2009 at 10:02 pm

36. mayhem is not anti human most of there lyrics have to do with nature (which is with a lot of BM) the band Shining is Anti human and as a avid listener of black metal i can tell you the swastika means nothing it is just for shock value and to get attention that is what manic has always been about he was a good singer but still he seeks attention and Mayhem is not even part of NSBM they dont agree with it but varg on the other hand is look at his web site Fuck do some research before you start bitching about something you dont listen to and more then likely dont understand

    Jeremiah said this on September 7th, 2009 at 10:00 pm

37. funeral s comment made me laugh! ha!

    well it is not good it you are jewish and u listen to anti- semitic bands. where is the respect for u and ur nation? Im also anti- human but not that ridiculous! ha!
    does someone know if Vikernes came out of jail for the crime of passion he did? just curious i dont really care XD

    and btw the jewish are also very racist specially the religious.

    greetings! XD

    Gloria said this on October 13th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

38. Nazi symbols always attracted people with an “anti” attitude. I don’t think Sid Vicious was an anti-semite. He wore a swastika to piss off people.
    In my darker days, I considered slashing a swastika into myself too. Just to piss everyone off, forever. It’s like a mark of Cain you inflict on yourself to repulse people.
    I understand that for Jews, this has a different meaning than for others, one reason (among many) why I wouldn’t do it anymore. But I think Maniac doesn’t hate Jews more than any other human being.
    Just my estimation.

    nil said this on November 15th, 2009 at 5:49 am

39. Besides, do Nazis slash the swastika into their own forehead? As far as I know, they rather did that to their victims.

    nil said this on November 19th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

40. I find it humour thzt anti-christian bands are usually accepted by society (slipknot had some pentegram shit) but the second someone speaks against a religion such as judaism, its intantly insane.

    Lyrical interpretation allows the view to put their own beleifs and feelings into words, be it writing or interpreting it. How can you people hate a band for simply beleiving in something different to you? And it is just beleif, MayheM don’t kill Jews nor Christians. The true sickness here is that you people cannot accept other peoples idiology

    John said this on May 14th, 2011 at 7:39 am

41. why should I accept an ideology that upholds my physical and ideological death a good thing? the true sickness is moral objectivism.

    skazm said this on May 15th, 2011 at 1:27 pm

42. this was maniacs sick sense of humor. Hes not nazi, thats for sure.

    masterslash said this on May 25th, 2011 at 11:50 pm

43. well, I dont think that mayhem are jewhaters, because you can tell the level of jewhater by how much of a coward they are….. the slimy litte nazi bastard that must spew his hate from the saftey of his parents basement… ya I would say alot of the fags in sweden and norway have nothing else to do, uneducated drones that know there life means nothing, and want to blame someone, that is the true nazi

    David Silverman said this on October 22nd, 2011 at 1:08 am

44. and I forgot to add, look at Andy Dick’s recent antisemitism against howard stern, a raging cocaine, alcohol ridden penis grabber takes issue with jews, hmmm, who is more evil, hitler or a confused drug addict bisexual!! jews need to lighten up, and fight the real Hitler’s

    David Silverman said this on October 22nd, 2011 at 2:26 am