A HIPSTER JOKE GROWS IN BROOKLYN op/ed by Mr. Wolf

It does all sound like a big joke. You have a two day music fest in hipster infested Brooklyn, NY. It's billed as an anti-fascist extreme metal festival. Mostly all of the bands are complete unknowns. And it's promoter is a former tour slut turned corrupt journalist turned far left political activist. Yeah to most fans of extreme metal it all sounds funny but to your typical SJW (aka: social justice warrior) as well as a few laughable metal music sites, it's serious.

Welcome to the closed minded world of Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019. The fest, which took place on January 25th and 26th at some place called The Brooklyn Bazaar, was not billed as an all inclusive show where everyone was welcome. On the contrary it was an exclusive show for people who follow radical left wing ideologies as well as identity politics. Oh yeah they're also anti-fascist as one of the fest's merch items (what every metal fan craves) tote bags printed with the gothic-font phrase “Fuck NSBM”.


I became aware of this "fest" by way of a friend's Facebook posting of a show review link by that bastion of all things metal, Rolling Stone. At first I had a good laugh over it and why not. This is basically a culture of hipster-dom which has more ties to anarcho-punk than metal. They promote bigotry disguised as identity politics. They ally themselves with the domestic terror group Antifa. And they're obviously offended by everything about metal. Which is why I think it's funny when these people use the phrase "take our scene back"! Excuse me but it was never "your scene". 


This fest is the creation of the one and only Kim Kelly. She's not really a household name amongst your average metal fan. But for people who you could call metal nerds aka: avid readers of everything metal (I guess that means me) she has an infamous history. 

                           
                                                (Kim Kelly)


Long before she was indoctrinated by the far left and became de facto renaissance woman of the new hipster fascism movement. Kelly was known as a privileged trust fund baby from Philadelphia who in her youth slept her way into the metal scene. Whoa now don't get mad at me. I'm just going on what I've read from people who were around her at the time who's information has not been debunked. She then went from being a band slut / groupie to show promotions, a merch girl and journalism. As for that last career choice Kelly is most known for penning elaborate metal hoaxes including fabricated stories about Iranian and Chinese metal acts. 


Now just to be fair to Kelly she's recently come clean about her past and admitted that, before she became indoctrinated in political correctness, far left ideology and identity politics, she listened to and supported musical acts that she "would never in a million years condone or give a platform to now." OK fine because I, as well as many other people, have some common ground in that idea. But the difference is that we laugh it off but for Kelly, she has turned her dislike into something resembling religious fervor. And as the saying goes, There is no greater prude than a reformed whore.


As it says in the sidebar of this blog: Extreme Metal or Music is generally a form which is accepted by 1% of all of the music loving public. It is elitist in every way and that's important to those of us who call ourselves fans. The 99% of people who will not like it are Not Supposed To. The music wasn't made for them, "the masses". It's music that's for those who take things to that "other" level. There is nothing hip or fad about it. In fact I treat those two notions very harshly. Just to add to that, Extreme metal contains a lot of material that is uncomfortable or potentially offensive to some people. If it bothers you then fine, mock it, laugh at it or simply don't listen to it. That's called Freedom of Choice.


Unfortunately for people like Kim Kelly and her ilk, as well as the nobodys who played this goddamn hiptard congregation and the sparse crowd that actually attended (not only was attendance underwhelming but reports say it wasn't as diverse as it's promoters would have liked. Mostly white men showed up, oh no) giving people choices is not good enough. These people want you all to see the errors of your ways, repent, convert or else. You know if there's one thing metal fans don't respond to well its being subjected to a lecture about the morality of their music tastes by a bunch of losers who don't even like metal. Ya know it's bad enough that half the world thinks metal fans are nothing more than a bunch of devil worshiping reprobates. It's worse when actual hipster reprobates think they're metal. 

                       (where's the support? where's the crowd?)


As far as anyone criticizing this event, Kelly's attitude has already been made clear. In one write up to this event she said "If reactionary jagoffs are crying about in some piss-stained corner of the internet, good. That means we're doing something right." Fine you have your right to an opinion but what is that "something you're doing right?" Maybe it's fabricating a non existent crisis in order to legitimize your bigotry as well as your political motivation. Just because we see Kelly and her ilk as buffoons, losers and shit for brains idiots doesn't mean we don't take them for granted. In fact we take them seriously and debate them in order to show the world that they truly are buffoons, losers and shit for brains idiots.




So let's look at their main claim. They hate NSBM (National Socialist black metal). They also believe that there's a worldwide rise of violent white supremacy and fascism. And that metal should not be allowed to become a breeding ground for right-wing extremism. Now frankly you'd have to be a fear mongering nut job who sees a William Luther Pierce accolade behind every corner to believe that farce. Sure in the mid to late 90s NSBM was popular but not in the way these people think. I also believe it's ironic that for a group-think of people butt-hurt over national socialism probably support national socialists like US Senator Bernie Sanders or newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.



But getting back to the NSBM thing, no there is not a rise in popularity as if you think it's all about nazism which NSBM was not all about. Sure these people can sight a few examples of people acting foolish or saying something. Still that does not make a movement of white supremacy and fascism. The reason why Kelly and her ilk believe this to be so is because they see anyone who disagrees with their left-wing extremism as a fascist. That's painting a whole lot of people with a broad brush which by the way is the definition of bigotry. But that would be lost on her if you tried to explain it. That and the fact that fanatics always turn into the ones they hate. 

                                     
                 (the face of the resistance. Yeah sure we're scared.)


But I continue, having some sort of pride in yourself or your national identity to them is fascism unless you are part of a so-called marginalized group aka: anyone who is not a straight white male. Once again that's another form of bigotry which Kelly and her ilk, which includes self loathing white men, like to push. Ya know for a group of people who hate bigotry they certainly act like a bunch of bigots. As far as their other complaints or perceived offenses well they all look like the same shit being put out by your typical left wing crybabies who are perpetually offended. My simple answer to you all is just leave. We don't need people who have no problem glossing over their own past imperfections but act puritanical towards others. Go Fuck Yourselves!

METALSUCKS IS PUSHING A HOAX

METALSUCKS IS PUSHING A HOAX

op/ed by Mr. Wolf


If you are into Extreme Metal then by now you've heard about the website MetalSucks publishing a letter from some anti-fascist group that calls on the record label and distro HELLS HEADBANGERS to stop distributing merch by labels they deem to promote nazi propaganda. Here's the full text of the article:


An Open Letter to Hells Headbangers Records to Stop Releasing and Distributing Metal by White Supremacists
AUGUST 24TH, 2017

MetalSucks was recently contacted by a group of metal musicians identifying itself as The Anti-NSBM Working Group to ask if we’d publish an open letter they’d drafted addressed to metal label and distro Hells Headbangers (sic). The goal: to call on Hells Headbangers to “cease releasing and distributing Nazi propaganda.”

Recent events in Charlottesville and elsewhere are a striking reminder of the danger and threat the extreme right poses. Metal and other underground music genres are major venues for neo-Nazis and fascists to propagandize and recruit. This is unacceptable to us, and so we are taking action to remove them from our community.

It’s important that we make a distinction here: the owners and staff of Hells Headbangers are not, as far as we know, white supremacists or far-right extremists. The vast majority of the labels they distribute and the bands whose records they release aren’t either, and we’re not condemning any of those. We’re simply calling on Hells Headbangers to stop participating in the spread of hate through tacit endorsement and participation, and to eliminate the extremist labels and bands from their roster.

Here is the open letter in full:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear HHR,

Over the last decade and a half you’ve risen to become one of the strongest underground metal labels. You’ve released many of the best recent records in the genre from bands new and old, and your brand has come to be synonymous with true, uncompromising cult metal. For this we salute you.

In recent years, though, you’ve also become one of the most prominent distributors of NSBM and similar right-wing extremist music in the USA. We understand that your label is conceived of as apolitical and that you’re in it for the metal and not the ideologies expressed; however, you’re playing a leading role in normalizing neo-Nazi ideals in our genre and in providing a venue for this kind of bigoted propaganda.

We are living in times in which the extreme right is resurgent around the world and in which neo-Nazis have no qualms about targeting and murdering immigrants, LGBT people, racial minorities, and leftists. Fascists are using metal for propaganda and recruiting ends, and your distro and label are enabling them. This is no time for apolitical fence sitting, and we request that you take a stand towards a better state of things for metal.

With respect and appreciation for the bulk of your releases, we ask you to clean up your act and promptly do the following:

1. Cease your distribution of NS and far-right labels such as (but not limited to) Darker than Black, Pagan War, Werewolf Records, and Elegy Records

2. Purge your distro of NS/far-right releases and your label of NS/far-right bands, including Intolitarian and releases by SSP/Deathangle Absolution

3. Publicly commit to a policy, going forward, of avoiding relationships with NS/far-right bands, artists, and labels.

Should you fail to do so, we call for a boycott of your label by metal journalists, distros, venues and fans, and will apply whatever other pressure we find appropriate. Your label is known for its high aesthetic standards; please consider whether you also want it to be known for promoting neo-Nazi trash.

Entirely independent of the above letter and The Anti-NSBM Working Group, MetalSucks would also like to request that Hells Headbangers add a fucking apostrophe to its label name where it fucking belongs, fer chrissakes. OK? Thanks.

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OK so when I first saw this I thought hey fuck this Anti-NSBM Working Group as well as MetalSucks for allowing any group to demand censorship. I figured that was that but recently Decibel Magazine's website Deciblog published an op/ed by EXHUMED's Matt Harvey which was all about not being able to censor NSBM. It was a good piece by the way. Which brought me back to looking at the Metalsucks article. That's when my bullshit detector went off and I was pissed at myself for not seeing it at first. After doing some simple research it's obvious that MetalSucks is involved in a hoax and here's why.


Like plenty of others once I read the article I looked up who this Anti-NSBM Working Group was. I found nothing on the net about them except for some Bandcamp page with some anti-fascist punks trying to hock their three music comps. I didn't notice anything metal about that. Now you would think a group with the guts to call on a record label to cease selling a product or else face a boycott would have an official website or at least a Facebook page. But this Anti-NSBM Working Group has neither which makes you wonder are they even legit. Furthermore if I can question their legitimacy and come away with thinking they're bogus then why didn't the people at MetalSucks do the same? The website clearly says they were "recently contacted by a group of metal musicians identifying itself as The Anti-NSBM Working Group to ask if we’d publish an open letter they’d drafted." OK so where's their website? You got an email address so what is it? Or is MetalSucks just stupid enough to fall for a hoax?

I doubt MetalSucks fell for a bogus letter in fact I believe it's obvious that they are behind it. But the question needs to be asked why would they? MetalSucks is a mainstream metal site which in the past has posted articles that are just provocative enough to drag in readership from outside their base. So creating a hoax to get some clicks on their site makes sense especially when the people behind MetalSucks are attention seekers. Then there's the target in this hoax, Hells Headbangers. Why pick them out of many many other labels/distros that also distribute merch by NSBM bands? Last year MetalSucks even promoted the label's signature music fest. So what's happened in one year? When you read the whole piece it's hard to distinguish what was MetalSucks writing and the open letter. For example "It’s important that we make a distinction here: the owners and staff of Hells Headbangers are not, as far as we know, white supremacists or far-right extremists." That sentence is attributed to MetalSucks. It's not in the letter and furthermore what's with the "as far as we know" assertion? That tosses in a veil of suspicion. 

MetalSucks is openly clear that their political and social views are firmly planted on the left side of the aisle. That's fine they can do that. If they wanna believe that everyone who is on the other side of the aisle is evil that's fine too. They have their opinion and that's fine but it doesn't make it a fact. If this hoax was used in order to open a dialog or debate about NSBM then there's a problem because that debate has been already done. The outcome was simple, if you don't like NSBM then don't listen to it, don't buy it and don't dictate to black metal fans. Period, end of story.

Just for the record I support Hells Headbangers. I buy their releases. I review their releases. If you think that's bias then fuck off idiot. I support plenty of record labels and I review releases from plenty of labels. I don't review everything or support every label that sends something in. I choose what I want to buy or review. It's called freedom of choice. I don't lie awake at night thinking of ways to force labels to stop selling merch by bands I don't like. So with that said we can all come up with questions as to why MetalSucks produced this hoax. But the bottom line is clear, this was a hoax.