MARDUK Fires Bassist for “Intolerable Stage Antics” (funny thing to call a Nazi Salute)

Swedish black metal band MARDUK are involved in another controversy linked to Nazism (what a surprise). Allegedly bassist Joel Lindholm decided it would be a fantastic idea to throw up the now infamous Nazi Salute at London’s Incineration Fest this year. ‘Antics’ like this are of no surprise to anybody with even a passing awareness of who MARDUK are, the band has been pursued by accusations of Nazi sympathy for over 20 years. After almost a week the band have released a statement stating that he has been fired from the band:

Following a variety of intolerable stage antics by a very drunk Joel at Incineration Fest last week, he has vacated his position in the band. Our old friend and bass player Devo has agreed to step in on a temporary basis, so this is unlikely to affect any of upcoming shows.

MARDUK have been a band who have long flirted with Nazi Imagery, rhetoric and lyrical themes but always somehow managed to side step controversy with some fans still in denial about their ideology. Celebration of ones family’s service to the Wehrmacht ( The Army of Nazi Germany ) during the Second World War is also a recurring issue. There is also the issue of the continual veneration of the Nazi war machine. Lyrical concepts like this running through such as the ‘The Hangman of Prague’ which venerated Nazi War criminal Reinhard Heydrich.

One may argue that this is not veneration but simply writing songs about these topics, however one would need to ask why one would need to appropriate the imagery of a genocidal regime into ones stage show and album art if you were tactfully exposing these darker concepts. MARDUK have never publicly denounced far right ideologies and continue to write songs of these lyrical themes, it feels like a grotesque game of peek-a-boo with a creepy uncle dressed in SS regalia.

It appears to me that Lindholm’s firing is more to do with being brazen when MARDUK have been somewhat more clandestine about their support of far right ideologies. As one of our fans commented “Being kicked out of MARDUK for being a nazi is a bit like being fired from Motley Crue for banging groupies”. It’s simply a cowardly attempt to cover their panzer tracks and deflect from the accusations of Neo Nazi support that haver pursued the band for over 20 years.

Joels ‘Antics’ can be seen at the 45min mark: