There is even a dedicated blog on the topic already: http://varg-freki-wolfszeit.blogspot.com/
Email from AntifaWACKEN OPEN AIR 2010 with Nazi Band
World's largest heavy metal festival featuring a Nazi band
With the Coburg Viking metal band VARG, the organizers of the world's largest heavy metal festival "WACKEN OPEN AIR" have brought a far-right band on board. For the first time in the festival's history, a Nazi band will take the stage and perform their "Germanic sound" and lyrics about honor, pride, and old values as propaganda in front of 80,000 people.
Source: http://www.wacken.com
The band is considered a so-called "NSBM band", their lyrics deal with blood & honor and could come from any right-wing rock band. Although they are trying to distance themselves from the renewed success of "Nazis", people from the band's environment repeatedly confirm the right-wing mindset of the band members. Just recently, a photo of Varg's frontman surfaced, showing him wearing a T-shirt of the NSBM band Absurd.
Is this the reason why the record deal with Nuclear Blast fell through?
The band's founder and recent frontman of the Coburg band Varg, Philipp Seiler alias Freki, is currently making a strong effort to distance himself from the "evil Nazis" and has launched a special campaign (Varg & Fans Against Nazis), which can be found on both the MySpace profile and the band’s website. But how serious are these distancing efforts? Or is it just for the purpose of achieving commercial success with the band VARG and being allowed to perform at major festivals?
In old rehearsal recordings, Mr. Philipp Seiler has been outed as a self-proclaimed Nazi. His acquaintances describe him as an anti-Semite and a foreigner-hater.
As the recently surfaced photo proves, the statements from his acquaintances are by no means slander and lies, as Mr. Seiler likes to portray. Besides the NSBM band Absurd, it is also known in his circle that he enjoys listening to bands like Landser, Stahlgewitter, and other extreme right-wing rock bands.
At a concert, the Varg drummer also mentioned the band Stahlgewitter as one of his favorite bands and that he cannot stand "the whole foreigner pack".
Philipp Seiler alias Freki is also active as a concert promoter alongside his commercial band project VARG. He is the organizer of the Wolfszeit Festival, which focuses on pagan and black metal bands. The Ablaze magazine has repeatedly been a partner in this event in the past.
By the way, Varg's first album was recorded at Heidenklangwerke, a subsidiary of the far-right Wikinger Versand, with which Siegfried Birl is trying to establish a foothold in the apolitical metal scene. After left-wing individuals/organizations uncovered this connection between Heidenklangwerke / Nordahl Versand and Wikinger Versand in 2008, the project was simply renamed to Viking Blood and a sale was claimed. In reality, however, only a new company was founded with a new managing director, the intermediaries remained the same, and the offer is still the same as always, with money flowing to the far-right Wikinger Versand.
This raises the question of whether Varg consciously recorded their album Wolfszeit with this far-right label? Given the mindset of the band members, this seems likely.
Nuclear Blast pulled the emergency brake just in time and dissolved the already promised record contract. Does the new label NoiseArt Records turn out to be an NSBM label? Rock the Nation certainly did not do themselves any favors with their new label. Full-page advertisements for the new Varg album Blutaar have been placed in all major scene magazines like Metal Hammer, Rock Hard, Legacy, etc. Thus, the scandal is perfect: An NSBM band has infiltrated the major scene magazines, and for the first time, an NSBM band will perform at Wacken.
The Legacy magazine has distanced itself from VARG in no uncertain terms. The Ragnarök Festival has uninvited the VARG frontman. His interview with RockHard was not published. The distributor Twilight Mailorder no longer carries VARG in their inventory. And the large label Nuclear Blast Records, which announced the contract signing with VARG less than half a year ago, has removed all VARG releases and merchandise from their catalog. When will Wacken finally wake up and prevent the performance of this Nazi band?
The record label of VARG is the organizer of the Pagan Fest Tour, where VARG will also perform. It is to be hoped that the antifascist resistance will show at the concert dates what they think of Nazis.
Whoever provides a platform for VARG gives Nazis a platform!
Google also spits out some interesting hints about the band VARG:
http://www.google.de/#hl=de&source=hp&q=Varg+Freki
http://www.google.de/#hl=de&source=hp&q=Varg+Coburg
http://www.google.de/#hl=de&q=Varg+freki+absurd
http://www.google.de/#hl=de&q=wolfszeit-festival+ablaze
No stage for VARG!!
Antifascist Resistance
Statement from Wacken Open AirDear Metalheads,
In recent days, there have been increasing reactions regarding the performance of the pagan metal band Varg at the W:O:A. Among other things, there have been various mass emails circulating on the internet claiming that a right-wing extremist band would play at the W:O:A.
The discussion was sparked by a photo from 2007, showing the band's singer wearing an "Absurd" T-shirt. Varg and their singer Philipp Seiler have clearly positioned themselves against fascism and right-wing extremism in various statements and at every one of their concerts. As organizers, we have, of course, also dealt with this topic. The band has credibly conveyed to us in various discussions that they deeply regret the mistake made and that no right-wing ideology or tendencies will be represented within the band or among its musicians.
Moreover, we have consulted various "experts" from the scene and major metal magazines, who have also reinforced our findings that Varg is not a band with right-wing tendencies. Among other things, there will be a detailed interview by Wolf Rüdiger Mühlmann with Philipp Seiler in the April issue of the German Rock Hard, in which the factual situation will be clearly presented and scrutinized.
As organizers, we have therefore decided, given the current factual situation, to allow Varg to play at the W:O:A and not to remove them from the billing, because we metalheads are known for giving people who admit their mistakes and clearly position themselves a second chance.
Soon, we will also publish a video statement from Philipp Seiler on wacken.com, in which he addresses the accusations.
Yours,
W:O:A Team
Video message from VARG




