It’s ok if you’re not all that familiar with Greece’s Naer Mataron (we sure as hell haven’t heard of them before). However, the Greek black metal group is about to receive even more attention thanks to their bassist Giorgos Germenis. That’s because Germenis (aka Kaiadas) has just been elected to Greece’s parliament. Making matters even more fun is that the bassist will represent the extremist Golden Dawn Party, who are so far-right that they’ve often been compared to Germany’s neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (even their logos look rather similar).
So what does Germenis’ bandmates think about all of this? Well, Naer Mataron have released a statement in an attempt to clarify that they are not a political band, saying:
“Naer Mataron has been and still remains a pure-blooded black metal band, and as such, a non-political one. Any member of the band has the right to keep on to his personal beliefs and act accordingly. Therefore, any kind of legal political activity of any member, is a matter of personal choice and is respected as such. Attempts to put Naer Mataron under any political agenda are rejected by the band. In addition, any false accusations against the band will come across with legal actions on our behalf. The band stands only for black metal, and black metal is extreme music, not politics. Closing, anyone who is into the extreme music and thematology, but for any reason feels shocked or offended by non-extreme views and/or beliefs is none of our concern.”
It’s understandable that Naer Mataron would want to distance themselves from Germenis’ new role in parliament. After all, burning churches is (slightly) more black metal than neo-Nazism or politics. You can watch footage of Naer Mataron performing in Germany earlier this year after the jump.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mca2ExXPCks[/youtube]
[via Metal Injection and Blabbermouth]
