These German metal artists/bands give a glimpse into a not-so-hidden reality: political metal. Is this new? Take an inside look.
They blazed onto the Dusseldorf scene in 1985.
Assassin's 1987 Upcoming Terror was daring political metal
during Soviet East Berlin and looming world war.
Robert Gonnella says of the album: "Our
lyrics at the that time were the first
one in thrash about social issues.
At the time other
bands sang about Satan or violence, etc.
...I always wanted to mirror the days we live in.
I never made one lyric 'cause ASSASSIN might get better sales."
Frank Gosdzik (of Kreator, Sodom) and Ingo
Bajonczak joined after members' Gonnella
and Michael Hoffmann's departure.
'Fight (To Stop the Tyranny) is self-explanatory.
Want a sample? Here are some lyrics for you.
"The masses of people are on the road
And they're starting riots and strikes...
Spending all of their energy to kill
The kings of our world!
Fight for, fight for right!" (SongLyrics)
Fight (To Stop the Tyranny) VIDEO
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Doro Pesch is synonymous with German metal!
You can't separate the two.
She was lead vocalist for the witchy woman-thrash Warlock
before numerous, successful solo compositions.
'Forever Warriors, Forever United',
the cover and the title form a perfect unit.
It all fits perfectly in line with the songs, which
also deal with some political themes."
It's a metal reunion and empowerment campaign all in one!
There are some big anthems on the album...
the album is supposed to give you power!"
She rocked it at Wacken too, a Germanic
metal muse who riles the world.
Skyline feat. Doro - All For Metal/All We Are (Live at Wacken Open Air 2019) VIDEO
Her songs eternally inspire us to rock and be true to oneself.
That is personal revolution.
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Kreator sets the precedent for any band, period:
Essen thrash metalheads who conjure unifying
power, paradigm-challenging music since 1982.
"In Essen there was the Grugahalle, which is a famous
place where The Beatles had played their first show
in Germany, and a lot of the old school rock bands
from the ’70s would always play there." (Kerrang)
Lead vocalist Mille Petrozza first named
Kreator Metal Militia, and recorded their initial
album End of the World as a teenager.
What could change through the sound we broadcast?
Kreator - People of the Lie VIDEO
How does resistance rise with metal?
Kreator answers these questions for us.
Kreator at Klub Studio, Krakow, Poland (2018)
"I think Kreator have always been on the edge of
talking about some political issues, but also escapism,
talking about fantasy worlds and horror and stuff.
I wouldn’t call us a political band myself, though.
There are bands who are way more political than us.
I’m writing on more of a human level.” (Kerrang)
Linus Klausenitzer is a technical metal
virtuoso, young and progressive!
He has played in Obscura and promotes fellow heavy-hitters
Kaoteon from Lebanon/the Netherlands.
"I'm very fortunate...for example, I work with people
from Lebanon and Pakistan and everywhere.
It's amazing. It's super-interesting, the music
they bring in and I
learn from that.
Most German bands and metal bands can be very conservative.
They don't want a lot of changes.
In our scene, it's different." (No Treble)
He's good friends and recording partners with Kaoteon,
a Lebanese death/thrash metal band who live abroad.
Walid Choughari and Anthony Kaoteon, Linus Klausenitzer and Adrian Erlandsson
from At The Gates, The Haunted and more
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Rezet are young northern German metal musicians (Schleswig),
and literally preteens when the band first formed in 2003.
They have been a paradoxically well-known yet underground force.
Sets are memorably brutal.
Rezet's style solidified into speed and
thrash metal by 2010's debut album.
'Reality Is A Lie' followed.
The band had already performed
at Headbangers and Wacken Open Air in 2014.
"Freedom is a word but its meaning is missed!
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil..."
'Reality Is A Lie' Official Lyric Video VIDEO
'You Asked For It' is a sleeper hit.
Its unapologetical songs pull no punches–
high-octane energy and lyrical content.
'Minority Erazer' warns about the 'master race' and their
apocalpytic doomsday plan–"no one will survive!"
'Thrash Their Hate' defiantly calls to retaliate
against hate.
The millennial German metal generation may
set a new standard for political metal yet.
OFFICIAL SITE FACEBOOK TWITTER YOUTUBE
The Frankfurt band is notorious fortheir rowdy
thrash metal and hedonistic lyricism,
but never deny their political nature.
One Foot In the Grave (2017) has the memorable song
'Syrian Nightmare' about war atrocities there.
Syrian Nightmare VIDEO
Lyrics: "When torture, pain & violence become daily routine
My eyes have no more tears left, too much grief I've seen
Syrian nightmare–calamity
The world is just watching in passive lethargy"
Thrashing The East captures Tankard
during the East/West Berlin division, with
Coroner, Kreator and Sabbat too! VIDEO
Treedeon is an eclectic fusion between groove and sludge
metal who formed from Roadburn Festival 2014.
Arne Heesch needed new material, and Yvonne just left
the German punk band Jingo de Lunch.
The lyrics feature a variety of political conversations,
from general disenchantment with current events
to capitalist society's failure (The Chimera Magazine).
Yvonne Ducksworth is lead guitarist and bassist
in this Berlin doom metal group.
Translation: "My taste in music is actually very broad,
Doom is already part of it forever.
From
sludge we have only nuances.
There is some hardcore with it,I think." (Ox
Fanzine)
What is the signification of trees to
Treedeon's musical mythos?
Yvonne explains why their music is so unnerving but powerful.
'Breathing A Vein' VIDEO
""Machineel" is a metaphor for a government that has
been chosen in the hope that it will help you.
The Manchinelbaum is a poisonous tree
that exists for example in the Caribbean.
If it rains and you sit under it,
the dripping resin can burn your skin."
Photo credit: Arne Heesch (Treedeon vocalist/guitarist), Mario Bender
Treedeon and Yvonne herself aren't concerned about
impressing shallow critics, or holding
back on real topics in metal music.
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Udo Dirkschneider, AKA Accept's former frontman, rocks like no other.
And he definitely has progressive messages
for us whether we're ready or not!
"We're living in a decadent world.
Let's say Germany or America, they're rich countries
but they have something wrong in this world.
That's where I came up with the idea to write lyrics
for the 'Decadent' album." (Screamer Magazine)
That was in 2014 and their trajectory has only
been more bad-ass, necessarily radical.
U.D.O. has been a vocal proponent for
climate solutions, societal equality,
even public health since the pandemic worldwide.
"We all, no matter where we live,
just have this one planet.
If something happens on, it always has international implications.
The world is also increasingly having a peace problem.
International arms trade and private
arms possession are increasing..."
He expresses these incredible sentiments
on their newest album, Game Over.
We need far more metal musicians like him out there.
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They're a black-pagan metal band who, like
the previous bands, are unafraid to dig deeper
and invoke uprising through sound.
2016's Das Ende aller Lugen (The End of All Lies)
starts
with the radical trifecta:
'Der Gro e Diktator (The Great Dictator),
'Das Ende aller Lugen', and 'Revolution'.
'Revolution' Snippet VIDEO
"Mass media dictates what we must look like and
feel...
politicians find more and more ways to take away
our freedom and watch our every step.
We do all this under the pretext of individualism and so-called safety.
But ultimately we're all the same: blind sheep
feasting on every shit we get served.
And people are frustrated! But they address their hatred in
the wrong direction: minorities, foreigners, you name it.
The imagery is very drastic indeed, I agree.
But we want to wake people up!"
Their 2020 masterpiece Zeichen recounts the reasons that
our ancient past and free existence are so important.
Zeichen VIDEO
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