Fans, and bands have commented on The METAL THREAT FEST 2025:association with NATIONAL SOCIALIST (NAZI) bands as half the bill pulled out due to VISA issues.
METAL THREAT FEST 2025 took place 10/2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in ELGIN, Illinois.
FROM RIPPED TO SHREDS:
refusing to play with a neonazi band like arghoslent that glorifies the black slave trade is the lowest possible bar and master still failed it by playing metal threat, so we're withdrawing from friday's show at @924gilmanstreet support to @bitterendbooking for doing the right thing and canceling the show. we're still leaving heavy talent, but i would like to clarify that heavy talent only reps sinister, the sinister and master tour was booked as a package, and master booked their show with metal threat directly through paul dunski and not through heavy talent
FROM DEAD CONGREGATION:
We feel it's time to clarify our position regarding our participation in this year’s Metal Threat Festival, especially in light of recent discourse. Here are the facts:
• This was our third time performing at the festival. Previous editions had no association with politically charged bands and nothing in our past experiences suggested this year would be any different.
• Beyond the festival itself, Metal Threat organized a 14-day North American tour for us. Tours of this nature require extensive planning and coordination over several months, involving local promoters, venue staff, crew, merchandise suppliers and others who invest significant time and resources.
• Importantly, Metal Threat is also our official sponsor for U.S. work visas, which makes them our legal employer during our stay. This means our ability to act independently is limited by U.S. immigration law and the terms of our visas.
• When we agreed to play this year’s edition, we had no knowledge of the controversial last-minute additions to the lineup. By the time those bands were announced, backing out would have led to serious consequences — not only for us but for everyone involved in the tour. These could have included the cancellation of our visas and a potential 10-year ban from reapplying for entry into the U.S.
• Even if we had withdrawn, we recognize that some would still accuse us of acting too late or doing so purely for damage control. In other words, our reputation was at risk regardless of the path we chose.
• Given these circumstances — and the fact that our performance took place on Sunday, a day untarnished by sketchy bands — we made the difficult decision to proceed. Choosing to fulfill our commitments was not an endorsement of other bands’ ideologies.
Let us be clear: we did not appreciate being on the same bill as a handful of NS white power acts. However, when contracts are signed and obligations set in motion, choices become limited. Accusations of being “Nazis by association” are not only deeply offensive, but also entirely unfounded.
Our commitment to professionalism under difficult conditions should not be mistaken for tolerance of extremism — from either end of the political spectrum.
This is not an apology. It is not an excuse. It is not us bending the knee to the PC inquisition or internet bullies who 'demand' explanations. These are the facts.
FROM ERIN GRAY JOHNSON:
Reminder that some of my very visibly queer friends and I went to Metal Threat fest back in 2023, before it had turned into an unambiguously NS event, and the fascist creeps that showed up didn't do a damn thing about us. We were feet away from a bunch of skinheads in Absurd shirts, and the most they could do was shoot us some dirty looks. My then-partner and I even used the women's room together, WHILE some of the skinheads' GFs were using it - and they didn't do a damn thing about us
I share this because these people want us to think that their irrational, violent hatred is the norm, and they use dogpiling tactics on social media to reinforce that. They want us to live in fear, to be too afraid to express our identities in public places, but they're cowards. Even moreso than any generation of fascists that came before, these people are so accustomed to their internet echo chambers that they totally shut down when faced with even the most marginal pushback.
I mean, think of it: a group of tatted up skinheads wearing fucking Absurd shirts, who probably openly talk about putting us in gas chambers on social media, sat around and did nothing while 2 trans women used a women's restroom RIGHT in front of them, while their girlfriends were in there. These people are spineless losers. Don't ever let them intimidate you into silence.
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-NAZI'S FUCK OFF
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