Informal Reader Poll: What’s The Dodgy Album From Your Past?

While writing up the newest Graveworm album, I mentioned that it features a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Runaway,” and it dawned on me that I already knew an extreme metal cover of that song from my past. It was by Finland’s Walhalla, which I later learned featured ex-Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala. I’d gotten their album Firereich when it had received 666 Fucking Skulls in an issue of S.O.D.

Remembering the album’s name worried me. Studying the song titles didn’t help–“Norja Vs. Arabia,” “Winterführer.” The band did a split with Macabre Omen, whose themes include “Hellenic pride”, which isn’t necessarily offensive — they also have songs about dryads and shit — but which can have loaded connotations. As a teen, this had all just been evil and European; now, I perceived sinister political overtones. The songs whose lyrics were provided on the album’s Metallum page checked out — the usual black metal mix of warlike Odin worship and Satanic might (And I didn’t even understand them as a kid! I thought, but that argument always sounds lame). There’s a great chance that I’m being oversensitive. I’m a Slayer fan, after all. But it definitely bothered me.

The problem, of course, is that when I relistened to Firereich, I fucking loved it. Whether or not it was made with prejudice at its core, I dig that album. So now I’m stuck with it–an album from my past that has dodgy implications, but that I’m totally into. You think if you’ve made it to thirty without loving Burzum or Skrewdriver, you’re okay, but no. There’s always one.

So you tell us: what’s the band, album, or song from your past that you now consider questionable in its morals or politics? Is there a record you love that you worry might ruin any argument you ever make about prejudice or bigotry in metal? No judgment — we’re not trying to out anyone — but we’re interested.

Let us know in the Comments section (and if you know, or are, the guys from Walhalla or Macabre Omen and I’m wrong about them, let me know that, too).