Inquisition Fly on the “Wings of Anu”
In 2014, black metal act Inquisition became embroiled in controversy over social media posts labeling them Nazis, or at leas Nazi sympathizers, apparently having once hailed and applauded a former roadie and ex-skinhead’s Swastika tattoo. Other damning evidence came to light when it was claimed that frontman Dagon posted extremely racist messages on a web forum and apparently appeared on an NSBM compilation album. The great and powerful Anso DF wrote a solid piece about the controversy, racism in general, and Inquisition’s flimsy denial of these claims. Definitely read it.
What’s fascinating is how hard Inquisition got hit by the controversy. The NSBM scene is huge and has been ever-present throughout the genre’s history; many of black metal’s forefathers are known for their questionable political and racial views, from Varg to Fenriz. But generally, this scene is described as a lump sum, a mass of ineffectual assholes out there who idolize Hitler and racist beliefs because they’ve never left their parents’ basements, or their little town in Russia, or what have you.
Meanwhile, Inquisition’s politics became the issue of the year in 2014, and bands who associated with them, or festivals that hosted them, were suddenly questioned for doing so. And I would posit this is because Inquisition make pretty damn good black metal. Politics are most easily overlooked when a band is talented, because unliking music is extremely difficult, no matter what your politics.
Case in point, the band has released a new song called “Wings of Anu” from their upcoming new album Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith, and the track rules. It was premiered by Decibel, a publication known for its liberal and accepting stance but which still acknowledges the power behind this track. A song like this makes one understand why Inquisition courted such controversy, because it’s good enough that one seeks to explain away the band’s questionable politics in an attempt to simply enjoy the music.
Listen to “Wings of Anu” and let us know what you think in the comments section. Is it good enough to blow off Inquisition’s past? Meanwhile, Bloodhsed Across… drops August 26th via Season of Mist. You can pre-order it here.
