Stahlgewitter
Stahlgewitter is a controversial German hard rock and Rock Against Communism group founded in 1995.[2] Despite the genre's name, RAC song lyrics rarely focus on the specific topic of anti-communism. Rather, RAC lyrics typically feature nationalist themes.[3][4][5] Stahlgewitter is listed by the group 'Netz gegen Nazis' (Network Against Nazis) as one of the more popular contemporary Rock Against Communism groups.[1] This categorises Stahlgewitter in amongst other more historical Rock Against Communism groups such as the English band Skrewdriver which played a lending role in the formation of RAC and the fellow German band Landser who are now deemed a "criminal gang organisation" in Germany.[6]
Stahlgewitter | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Germany |
| Genres | Hard rock, RAC, Nazi rock, Hatecore |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Freie Meinung Göttingen W & B Records PC Records[1] |
| Members | Daniel Giese Andreas Koroschetz Frank Krämer |
Hate speech
For their supposed Nazi ties, the band has been investigated by the German police for supporting hate speech.[7] The band is listed as a hate group for these reasons by the US organisation the Anti-Defamation League.[8] However, the band's lyrics never directly attack or demean any race or nationality, which then means it is not categorised as hate speech outside of Germany.[9] This has led to the band's music being used to create fan-made music videos which then can be uploaded to YouTube without censorship.[9]
Stahlgewitter's lyrics, however, do promote extremism by promoting and praising National Socialism or organisations that were under the German Nazi party, who engaged in crimes against humanity through the means of both genocide and democide.[9] In their lyrics, they complain about "Zionist-occupied governments" as well pay homage to today's neo-Nazis as "political soldiers" by proclaiming them to be today's Sturmabteilung(SA) or "Brownshirts",[1] a paramilitary organisation of the Nazi party that played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s.
One example is the praise in their song "Ruhm und Ehre der Waffen SS" of the Waffen SS who committed numerous war crimes, particularly civilian massacres (see Waffen-SS#Criminality).
| Original German lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
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Discography
- 1996 – "Das eiserne Gebet"
- 1998 – "Germania"
- 2001 – "Amalek"
- 2002 – "Politischer Soldat"
- 2003 – "Germania über alles"
- 2006 – "Auftrag Deutsches Reich"
- 2008 – "Politischer Soldat – Neuauflage"
- 2013 – "Das Hohelied der Herkunft"
- 2013 – "Stählerne Romantik" (MCD)
See also
References
- http://www.netz-gegen-nazis.de/lexikontext/stahlgewitter Woran man sie erkennt – Stahlgewitter
- "Stahlgewitter Lyrics & Videos". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- The World Today Archive – Nazi accusations against members of 3RAR
- "Johnny Rebel and the Cajun roots of right-wing rock". Popular Music and Society. Archived from the original on 3 November 2007.
- Motkraft.net Archived 23 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- "Neo-Nazis rally for jailed singer". BBC News. 21 October 2006.
- Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Inneres und Sport: Verfassungsschutzbericht Niedersachsen 2006 (PDF), S. 94f.
- "White Power Music Groups - Overview". Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- "» What should Google do with nazi propaganda on YouTube?". Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011. What should Google do with Nazi propaganda on YouTube?
Literature
External links
- Stahlgewitter discography at Discogs