A photo of the Watain guitarist making a Nazi salute is circulating on the internet.
Watain guitarist Set Teitan, who has been with the band since 2007, appeared in a photo making a Nazi salute, according to the website MetalSucks . Watain vocalist and leader Erik Danielsson released the following statement:
"The gesture in the photo was made in jest, as is everything we have to say about it. But to put an end to this tiresome nonsense, the guitarist in question has decided to step away for a while to avoid even more desperate discussions on the subject."
Furthermore, we spit on the malicious ignorance of all those who maintain that Watain has any political agenda. For 20 years we have proven otherwise, and people should know better now. Finally, we would like to send a sincere fuck you to all those who insist on fueling the moral hysteria of the witch hunt that now grips the world's Heavy Metal culture. Hail Satan!”
In January of this year, Teitan had already made the Nazi salute at a show in Stockholm, Sweden. At the time, vocalist Erik released the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that people have misinterpreted an arm movement by Set at our show in Sweden as a Nazi salute. Come on, guys! As everyone should know, the members of the band Watain have no ties to Nazi ideology, neither publicly nor personally, and with this statement we want to put an end to further unnecessary speculation on this tiresome subject."
What we praise in our songs and lyrics could very well be seen as the antithesis of some utopian right-wing ideology of the past. 'Saluting' one of our many enemies on the sacred ground that is our stage wouldn't make much sense. This is something we're sure our fans and supporters – who we're proud to say are of every possible race, gender, nation, and cultural background – can attest to.
Like the fact that our band and crew also come from a broadly diverse ethnic background. And the list goes on, eliminating all possible forms of taint from political or ideological agendas, allowing the devil's fire to burn brightly and untainted in the sanctuary we've created for ourselves.
It is regrettable, of course, that these unwelcome, inconvenient, and ill-placed accusations are allowed, and we hope that we can now put this aside and focus on the many important tasks we have at hand.
Thank you for understanding.