Black Metal Bassist Elected to Greek Parliament

Posted on May 15th 2012 1:50PM by Amy Sciarretto Comments

Metal Photo

Here's something you don't see or hear every day. Giorgos Germenis, the bassist for Greek black metal outfit Naer Mataron, has been elected to a seat in Greece's parliament. Wait...what? No, we're not kidding.

According to Blabbermouth, Germenis, aka Kaiadas when on stage, is a representative of the Golden Dawn party, which is considered one of the most extreme far-right parties in Europe.

However, let's put this in perspective. Naer Mataron are not like the Mayhem or Burzum or Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir of Greece, so it's not like, say, Varg Vikernes or Dani Filth has a seat in a governing body. Naer Mataron are largely an unknown act. However, their bassist's political aspirations and viewpoints are not far removed from the more extreme and politically-minded black metal acts on the fringe of the genre. Despite the perception, not all black metal acts focus on religious nihilism. Politics do come into play, lyrically and beyond.

The Golden Dawn party has actually drawn comparisons to the Germany's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party, courtesy of its anti-immigration stance. On top of that, the Golden Dawn logo has been noted for its similarities to the Nazi party's infamous swastika.

Naer Mataron are by no means a popular black metal band, as Stefanos Stefanopolous of Rockway.gr webzine went on record with PRI's The World to say that Giorgos isn't a "well-known musician here in Greece" and even the webzines were ignoring the band, which he labeled "mediocre" and "just another black metal band."

Well, with his parliament seat, the lack of attention could change.

Greece is in the throes of an economic meltdown and Germenis offered up his solutions to improve the country's wealth. "Greek factories must be reborn," he stated. "Their chimneys must be filled with smoke once more."

Watch Naer Mataron's "Incarcerating Gallantry"Video

But reigniting factories isn't his only suggestion. He holds his party's hardline stance on immigrants and considers them part of the problem and thinks they can be part of the solution. He said, "And of course all illegal immigrants must leave. If all the illegal immigrants left - and there are more than three million - there would be three million jobs for Greeks."

He also told PRI's The World the following: "We Golden Dawn say that Greece is a rich country. In order to rebuild Greece, we also need to revitalize our factories and small workshops. In this way, Greece can stand on its own two feet. We won't need the European Union or anyone else. We'll just need Greeks."

Black metal artists have long been associated with nationalist and socialist political views, so there's no surprise that Germenis' convictions are as extreme as the genre's sonics.

Follow @Noisecreep on Twitter | Like Us on Facebook | Sign Up for Our Newsletter