Metal Band Promotes Violence Against Alt-Right
Metal band Stray From the Path’s new music video slams both the Alt-right movement as well as those with a fondness for red baseball caps.
The Long Island band has been active since 2001 but hasn’t made a significant name for itself yet. They’ve only had three albums chart in that time out of seven releases, the most recent collection from 2015.
Perhaps the band members figured criticizing fellow New Yorker and current President Donald Trump could be their ticket to fortune and glory.
“Goodnight Alt-right,” from the group’s Sept. 8 release “Only Death Is Real,” exalts violence against the Alt-Right. It’s no accident the target of the band’s rage wears a red ballcap, the signature sign of a Trump supporter.
The video features the man getting beaten and bloodied by thugs dressed like Antifa members. The Alt-right victim is clearly a fan of both Alt-right leader Richard Spencer and Adolf Hitler.
The song itself is mediocre at best, the lyrics reminiscent of the chants you hear at an anti-Trump rally.
If you’re going to make protest music, take a page from Bob Dylan or Green Day. Stray From the Path’s lyrics doesn’t come anywhere close to those artists. Here’s a sample:
“You just got knocked the f*** out
The punishment fits the crime
So keep your hand held high and you’ll find out why
That this raised fist ain’t afraid to fly
***
77 since the 88
Had to look at my phone ’cause I couldn’t believe the date
It’s 2017 but in a ’40s trend
With a racist president that’s “making everything great again”
But tell me when that this was f***ing okay”
Stray From the Path, “Goodnight Alt-right”
Now, here’s a Dylan song snippet.
“Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks”
Bob Dylan, “Masters of War”
The Stray From the Path video seems to have backfired worse than the Amy Schumer Netflix special. The video has over 10,000 down votes on YouTube.
One YouTube user commented, “This is career suicide.”We saw what happened when Joy Villa wore a Trump dress, imagine how fast the right can crash a metal band.
At least when Green Day fought “The Man” at the height of the anti-Bush years the songs voiced better opinions, not mindless chanting.
“Goodnight Alt-right” is further proof that some on the left no longer want to talk and eagerly abandon their civilized principles.
Just recently an Austin-based Dream Machine got dumped by its label for sharing similar views to President Trump’s on immigration. They were dropped for “hate speech.” Stray From the Path won’t suffer a similar fate, although its incendiary video could incite violence.
Andrew Anderson is a comic writer, movie and music enthusiast and fantasy rock star. You can follow him on Twitter at @andrewpanderson and on Instagram at @Proofoffire_89