Teenagers arrested in connection with the murder of a 37-year-old man in Bulgaria have incited controversy by wearing heavy metal t-shirts in court.
Four of the five teens accused of beating Georgi Kuzev to death in Plovdiv on August 4 appeared at their hearing on Friday (August 7) sporting merch by metal bands – namely Powerwolf, Mayhem, Pantera and Sepultura.
The fashion choice has become national news. Tabloid paper 24 Chasa (24 Hours) published a story with the headline, “Satanic black metal brings together teenage killers from Plovdiv” (translated from Bulgarian via Google). The article alleges that the bands “send aggressive messages and set an example of brutal violence for their fans”.
It focuses in particular on the past violent actions of Mayhem’s former bassist Varg Vikernes. In 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway’s then-maximum prison sentence) for murdering guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth and burning down Christian churches. He was released on parole in 2009.
On Facebook, 24 Chasa’s reporting has stirred up debate about whether or not heavy metal encourages violent behaviour.
One user comments (translated via Meta): “The problem is not with the t-shirts. It’s not with the music. The problem is much deeper – in moral values, in upbringing, in parental control, and most of all, in the absence of parents from their own children’s lives.”
“Neither Pantera nor Sepultura has anything to do with Satanism,” adds another. “Mayhem is a different story. But the music has absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Another commenter disagrees, writing: “This metal band [Mayhem] is quite crooked. I used to listen to them. Well, I didn’t become a murderer, but the group is definitely extreme and is associated with unpleasant things for normal people.”
Another adds: “It’s no coincidence that I don’t like rock, rap, metal and similar genres. Ever since my sister translated the titles of songs by Metallica and similar artists for me, I was horrified.”
Bulgarian TV channel Nova reports that the shirts have “led to many speculations that it was the children’s musical interests that prompted them to show aggression”.
The Plovdiv District Court ruled on Friday that the five teens had to remain in custody. A judge said that there was sufficient evidence to reasonably assume the defendants attacked Kuzev and that there was no evidence to suggest the victim provoked them. Two of the accused are making appeals which will be heard in court on Thursday (August 13).
According to prosecutors, the teens imitated an online far-right “paedophile hunter” group and set up a meeting between Kuzev and a 17-year-old girl posing as a 15-year-old. Kuzev was assaulted for an hour at Youth Hill, Plovdiv and sustained serious injuries. He died several hours after being taken to hospital.
Kuzev had never been charged with a sexual offence and prosecutors said he did not lie about his age during the online interactions with the girl.
None of the bands whose t-shirts were worn by the accused have commented on the matter.
Multiple heavy metal artists have been accused of encouraging violent behaviour before, though none have ever been found legally responsible for a crime committed by one of their fans.
In 1990, the parents of a young American man who attempted suicide took civil action against Judas Priest. They alleged that the band subliminally included the phrase “do it” in their 1978 song Better By You, Better Than Me, which encouraged the man and one of his friends to try and take their own lives. The case was ultimately dismissed.
Similarly, following the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, right-wing politicians and media outlets targeted shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, alleging that his music influenced the two shooters’ actions. In 2005, Ashley Bird, then-editor of Kerrang!, told The Guardian, “[Manson’s] songs are not about murdering people – his message is that there are a lot of people out there who feel forgotten and misunderstood.”
