According to a report in Reuters, Swedish black metal outfit Watain has had their Singapore show scheduled for tonight canceled after concerns of the band "denigrating religions and promoting violence," were voiced by the authorities. The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) said it canceled the concert following an assessment submitted to it by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).


Official statement of Reuters:

Watain live has gained an avid following thanks to its nightmarish live shows, which have included performing Satanic ceremonies on stage and dousing their fans with blood. The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) said it canceled the concert following an assessment submitted to it by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

"MHA has expressed serious concerns about the concert, given the band's history of denigrating religions and promoting violence, which has potential to cause enmity and disrupt Singapore's social harmony", the IMDA said in a statement. "MHA has therefore asked IMDA to consider cancelling the concert for reasons of public order, and IMDA has agreed."

Band members were not immediately available for comment.

Singapore keeps a tight rein on public speech and the media, especially when it comes to matters related to race and religion, but bans are fairly rare. Future Music Festival Asia was canceled by the Singapore government in 2015 due to worries it might encourage drug use. Drug trafficking is punishable by death in Singapore.

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Additional infos and details regarding this cancelation.

Published by Coconuts Singapore:

Satanic panic has gripped the conservative citizens of Singapore, and they're not afraid to summon forth the righteous wrath of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in an ancient ritual known as Signing Petitions.

As of writing, over 15,000 signatures have been gathered in an appeal to get the government to ban heavy metal bands Watain and Soilwork from putting on performances here - the former due to play tonight at Ebenex Live Space, the latter in October at the same venue.

For the uninitiated, Watain is a Swedish black metal band known for its intensely nightmarish live shows - usually involving Satanic imagery, pyrotechnics, rotting animal carcasses, and blood. Lots of blood. In 2014, fans who attended their Brooklyn show were doused in pig's blood, causing some of them to throw up and cry. Nobody complained though.

Soilwork, on the other hand, is a melodic death metal outfit, also from Sweden. They're not as controversial as Watain and aren't at all associated with the Satanic metal scene.


Nonetheless, a Rachel Chan was concerned enough about the bands' lyrical content to launch a petition on Change.org.

"These heavy metal bands do not represent the culture which we want in our youths," she wrote. "Their subliminal messages in their songs include death and suicide. Sign this petition to get our lawmakers to ban these bands from performing in Singapore."

If her concern is about the Satanic themes in the music (Watain's at least), Chan's not wrong. The members of Watain are proud and devout Devil worshippers, and have claimed to wear clothing they buried in a graveyard. Part of their stage setup involves an actual altar to Satan, which the band's frontman Erik Danielsson occasionally kneels in front of throughout performances.

Source:	reuters.com
Band profile:	Watain