Press release from Prophecy Productions and Voices Of Wonder

Dear partners,

It has come to our attention that Euphonious Rec. artist Kim Larsen / OF THE WAND AND THE MOON, and Prophecy Productions artists Markus Stock / EMPYRIUM and Uwe Nolte / ORPLID are being mentioned in a leaflet from a german based organization called "Grufties Gegen Rechts" - an organization with the purpose of fighting right-wing and nazi bands in the gothic / dark wave scene!! This organisation acts completely anonymous and uses the address of the Schlachthof culture centrum in Bremen to hide their real identity.

We would like to point out that to call Kim Larsen/ OF THE WAND AND THE MOON or Markus Stock / EMPYRIUM and Uwe Nolte / ORPLID a right-wing / nazi is the biggest lie we have ever heard!

"Grufties Gegen Rechts" doesn't seem to have any argumentation why any of them should be a right wing.

The only thing they cite Kim Larsen for is a quote from a Sonic Seducer interview, where he states "I have had an interest for this kind of music for a long time - bands like DEATH IN JUNE, SOL INVICTUS, CURRENT 93, DER BLUTHARSH, BLOOD AXIS, FIRE & ICE etc. have a big place in my heart". We can't see any good reason why liking this music should make Kim automatically a right wing! Another thing - Kim's former band SATURNUS, which he left about a year ago had an anti-nazi symbol on the back of their first album "Paradise Belongs To You" - a symbol which were present on the first eight Euphonious releases - and do "Grufties Gegen Rechts" actually think we would sign a nazi, after having these symbols on ?? Euphonious have even released two bands from Israel (MID AUTUMN NIGHTS and GRIMOIRE), so of course we would go ahead and sign a nazi (get the irony?).

Markus Stock of EMPYRIUM is accused because he answered in an interview "In Lucifer I find the symbol of enlightenment". Nobody explained us why this should be nazi-ideology. Everybody who ever heard of EMPYRIUM knows for sure that they are NOT nazi or right-wing.

Uwe Nolte of ORPLID is accused because they were (before they changed to Prophecy Productions) on the label Eis&Licht which is accused of being right-winged. Also the "Grufties gegen Rechts" cite "that they were proud of being on a compilation together with bands that create such artistic music as BLOOD AXIS, WALDTEUFEL, SCIVIAS etc. Is it forbidden to like these bands musically? Or is it because ORPLID were on Eis&Licht, a label which the "Grufties..." do not like obviously? We can't see the link between that. Is it like that when the boss of Sony / Epic is accused of being right-winged, then Michael Jackson is a nazi as well? Further on, they cite an interview from Sonic Seducer where the band is asked for what special scenes they create music. ORPLID answer that they do music for all kind of mature and healthy people beyond the borders of age and ideologies who like good music.
"Grufties gegen Rechts" are directly concluding: "What are ORPLID doing with sick and weak people then ?" Enough said.

Kim Larsen / OF THE WAND AND THE MOON, Markus Stock / EMPYRIUM and Uwe Nolte / ORPLID are not politically involved at all and have never been, so we can't see why "Grufties Gegen Rechts" have this big lust of hunting all the wrong people!!

It's almost a comical situation, as this organization also has accused the German journalist Thor Wanzek of being extremely right-wing. Having known these people for years, it for sure proves to us that "Grufties Gegen Nazis" are trying to put every individual who have a genuine, healthy interest in folklore and heathen themes in a box labelled as "right wings"!

We have nothing against the idea behind "Grufties Gegen Rechts", who takes distance to right wing / nazi bands in the gothic scene, but when they start to accuse people that have nothing to do with these ideologies, we think the game must stop!! It seems like a sick hunt for publicity for these guys!

Further on, this organisation acts anonymously and does not answer letters, email, registered letter or phone calls to clear out the situation for more than 5 months. So there is no interest from their side for the truth. In a open letter, one of their members writes that they are not "left", but "left-radical" and they are greeting with "red-black regards".

We won't shut up about this thing, as we can't tolerate "Grufties Gegen Nazis" trying to spoil the musically careers of Kim Larsen /  OF THE WAND AND THE MOON, Markus Stock / EMPYRIUM, Uwe Nolte / ORPLID and others, who have been victims of their twisted minds. Let justice win!

Please write a protest note to "Grufties Gegen Rechts" on
geister.bremen@gmx.de to voice your opinion!
Please pass this mail to all your contacts so that they can also write a protest. The truth must survive!

Any feedback to us is welcome! If you want more information, don't hesitate to contact us at euphonoius@vow.dk or martin@prophecyproductions.de

Best regards,

Peter Mesnickow for EUPHONIOUS RECORDS / VOICES OF WONDER, www.vow.dk
Martin Koller for PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS, www.prophecyproductions.de

PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS
Kurfürstenstr. 5
54492 Zeltingen-Rachtig
Deutschland
+49 (0) 6532 945020
+ 49 (0) 6532 945021
martin@prophecyproductions.de