This NJ Metal Show on Junteenth Weekend Is Dodgy AF

Here we go again with Kyle Powell and his Nazi-tinged “Vengeance Fest”! Yeah, he’s still crying about an-TEE-fa coming for him and his shows, but he wants to make it a challenge this time!

There has only been scant buzz in about an annual black metal show known for inviting Nazi-embracing bands to perform taking place on the weekend of Juneteenth in New Jersey, but promoter Kyle Powell is deathly worried that might change.

He has reason to be. In 2018, his “Vengeance Festival III” almost didn’t happen once people got word of some of the bands he booked, particularly Nyogthaeblisz, Intolitarian and Northern, all considered National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) bands. When Dingbatz, the Clifton, NJ club that hosted the event started seeing the anger directed at them, Powell told club owners those three bands will not play the show. Ultimately, the bands did play, and Dingbatz owners said they will never work with Powell or his K.E.P. Productions again.

On the weekend of June 19 and 20, Powell is promoting “Vengeance Festival V”, and this time he is promoting it as being held at an undisclosed location and by invitation only. In addition Intolitarian was initially on the flyer for this event, but were curiously removed and another band called Dronefuhrer was in its place. Dronefuhrer is touted as being from Germany, but no information could be found online about them. Responding to a question about the removal of Intolitarian from the bill on the Facebook page of Cazz Grant, a onetime member of the Nazi band Grand Belial’s Key, Powell cleared up any confusion, posting, “Dronefuhrer is an Intolitarian, Sturmführer, Methadrone set,” and also teasing a special guest that will be “downright destructive.”

Sturmführer and Methadrone are solo projects of Craig Pillard, who was kicked out of the band Disma after his Nazi leanings cost them several shows. Disma is also performing at the event.

Powell’s support for hatemongering bands doesn’t stop at those he promotes. The singer of the band Engorge, a photo of him on his Facebook page features him holding a semi-automatic rifle while wearing a T-shirt that reads “Burn Your Local Mosque” in a image. That image on the shirt comes from a relatively unknown band called Mogh, that touts its music as “anti-Islamic black metal”. The image, which was featured on T-Shirts they sold, eventually became a meme used regularly by NSBM fans.

While some have speculated that Dingbatz is hosting the show next month, there has been no evidence to that.

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