Tau Cross, the underground metal supergroup featuring members of Voivod and Amebix, have been dropped by Relapse Records after citing a holocaust denier as lyrical inspiration.
Singer Rob Miller, who also fronts crust-punk icons Amebix, thanked Gerard Menuhin in the liner notes of Tau Cross’ forthcoming debut album, Messengers Of Deception.
Menuhin, the son of noted violinist Yehudi Menuhin, is the author of the book Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil, which claims that the Holocaust is “the biggest lie in history.”
The controversy came to light when German magazine interviews Ox pointed out the links between Menuhin and the Holocaust denial movement.
“I spoke with Rob Miller… and while he denied being a Holocaust denier, I cannot comfortably work on or sell a record that dabbles in ideologies such as these,” said Relapse Records label manager Rennie Jaffe. "There are certain issues that rise above mere political differences and this is one of them."
“I spoke with the rest of the band on Monday, and none of them had any idea who Gerard Menuhin was, and were as shocked by these references in the record, as we at the label were. I firmly believe that these references and mentions in the record do not represent the band as a whole. but rather just Rob Miller’s. In light of all this, Relapse swiftly decided we cannot move forward with this album–we gave the masters back to the band, together with the rest of their catalog.”
The other members of Tau Cross, who also feature Voivod drummer Michel ‘Away’ Langevin, put out their own statement in the wake of the controversy.
This is a statement from Michel, Andy, Jon and Tom regarding the recent events with Tau Cross and Relapse Records.
“The four of us were informed that Rob Miller has submitted a thank you to a notorious right-wing author who none of us are familiar with. We promptly researched this author’s history and we are adamantly against anything relating to this kind of ugliness. We’ve been vigilant in our attempts to get answers as to why this has happened and, frankly, how it could possibly happen considering our background and beliefs.
“We are all crushed. We’ve worked so hard on this album—to have something of this nature destroy it is absolutely devastating. For the many of you who know us, you’re aware that we are sincere and honest with ourselves and with the world. Tau Cross was an outlet for us to experience the love and passion we all have, while staying true to our beliefs and ideals. It is truly beyond comprehension to see it take this very unexpected turn.”
