Asgardsrei festival (Norwegian: 'The Ride of Asgard', i.e "The Wild Hunt") is an annual

National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal (also known as NSBM or Nazi black metal) is a small movement within the black metal music genre that promotes neo-Nazism, neo-fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM artists typically combine neo-Nazi im ...

(NSBM) festival in Kyiv, Ukraine. As a NSBM and

white power music White power music is music that promotes white nationalism. It encompasses various music styles, including rock, country, and folk. Ethnomusicologist Benjamin R. Teitelbaum argues that white power music "can be defined by lyrics that demonize ...

festival, it is one of the most popular events for

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

and

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

extremists and a meeting ground for white supremacist networks and organizations across Europe and America. Several of the organizers and bands regularly playing at the club Bingo during Asgardsrei festival have been convicted of murders, assaults and other

hate crimes Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their Physical appearance#Physiological ...

, and belong to organizations classified as terrorist groups by several European courts. It is named after the mythological Oskorei, also known as the Wild Hunt, which also was the name of a 1999 album by Absurd, which was seen as influential to the National Socialist black metal scene. Such bands that are participating in the festival include Absurd,

Peste Noire Peste Noire are a French black metal band from La Chaise-Dieu, France. The band was formed by "La sale Famine de Valfunde" (Ludovic Faure), also known simply as "Famine", in 2000. Their music uses standard black metal elements mixed with tradit ...

, Goatmoon, M8L8TH, and

Nokturnal Mortum Nokturnal Mortum are a Ukrainian black metal band from Kharkiv. They were one of the founders of the Ukrainian black metal scene and pioneers in the early National Socialist black metal ("NSBM") scene. History Nokturnal Mortum was originally ...

. The festival is strongly connected to Alexey Lyovkin of М8Л8ТХ, and his "Militant Zone" label, who act as organizers and originally founded the festival in Moscow in 2012. Lyovkin and the Militant Zone used to be heavily involved in the

Ukrainian nationalist Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Cossack uprising against the Poli ...

Azov Assault Brigade The 12th Special Forces Brigade "Azov" () is a formation of the National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in the coastal region of the Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. It was founded in May 2014 as the Azov Battalion (), ...

and are now in the paramilitary

Russian Volunteer Corps The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC; ) is a far-right paramilitary unit of Russia, Russian citizens, based in Ukraine. It was formed in August 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to fight against the Russia under Vladimir Putin, governm ...

References

Alt-right events Black metal controversies Far-right politics in Ukraine 2010s in Europe Music festivals in Ukraine National Socialist black metal {{music-festival-stub