A promotional photo for the band Weimar. Photo: Reichi89 via Wikimedia Commons

The music company Universal Music Group has decided to sever ties with the German rock band Weimar after an investigation from a news outlet based in Germany revealed that some of the group’s members have had neo-Nazi affiliations, The Algemeiner has learned.

“Based on the information we recently learned from a journalist’s inquiry, we terminated our relationship with Weimar, which consisted of distribution of one album,” Universal Music Group in a statement. “That has been stopped with immediate effect. The information that has come to light made clear that any relationship with the band was absolutely unacceptable to us and inconsistent with our values. We feel deceived by the band. If we knew then what we know today, we would never have released the album in the first place.”

Three of Weimar’s four members met in the neo-Nazi scene in Thuringian in central Germany, according to an investigation conducted by the German publication Der Spiegel. The news outlet said band member Christian P. has been accused of spreading neo-Nazi propaganda and in 2002, he released an album named Murder Squad that featured a swastika on the cover and included antisemitic lyrics denying the Holocaust. He also allegedly has ties to Blood And Honour, an international far-right group that organizes neo-Nazi bands, and was accused of illegally possessing weapons.

Der Spiegel additionally noted that musician Steffen P., who goes by the name Kurt Ronny Fiedler in Weimar, has previously attended a right-wing concert and band member Konstantin P., who goes by the name Till Schneider in Weimar, was once in a neo-Nazi band called Dragoner that released songs also promoting Holocaust denial.

Weimar often performs and poses for photographs in masks. The band’s lyrics promote violence and call the media “bought puppets” as well as wolves and rats, Billboard noted. It added that Universal Music Group only recently made a distribution deal with Weimar through the band’s label, Harder Entertainment.

The group’s debut album Auf Biegen Und Brechen (Bending And Breaking) was released in May and reached number five on the German albums chart. Der Speigel suggested that Weimar’s deal with Universal may have been organized by the manager of the Italian band Frei.Wild, which has also been accused of having far-right ties.

Following Universal’s announcement, Weimar’s tour has also been cancelled and the band’s online shop, as well as its accounts on Spotify, YouTube and all other streaming services, have been taken offline “until further notice,” the band confirmed on Facebook.

The tour’s promoter reportedly said it was not aware of the band members’ “questionable pasts,” which “run counter to all our convictions.”

The band denied having any current connections to extreme far-right groups in a statement posted on social media on Sunday. Its members said they “expressly distance themselves from violence, extremism of any form, xenophobia, racism, homophobia and the fatal misbelief of history, that seems to be repeated to this day, that some people are better than others.” The German rock group also told The Algemeiner that Universal Music Group’s decision to part ways with Weimar “did not come as a surprise to the band.”

Universal Music Group did not respond to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment.