Rookie group C9 EPEX under fire for referring to the Nazi massacre in their new song
Netizens and international fans ask EPEX and C9 Ent to apologize
EPEX, C9 Entertainment’s rookie boy group, has just made a comeback with the title song “Anthem of Teen Spirit (학원 歌)”. However, many international fans are demanding a response from the company because both the lyrics and the music video for the song allude to events related to the Holocaust – the genocide committed by the Nazis.
The music video is violent and contains images of guns. The lyrics, on the other hand, go even farther by mentioning a “crystal night“:
Boom (Hey, yeah)
“Anthem of Teen Spirit”
I see them burning raw
Crystal night is coming
Click, clack, brrr, like
Boom (Hey, yeah)
This is a battlefield
Back up, back up
Chase and flee (Oh)
According to Wikipedia, Crystal Night (Kristallnacht) was a Holocaust that took place on November 9 and 10, 1938. At that time, a violent riot broke out throughout Nazi Germany against the Jewish people. Jewish homes, schools, hospitals, and other buildings were ransacked and demolished, leading to the destruction of over 7,000 businesses and the arrests of over 30,000 Jewish men, who ended up in concentration camps.
In the MV, the group’s costumes are also reminiscent of the Nazi Party uniforms led by Hitler.
In addition, the cover of the album “Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. ’21st Century Boys'” also featured an image of an eagle – an animal symbolizing Nazi power.
This is not the first time EPEX has been criticized for its sensitive concept. When they first debuted in June 2021 with “Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety“, the group was criticized for using bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder as a recurring theme throughout the album.
