They're not Nazis says Leeds Labour MP caught up in heavy metal storm

The shadow justice secretary has hit back at claims that he is involved with a heavy metal band which appears to use Nazi symbols in a poster.

Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon said he had made a guest appearance on a track by rockers Dream Troll, reading out some spoken lines, but insisted the group had no connections with the far right.

Mr Burgon was responding to a report in the Sun which stated the band’s motto: “We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N Troll” uses two “S” letters in a font similar to Hitler’s SS.

Posting on Facebook, the shadow cabinet member said: “The other week, a local Leeds band - the wonderfully-named Dream Troll, whose members I’ve known since we were all heavy metal-obsessed teenagers - asked me, for a bit of fun, to do a guest appearance on their new song, reading a few lines to add dramatic effect to a classic swords and sorcery- style heavy metal narrative.

“I grew up in Leeds with members of this band. I have known them since we were teenagers. They are not politicians. They play in a (non political) heavy metal band for fun after work and on weekends. They are ordinary, decent blokes and there’s not a racist or Nazi bone in their bodies.”

Mr Burgon said the font was a copy of a classic heavy metal album.

“The real story is, they made a spoof/parody of the cover of a famous Black Sabbath record from the 1970s (Black Sabbath - We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N’ Roll).

“They are fans of Black Sabbath not neo-Nazis.”

Tory MP Charlie Elphicke told the Sun: “It’s a terrible misjudgment to associate with anyone who appears to enjoy Nazi iconography.”