DINH DOONG

In a twist no one could have predicted, Kyle Rittenhouse, the controversial figure at the center of the 2020 Kenosha protests, has canceled his much-anticipated appearance at Orlando’s Shell Shock II Metal Fest. The reason? The metal world has apparently succumbed to what Rittenhouse calls “wokeness,” leading him to pull out of the event and leave his metalhead fans scratching their heads.

“It’s just sad, really,” Rittenhouse told reporters in a statement that can only be described as part lament, part metal history lesson. “Metal was supposed to be the one place where freedom, rebellion, and just shredding your frustrations away were celebrated. But now it looks like metal’s gone woke. What happened to the days when metal was about defying the mainstream? Now it’s all about virtue-signaling and canceling people. Just sad.”

It all started when Shell Shock II, a charity festival aimed at raising money and awareness for veterans and first responders with PTSD, announced Rittenhouse as a special guest. The festival, known for its lineup of hardcore bands and mosh pits that can only be described as “organized chaos,” quickly found itself in the middle of a controversy that had nothing to do with music.

Rittenhouse was initially scheduled to appear as part of the festival’s initiative to include “influencers” who supported the cause. But once word got out that he would be attending, the backlash was swift. Bands began dropping out of the lineup faster than a Slayer guitar riff, with headlining act Evergreen Terrace leading the charge.

“We support veterans and raising awareness for PTSD, but we can’t align ourselves with an event that’s turning into a platform for someone like Kyle Rittenhouse,” the band said in a statement on Facebook. “Even after they offered to remove him from the event, we found other entities associated with the festival that we just don’t agree with. It’s not what we signed up for.”

Following Evergreen Terrace’s departure, other bands soon followed suit, including Southpaw, Let Me Bleed, and American Hollow. Each group released statements expressing their dismay at the festival’s decision to include Rittenhouse, highlighting the growing tensions between the metal community’s anti-establishment roots and modern political controversies.

The backlash wasn’t limited to the bands. Fans of the festival took to social media, voicing their frustration with the event’s decision to include a figure like Rittenhouse. Twitter and Reddit threads exploded with debates over free speech, political correctness, and the role of controversial figures in public events. Many questioned why a festival that was supposed to focus on supporting veterans and first responders had turned into a political battleground.

“Dude, I bought tickets to see my favorite bands, not to get dragged into a political circus,” one fan tweeted. “Metal’s supposed to be a safe space for everyone, not a place where you have to pick sides.”

As more bands and fans voiced their concerns, Rittenhouse, perhaps realizing that his presence had become a lightning rod for controversy, decided to cancel his appearance altogether. His reasoning? Metal, according to him, had gone soft.

“I didn’t sign up for a political circus either,” Rittenhouse said in a statement after his cancellation. “I came here to support a good cause, but I guess metal is no longer about rebellion or freedom of expression. It’s all about who can be the most politically correct. Just sad metal went woke like that.”

For many in the metal community, this was an eye-opening moment. Metal, a genre historically associated with rebellion, nonconformity, and pushing the boundaries of societal norms, was now embroiled in a culture war that threatened to tear it apart. On one side were the fans and bands who believed that metal should remain a space free from political interference, where controversial figures like Rittenhouse could still have a platform. On the other side were those who argued that metal, like all art, has an obligation to evolve and reflect the values of inclusivity and accountability.

“It’s kind of ironic,” said one longtime metal fan. “Metal was always about giving the middle finger to authority and fighting for freedom. Now it’s the fans and bands that are saying they don’t want certain people involved. Where does that leave the genre? Can metal still be metal if we’re canceling people?”

This divide is far from new. Over the past few years, the music world has increasingly become a battleground for debates over freedom of expression, political correctness, and the limits of free speech. While some artists and fans embrace inclusivity and social justice, others feel that the soul of the genre is being compromised by what they see as the creeping influence of “wokeness.”

Tyler Hoover, the founder and CEO of Shell Shock II, was not having any of it. In a now-viral Instagram rant, Hoover lambasted the bands and fans who had turned their backs on the festival, accusing them of losing touch with the core principles of metal and punk.

“I’m here to tell you that you’re not punk, you’re not metal, and you’re certainly not hardcore,” Hoover raged in a video that included more expletives than a Rage Against the Machine concert. “All these people trolling and talking smack? They’re the mentally ill portion of society. You’re the ones being manipulated by the mainstream media. Metal is about freedom, rebellion, and standing up for what you believe in.”

Hoover’s message was clear: Shell Shock II would go on, with or without the bands that had dropped out. In fact, he announced that the festival had replaced its headliners with a Slipknot tribute band called SiC, and he remained defiant in the face of the growing boycott.

“You can’t kill punk, you can’t kill metal, and you sure as hell can’t kill Shell Shock,” Hoover declared, adding that the festival’s mission of supporting veterans and first responders would remain unchanged. “We don’t discriminate. Everyone is welcome.”

As the dust settles on this latest chapter of the metal community’s ongoing identity crisis, one thing remains clear: the genre is at a crossroads. Can metal continue to be the rebellious, anti-establishment force it once was, or has it become just another battleground for modern political debates?

For Kyle Rittenhouse, the answer seems obvious. “Metal was supposed to be the last place where you could be yourself, speak your mind, and not care what others thought,” he lamented. “But now it looks like even that’s gone. Guess I’ll have to find a new scene. Just sad.”

Whether Rittenhouse’s departure from the metal festival scene will mark the end of his foray into the music world remains to be seen. What’s certain is that the conversation around politics, freedom, and the limits of expression in music is far from over.

And as Shell Shock II marches on, one can’t help but wonder: is metal truly at risk of going “woke,” or is this just another chapter in the long and storied history of a genre that thrives on controversy?

For now, fans can only wait to see if the spirit of metal will survive or if it too will be swept away in the ever-growing tide of cancel culture.

NOTE: This is SATIRE, it’s not True.

This Story Was Contributed By Hawaii For President Trump’s Third Term