Earlier today we posted about Tau Cross' new album Messengers Of Deception being cancelled midway through its promotional cycle by Relapse Records. The band said "Circumstances have arisen that must put an end to our relationship," and at the time Relapse had not commented on the cancellation. Now we've received a statement from Relapse Records label manager Rennie Jaffe regarding the issue.
Jaffe says the issue stems from Tau Cross vocalist Rob Miller thanking Gerard Menuhin in the album's liner notes, who Jaffe adds German magazine Ox pointed out is "a far right conspiracy theorist, focused specifically on Holocaust denial." Jaffe says the rest of Tau Cross were unaware of who Menuhin is, "and were as shocked by these references in the record, as we at the label were."
Read the full statement below.
"Over the weekend the German magazine Ox brought it to our attention that a person named Gerard Menuhin was prominently thanked in the new Tau Cross album, and specifically credited in the liner notes for inspiring Rob Miller. All Relapse records go through a vigorous proofing process–checking for spelling and punctuation mistakes, mostly. We all read this name, but didn't recognize it or think that it was anything other than a personal friend of the band's, that we did not know. Ox however recognized the name as a far right conspiracy theorist, focused specifically on Holocaust denial. Suddenly the lyrics and themes of the new record were cast in a new light, for me. I spoke with Rob Miller, who is the individual in the band who Ox was interviewing, and while he denied being a Holocaust denier, I cannot comfortably work on or sell a record that dabbles in ideologies such as these. There are certain issues that rise above mere political differences and this is one of them. I spoke with the rest of the band on Monday, and NONE of them had any idea who Gerard Menuhin was, and were as shocked by these references in the record, as we at the label were. I firmly believe that these references and mentions in the record do not represent the band as a whole. but rather just Rob Miller's. In light of all this, Relapse swiftly decided we cannot move forward with this album–we gave the masters back to the band, together with the rest of their catalog."
