Four members of the multinational punk/heavy metal collective TAU CROSS say they were “blindsided” by Relapse Records‘ decision to drop the band before the release of their third LP, “Messengers Of Deception”.

On Tuesday (July 2), TAU CROSS posted a statement saying that the band was “parting company” with Relapse because “circumstances have arisen that must put an end to our relationship.” Since the group’s third LP, “Messengers Of Deception”, was scheduled to come out on August 9 via the label, TAU CROSS said that it was “looking into other avenues to release the album.” At the same time, the disc’s first single, “Burn With Me”, was removed from streaming services and Relapse‘s Bandcamp and YouTube pages, as was the rest of TAU CROSS‘s discography.

Earlier today (Wednesday, July 3), Relapse label manager Rennie Jaffe released a statement explaining that the the company chose to sever its ties with the band due to the fact that TAU CROSS frontman Rob “The Baron” Miller (also of AMEBIX) “prominently thanked” Gerard Menuhin — a writer whose 2015 book, “Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil”, is said to reject many of the official and popular accounts of World War II — in the liner notes of “Messengers Of Deception”.

Now, Rob‘s TAU CROSS bandmates have issued their own statement in which they distanced themselves from Menuhin‘s writings while also insisting that they had no knowledge of Miller‘s apparent admiration for the author who has purported to have proof that the Holocaust is a myth.

Their statement reads as follows:

“This is a statement from Michel, Andy, Jon and Tom regarding the recent events with TAU CROSS and Relapse Records.

“On Monday, July 1st, the four of us received a very concerning e-mail from Relapse stating that they will not be releasing our upcoming album and severing all ties to any previous work. To say that we were blindsided by this news is an understatement.

“During initial production of the album, we were asked individually to provide our thanks list, which for us consisted of family and friends.

“Now, the four of us were informed that Rob Miller has submitted a thank you to a notorious right-wing author who none of us are familiar with. We promptly researched this author’s history and we are adamantly against anything relating to this kind of ugliness. We’ve been vigilant in our attempts to get answers as to why this has happened and, frankly, how it could possibly happen considering our background and beliefs.

“We are all crushed. We’ve worked so hard on this album — to have something of this nature destroy it is absolutely devastating. For the many of you who know us, you’re aware that we are sincere and honest with ourselves and with the world. TAU CROSS was an outlet for us to experience the love and passion we all have, while staying true to our beliefs and ideals. It is truly beyond comprehension to see it take this very unexpected turn.

“With that, we want to extend our love and appreciation to Relapse Records and all our friends and family who have supported us.

“With love and light, Michel, Andy, Jon and Tom

TAU CROSS is:

Rob “The Baron” Miller – bass, vocals
Andy Lefton – guitar
Jon Misery – guitar
Michel “Away” Langevin – drums
Tom Radlo – bass
James Adams – keyboards

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net