On March 30, Dale Lyons, frontman of the Fredericton, New Brunswick metal band Siegebreaker, took to the band’s Facebook page to express his grievances with “modern feminism.” In the post—now deleted—he delicately refers to it as “The Cancer of Mankind.” As a result of these comments and the fury they ignited, the band is no more.
At the time of these remarks, Chart Attack reports, Siegebreaker was preparing to release a new EP, appropriately entitled Watch It Burn (oh, we most certainly did, Dale). Lyons composed his lines on feminism to contextualize one of the album’s songs entitled—you guessed it—“The Cancer of Mankind.” Here is Lyons, via Chart Attack, unpacking his metaphor in careful detail:
“Lyrically, [the song] deals with feminism. ‘Cancer’ is a metaphor for modern feminism, and ‘Mankind’ literally means the male gender.
Feminism is the single biggest reason why the Western world has become one huge toilet. Anyone who shares a dissenting opinion about feminism is absolutely slaughtered in the media, on the web, at work, at home, and in life. The double standards that feminists and their cronies have created is unacceptable and I refuse to bow to their pressure, threats or unchecked anger.
Just last night, while watching sports highlights on TSN, the two female anchors were making fun of a basketball player’s mustache. They called it ‘creepy’ (inferring he looks like a sexual deviant) and ‘immature’ (inferring he’s a child). COULD YOU IMAGINE if a male anchor made similar comments about a FEMALE sports star? He would be publicly humiliated, shunned, threatened and probably fired (unless of course he publicly apologizes for his ‘sins.’)
Feminism has seeped into the fabric of Western life so much that most people cannot see its dangerous influences in the world. In my opinion, feminism has failed completely. It’s become a circus, full of victim-first mentalities, double standards, and out-and-out lies. In time, the pendulum will swing back to the way it was, and that is when the Western World can get back on its feet and move forward. Traditional gender roles cannot simply be changed to fit into a social agenda — the two genders are DNA wired differently, and until feminists can see the harm they’re causing, they will remain blind to the facts.”
That’s pretty heavy stuff, Dale. Just one question: when you predict that “the pendulum will swing back to the the way it was,” exactly how far back are we talking? The Middle Ages? Or maybe you’re envisioning something more dystopian, à la The Handmaid’s Tale.
Free speech entitles the spewing of such garbage, but it does not protect said spewer from repercussions. Thus, The Capital Complex, the venue Siegebreaker had booked for their April 4 album release party, had no compunction canceling the band’s show. Their statement, originally posted to the club’s Facebook page, has also been deleted, but read as follows:
“Folks, it’s been an interesting day…
Certain viewpoints were publicly expressed by an artist. They have a right to an opinion, but their views and the way they wish to present them are not views we support here at The Capital. With that we have cancelled the performance and asked that they seek a different venue. We aim to keep it as positive and open here, and will continue to do so.”
After The Capital Complex made this announcement, CTV News publicized the venue’s condemnation of Lyons’s remarks — but by this time the original Facebook post had traveled across the internet at a rapid clip. “Some called it hate speech,” Chart Attack notes, and Siegebreaker faced acute scorn as a result.
Indeed, the backlash was so great that Lyons’s band members “decided to leave the band after threats [were] supposedly aimed at both their families and employers.” Lyons then posted to Facebook again, emphasizing that he alone is responsible for these comments:
Lyons was absolutely right to clarify that his views did not represent those of his bandmates. His sentiments are even kind of sweet, though as Chart Attack’s Chris Hampton writes, this protective measure “was a direct result of [Lyons] calling feminism ‘the single biggest reason why the Western World has become one huge toilet.’” That is not a detail easily overlooked.
On April 2 Lyons wrote once more to emphasize that Siegebreaker had dismantled in order to ensure the safety of its now-former members. He also specifies that “serious legal action against [The Capital Complex] for breach of contract is now being discussed.” The following day he uploaded a farewell vlog (posted above) to YouTube in which he engages in roving, free association for nearly eight minutes and gives the viewer (or at least this one) the distinct impression that she is burning in hell. At the conclusion Lyons asks, with palpable desperation, for fans to still purchase the album. “It’s six dollars. I’ll ship it anywhere in the world,” he pleads.
As of the evening of April 4, Lyons continues to update Siegebreaker’s Facebook page, most recently linking to an article regarding the breakup with the comment “Great to see that there’s still some ethics in journalism…”
