Extreme metal fans likely remember the controversy that arose in August when Polish shredders Behemoth claimed they got kicked out of a YMCA. At the time, band leader Nergal said his Darkthrone shirt and religious beliefs (or lack thereof) were to blame for the ejection. However, it turns out the story was a fabrication.

The admission emerged Tuesday (Nov. 12) in an interview focused on another t-shirt spectacle involving the musician. Last month, Nergal reportedly angered some left-leaning metal fans when he donned a 'Black Metal Against Antifa' shirt and shared images of the garment online. In explaining this provocation, he admitted that he lied about the YMCA situation three months ago.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Nergal told Kerrang! this week when asked why his Antifa t-shirt stirred debate among Behemoth fans. "First of all, people misinterpret things on the spot. They don't ask questions anymore. It made headlines everywhere. And I like stirring the shit up — that's my nature. I like trolling, and I like provoking people. Remember that story of me being rejected from the YMCA?"

He continued, "Orion [Behemoth bassist] and I went, but we had to go back to another gym, and I just made up the story that we were rejected because of our beliefs, blah, blah, blah. Man! It made headlines all over the place. People are being fucking outraged… people saying that I should get beaten, that my opponents would just be happy about that. And I'm just reading all these comments and all these headlines and I'm going, like, 'Why?' No one would bother to ask me if it's true — because it wasn't true — I made up a story. It was again another occasion that I [realized] how it's easy to manipulate people, how to fool them around and just make whatever you want to do."

At the time the YMCA ejection was purported to have occurred, Behemoth were touring the United States with Slipknot on the Knotfest Roadshow tour alongside fellow support acts Volbeat and Gojira.

When Nergal spun the story back in August, Darkthrone responded with the following comments. "So [Nergal] was kicked out of a gym in the States where [Behemoth] are currently on tour yesterday because he was wearing a Darkthrone shirt and they asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ," the band replied. "I didn't know if I should laugh or cry when I heard about it."

Behemoth will again join Slipknot when the masked midwestern metalheads set off on a tour of Europe and the United Kingdom early next year. To obtain future Slipknot concert tickets, head here.

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