Cannibal Corpse Concert Stopped Mid-Show by Russian Police

Cannibal Corpse knew that entering Russia for a string of shows wouldn't be the easiest run of their career. After a number of shows had to be cancelled, Cannibal Corpse took the stage in Nizhny, Novgorod on Oct. 10, but halfway through the death metal legends' set, police raided the venue and pulled the plug on the show.

Last month, various Russian Orthodox activist groups began protests against Cannibal Corpse due to their violent lyrical themes. With a run of eight Russian shows planned, Cannibal Corpse did their best to play for Russian fans, but three shows were outright cancelled along with the Oct. 10 police raid cutting another show short.

In a new statement, Cannibal Corpse addressed the issues for their Russian fans:

A message to our Russian fans:

As you all are certainly aware by now, our concerts in Ufa, Moscow, and St. Petersburg were cancelled. We were present in these cities and ready to perform each of these shows but were not permitted to. In Ufa the power was turned off shortly before the show (we were told because the venue was late on rent), and in Moscow and St. Petersburg we were told that we did not have the correct visas and that if we attempted to perform the concert would be stopped by police and we would be detained and deported (prior to the tour we had been told that we did have the correct visas and that all of our paperwork was in order).

Our show in Nizhny Novgorod also had problems. In that city we performed half of our set before being stopped by police. We were told the police needed to search the venue for drugs and that the show had to be terminated.

These are the reasons for the cancellations as far as we have been told.

On the brighter side, we had a fantastic time performing in Krasnodar, Samara, Chelyabinsk, and Yekaterinburg. We were able to play our full set in all four of those cities.

We came to Russia excited and prepared to play all of the scheduled concerts, and we apologize that we were not able to do so. It was beyond our control. We are extremely disappointed. We have played in Russia many times and we love our Russian fans. Hopefully someday the situation for us in Russia will be different and we will be able to return.

Photos below document the Oct. 10 police raid, showing a massive paddy wagon outside while riot police blocked fans from the stage.

Cannibal Corpse are far from the first band to receive trouble in Russia. Two Pussy Riot members served the greater part of a two-year prison term after protesting against President Putin. Earlier this year, Behemoth were detained by Russian authorities overnight in putrid conditions before being ordered to leave the country. In addition, Marilyn Manson had a couple of shows called off due to protests and bomb threats.

Cannibal Corpse will continue on with their tour overseas with Revocation and Aeon. For a full list of dates, click here.

Russian Police Raid Cannibal Corpse Show:

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