I hate how, despite metal having nothing to do with goth, this is STILL a thing that has to be clarified in our subculture
You can like as much metal as you want, but the moment you, as someone representing yourself as a goth, start defending and openly supporting artists like that, you've given a foot in the door for people who want to bring problems that have plagued that genre for years into our subculture as well. You've invited them in as surely as someone wearing an iron cross over fashion inspired by a certain military uniform to goth night (don't try that, by the way - these days, you'll get kicked out for it).
Being a goth and a metalhead at the same time is relatively common and welcome; both of our subcultures have a history of being alternative music-centered worlds that often seek beauty in the dark. But they have different histories and have historically had different values.
Goth has always been an area where androgyny and blending elements of gender presentation are common and lead to a lot more acceptance of queer identities and presentation than much of the rest of society. It is also a world-spanning subculture with members of many races and religions. It's not a perfect bastion of inclusivity and it has had problems in the past, but the heart and soul of goth is, fundamentally, one that opposes traditional values and ideas regarding more restrictive cultural norms. Goth couldn't exist the way it does if that wasn't the case. It is strengthened by openly embracing diversity.
That's not to say there isn't any of that in metal; there undeniably is. But while goth has had a few individuals or bands here and there that have embraced fascism, whether ironically or seriously, metal has, historically, had much more of a problem with it - especially the 90s black metal world the artist mentioned came from. White supremacy was adopted by metalheads as a way to make the genre more shocking and scary and was wholeheartedly embraced by a huge portion of the black metal scene in particular. It did a ton of damage and caused black metal to become a haven for fascists, many of whom openly committed acts of violence for shock value. While the murder Vikernes committed wasn't explicitly about fascism per se, it isn't the only act of violence committed by members of that scene in the 90s.
Many people within metal, especially black metal, have worked to change this. There is an entire subgenre DEDICATED to nazi themes and ideology (NSBM), but there is also anarchist black metal that is explicitly anti-fascist and a lot of people in the scene, both musicians and fans, who fight tooth and nail to make metal a more inclusive space. But things can get ugly. While anti-fascist goth music is very much a thing (e.g. Suzi Sabotage's "Nazi Goths Fuck Off" and countless deathrock bands and songs), most of it arose organically out of goth's historic connections to punk and not in response to the level of racism black metal has suffered from. Goth has had issues with fascist bands, but never on that scale or in a way that has permeated the subculture ao deeply.
All of this is to say, we don't want the problems Vikernes has been instrumental in promoting in black metal. While goth isn't 100% fascist-free or without issues, it's never been as bad as that, and trust me, we don't want it to be. At least here, the bigots have always been a minority that often find themselves unwelcome; it's never been a breeding ground for hateful ideologies in the same way. Countless people have found an accepting and welcoming sanctuary in goth as a more open-minded world than what exists outside it, and I've seen many goths go to bat against bigots who try to make their way into our spaces.
There is SO MUCH black metal that is both musically incredible and non-fascist or even openly and loudly opposed to fascism. Look up bands like Wolves in the Throne Room instead if you're so interested in it. I'm absolutely not saying that the entire subculture or genre are bad, or that goth is inherently superior; as I said, our own subculture is far from perfect and has never been as inclusive as it should be, especially regarding race. I'm saying that if you want to openly embrace both subcultures/genres, you need to be careful about allowing an attitude that is, unfortunately, all too common in black metal spaces to seep into goth and make it worse.
Don't make the mistakes Madi Danger made when she openly defended her friend for making jokes that flirted with fascism, his antisemitism, his habit of forcing people out of a goth space she created because he didn't like their marginalized identities or their open opposition to nazi aesthetics and ideology, and his use of references to a murder Vikernes committed to blow a loud dogwhistle and hint at sharing Vikernes' ideologies - something Madi laughed off as "just a meme you wouldn't understand because it's a black metal thing."
If you're going to be a goth and a black metal fan, more power to you. But take my advice as someone who is similarly into a genre that's known to be infested with fascists (neofolk) - with goth, you don't necessarily need to research every band you like unless something comes up. With genres like neofolk and black metal, just save yourself some time, do yourself a favor, and Google "x band politics" as soon as you hear a song you like. There are myriad resources out there that will tell you if they're sketch. You can also look up "antifascist black metal bands" and find tons - there's an entire sub reddit for that exact topic, iirc.
You'll save yourself from unknowingly giving money to evil people, from falling in love with a band only to learn they're trash, and from having those ideologies subtly worm their way into your belief system through lyrics and ideas expressed by bands (which may be done crypitcally on purpose to slowly trick you into agreeing with them - it's called cryptofascism). You'll save yourself from bringing ideas into goth spaces that make people uncomfortable, cause problems, and may result in either marginalized people and their allies leaving or you being pushed out to protect them. I can't tell you how many times I've avoided a bad band in a genre known for these problems with a simple, quick Google search.
Just stop trying to defend openly fascist artists. It's antithetical to the values of goth and puts you at odds with the rest of the goth community. If we want our subculture to be a safe place for marginalized people, if we want the benefits of inclusivity, we can't be defending ideologies of extermination.
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