Concerts by two metal bands due to be held at a major performance venue in İstanbul were canceled on Monday after local authorities imposed a two-day ban on all events at the site, citing concerns that the performances conflicted with “societal values,” Turkish Minute reported.
The Beşiktaş District Governor’s Office announced that concerts by Slaughter to Prevail and Behemoth, scheduled for this evening and Wednesday evening, respectively, had been called off.
The decision also suspended all concerts, festivals and ticketed events at the Zorlu Performing Arts Center (Zorlu PSM) as well as other event venues within the Zorlu Center complex, until late Wednesday night.
Zorlu Center is a large mixed-use complex in central İstanbul, located in the Beşiktaş district. Opened in 2013 it includes a high-end shopping mall, offices, residences and one of Turkey’s most prominent performance venues.
In a written statement the district governor’s office said the planned events had sparked reactions from various segments of society because they were deemed incompatible with “our societal values.”
İstanbul Governor Davut Gül echoed the decision in a post on X, saying authorities had not allowed and would not allow activities that “corrupt society.”
Slaughter to Prevail, a Russia-founded deathcore band, had been due to perform at Zorlu PSM on Monday evening, with tickets already sold through local platforms. The concert was canceled on the day it was scheduled to take place.
The Polish death metal band Behemoth’s concert, planned for Tuesday at the same venue, was also canceled, and both events were removed from Zorlu PSM’s official calendar and website.
Both bands had been targeted in recent days by conservative groups, with accusations circulating online that they promoted “Satanism” and calls for their concerts to be banned.
Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible addressed the cancellation in a short video message, denying the claims. “I believe in God,” he said, adding that he was saddened by the decision and unsure how to respond to the situation.
Behemoth had also been scheduled to perform in Ankara later this week, though no official statement has yet been made regarding that show.
The Polish band has previously performed in Turkey five times, including concerts in İstanbul, İzmir and Ankara, with its most recent appearance in İstanbul in 2019. Slaughter to Prevail last played in Turkey in 2024 at a venue in Beşiktaş.
The cancellations come amid growing criticism that Turkish authorities are increasingly restricting artistic expression by invoking broadly defined concepts such as “public morals” and “public order.”
Politicians, artists and rights groups say these provisions are being used to justify bans on concerts, songs, festivals and other cultural events in ways that amount to morality policing in a country that is constitutionally secular.
Critics argue that the practice has expanded beyond political or security-related content to include music, stage performances and visual art, prompting a backlash over what they see as the normalization of censorship under administrative and criminal law.
