A fan of the thrash metal band Exodus was arrested for posting a quote from one of the band’s songs on Facebook in August. Friends on his social media page contacted authorities after suspecting the fan of promoting terrorism.

Photo by Marv Watson

Metal fans beware; your love of Exodus could land you in jail.

That’s what 31-year-old James Evans learned after he posted a lyric from the band’s song “Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)” as his status on Facebook last month.

On August 24, 2014, Evans posted the following on his Facebook page, “Student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood splattered treatise of hate. Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends in debate.” It is a line from an Exodus song, but Evans’ family said some people took it a little too seriously.

A person who subscribes to his news feed was concerned about the content of this post and thought Evans was threatening to commit violence. Muhlenberg County school resource officer Mike Drake said worried citizens called multiple agencies to check in on Evans. They issued a warrant for his arrest.

The arrest warrant said he “threatened to kill students and or staff at school.” His case is currently being deferred until he undergoes a court-ordered mental evaluation. So far, Evans has spent eight days in jail for the alleged crime.

Exodus doesn’t agree with the authorities in this case. The band recently issued a statement about the charges, saying:

The band EXODUS does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying. That being said, the band is somewhat baffled by the fact that this man being charged for what seems against his first amendment rights of Freedom of Speech.

Guitarist Gary Holt also had a few unminced words about the fan’s arrest. He said:

The idea that an individual in this great country of ours could be arrested for simply posting lyrics to a song is something I never believed could happen in a free society. James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it. The song ‘Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)’ was written as a view through the eyes of a madman and in no way endorses that kind of fucked up behavior. It was the Virginia Tech massacre perpetuated by Seung-Hui Cho that was the subject and inspiration to write the song, one in which we put the brakes on playing it live after the Sandy Hook shooting, as we did not want to seem insensitive.

Holt empathizes with people who lost loved ones, but he said it’s not an excuse to arrest Evans:

As some of us in EXODUS are parents, of course these things hit close to home, it’s every parent’s worst fear. These moments are the stuff of nightmares, and life, as well as music, isn’t always pretty. But when we start to overreact to things like lyrics by any band, including EXODUS, and start arresting people, we are caving in to paranoia and are well on our way to becoming an Orwellian society.

Listen to the song that got Evan’s in trouble with the law here: