The band is often associated with
right-wing politics, despite the fact that its members have distanced themselves from all forms of
political extremism in songs and interviews several times. Philipp Burger, Frei.Wild's singer, was part of the
neo-Nazi band Kaiserjäger (
Imperial Hunters) before founding Frei.Wild. Burger explained his engagement with Kaiserjäger as a youth folly, in a time when he was seeking rebellion. In 2008 he was associated with the right-wing party
Die Freiheitlichen for several months. He denies that he officially became a member. Their songs
Südtirol (South Tyrol) and
Wahre Werte (True Values) are often criticised as promoting
nationalism.
Südtirol contains the lines
"Kurz gesagt, ich dulde keine Kritik an diesem heiligen Land, das unsre Heimat ist, (...) Südtirol, du bist noch nicht verlorn, in der Hölle sollen deine Feinde schmorn." ("To make it short: I don't tolerate any criticism on this holy country, that is our home, (...) South Tyrol, you aren't lost yet, in hell your enemies shall burn."). The chorus of
Wahre Werte includes the lines
"Wann hört ihr auf, eure Heimat zu hassen? Wenn ihr euch Ihrer schämt, dann könnt ihr sie doch verlassen, (...) Sprache, Brauchtum und Glaube sind Werte der Heimat, ohne sie gehen wir unter, stirbt unser kleines Volk" ("When are you going to stop to hate your home country? If you are ashamed of it, you can leave it, (...) Language, tradition and belief are values of the home country, without them we will perish, our small nation will die."). The band often defends these lines by pointing out the
history of the German population in South Tyrol, explaining that the lines must be understood in the context of
italianization. Frei.Wild were nominated for the
2013 Echo Awards as Best National Rock/Alternative Group for their album
Feinde deiner Feinde, based on the number of records they had sold.
Kraftklub and
MIA., who were nominated in the same category, protested in response and asked to be removed from the nomination list. In reaction, Frei.Wild were excluded from the awards in order to avoid that the event would be overshadowed by a political debate.In February 2014, Frei.Wild were nominated as Best National Rock/Alternative Group for the
2014 Echo Awards again due to the commercial success of the album
Still. An ethical review committee, which had been created by the Echo's organizers in response to the public criticism to Frei.Wild's nomination in 2013, approved the band. == Discography ==