Polish Behemoth and Russian Slaughter to Prevail were supposed to play this week, but the concert venue's permit was revoked, the governor of Istanbul's Besiktas district announced.
The announcement comes after pressure from the newspaper Yeni Akit, which has close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP.
In an article titled "The Devil's Satanic Children Come to Istanbul," the bands are accused of "spreading Satanic propaganda and poisoning the minds of young people."
Slaughter to Prevail's singer Alex Terrible said on Instagram that the Satanism allegations "are completely untrue" and that he "believes in God," but that the band did not intend to defy the authorities.
