In the 90s, Parisian electronics often appeared in public with black bags on their heads, and for photo shoots they preferred to buy a variety of idiotic Halloween masks. Even in the early 2000s, Daft Punk could look like this, for example. Designed for the musicians by an unknown friend from France and loved by them to this day, the helmets were once with wigs - one with curly hair, the other with loose hair - but then Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalte decided: let them be better bald. Paparazzi catch Daft Punk faces here and there - there are more than a dozen photos - while the musicians' headwear has become a cult item: for example, it is described in detail about their modifications in different eras - from "Discovery" to "Tron".
For what
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the musicians spoke succinctly: "We are interested in the border between fiction and reality - so it was interesting to create fictional characters that now exist in the real world."
What are the masks
Giant eyeballs have been hiding the identities of American avant-garde artists for more than forty years. In 1985, a mask was stolen from one of the band members - so a man named Mr. Skull, choosing just a skull as the new one. The eyeball, however, was returned - but the group considered it "too dirty" and decided not to use it again. The Residents' image is still associated primarily with eyeballs, but now there is a man named Randy Rose in the group - he is hiding behind the mask of an old man.
For what
The elusive The Residents never give interviews and therefore didn't bother to explain to anyone why they wear masks. For this, in fact, they wear.
What are the masks
Thrash-metal parodists from Virginia donned not only masks, but also frightening costumes, inventing a story for themselves: in fact, Gwar were not born in America, but flew from space to exterminate the remnants of life on Earth. Frontman David Brockie - that is, of course, Oderus Urungus, "an intergalactic barbarian humanoid with devilish horns" - was found dead last week, so whether Gwar will be donning alien costumes again is unclear. The band Lordi, wildly similar at first glance to Gwar, Brocky called them the "children's version".
For what
On the one hand, to attract attention - Gwar and became popular primarily due to costume shows. On the other hand, according to the legend, they were born that way.
Photo: Getty Images/Fotobank
What is the mask
Once Joel Thomas Zimmerman, changing the video card, found a dead mouse in the system unit. How she crawled in there and how long she lay there is unclear - but, judging by the stench that reigned in Zimmerman's room, for a long time. After that, Zimmerman changed his nickname from Halcyon441 to Deadmau5 - and the electronic musician, who is now gathering stadiums in America, chose the appropriate mask.
For what
Dislike of DJs and an accompanying desire to distance themselves from them: Deadmouth sees nothing interesting in mixing tracks live, and hopes that those engaged in such activities will die out like dinosaurs.
Photo: Getty Images/Fotobank
What is the mask
Designed specifically for SBTRKT, inspired by the tribes of either Africans or American Indians - at least triangles, according to the creator of the mask, most likely came from the Congo. A simple idea - to convey the spirit of ancient rituals - sometimes gets an original embodiment at concerts: at the Bestival festival, masks almost the same as those of the London electronics engineer were handed out to a huge crowd. It is curious what he experienced, watching from the stage for a crowd of two thousand, similar to himself.
For what
“To create a new identity that is not connected to my face or my biography. The music that you or your creative alter ego makes is not necessarily related to who you really are." ( from an interview with Complex)
Photo: flickr.com/photos/alanwhitney
What is the mask
Multi-coloured, torn, with pigtails, made by Lightning Bolt drummer-vocalist Brian Chippendale, it looks like it was for Mexican wrestling or a circus performance in purgatory. A few years ago, during an appearance at the ATP festival, Chippendale revealed that he had to create a new mask because one of the fans stole the old one: “I've been trying to keep track of where my mask is since then. This strange Briton ... He somehow really needed it. By the way, the Briton Chippendale figured out and with the help of his brother (!) returned the mask to himself. But he only put on a new one.
For what
Chippendale, it seems, was not asked, but this is understandable - to increase intimidation: he puts on a mask only during concerts, which Lightning Bolt, without exaggeration, one of the most fierce.
There is nowhere to buy, how to make it is also not clear; apparently, the truth can only be stolen during a concert, which usually looks like this
For what
Each has its own story and explanation. Sean Crahan was the first from Slipknot to put on a mask - he was simply afraid to go on stage without it. But vocalist Corey Taylor, for example, claims: masks are the second essence of musicians; it, for example, expresses the inner world that Taylor hates.
Photo: 4ad.com/artists/zomby
What is the mask
Of the huge list of masked musicians (of course, in the comments they will ask “where are Clinic, Mushroomhead, Mr. Bungle, MSTRKRFT, The Mummies etc.) electronics Zombie is almost the only one who does this with a clear selfish goal: so that they don’t find out and not beaten by promoters or spectators for another very bad or completely canceled concert. After the Moscow performance, in which Zombie stupidly played random tracks from iTunes, the audience even asked if the musician actually came to Russia.
For what
“My mask has nothing to do with rebellion. I have nothing to do with rebellion. I just want to make great music and disappear into the sky." (From Dazed)
Daft Punk
It was impossible not to start with this iconic French DJ duo. From the very end of the 90s, when these amazing musicians began to light up the dance floors, helmets were put on their heads. These are stylish, brilliant masterpieces, with constantly changing LED lighting. At that time, such experiments were new, so these guys caused a real visual delight. In all their years of performing, Daft Punk have never taken off their helmets, except to improve them. But on the Internet there are a lot of photos of guys without helmets. Search if interested.
Marshmello
The identity of this DJ is still a mystery. Some speculate that he is the American DJ Chris Comstock, because there is too much overlap in the biography of these two. His progressive house and trap is already adored by the whole world. In addition, he is one of the most recognizable DJs on the planet. Still, it's hard not to pay attention to a man who wears a giant marshmallow on his head. By the way, he has his own explanation for the disguise. "I just want to make good music and it doesn't require you to know who I am," the famous partymaker says in every interview.
Squarepusher
This is one of the most famous DJs in the UK. He makes tracks in the styles of drill and bass, experimental jungle, acid and IDM. Thomas Jenkinson (real name) is not hiding from anyone at all, and his mask serves a very different purpose. He does not try to hide her identity or attract attention. Squarepusher's mask literally syncs with the LED show every time. She exists only to complement the delightful spectacle he puts on the stage.
Deadmau5
Perhaps the most outstanding of our list. Canadian Joel Thomas Zimmerman once went through the "innards" of his computer (or rather, replaced the video card) and accidentally found a dead mouse there. He tweeted about what happened to people and quickly earned the nickname "that guy with the dead mouse". At that time, he was already a DJ and decided to make this situation his hallmark: he took the pseudonym dead Mouse (later changed to Deadmau5), put on a mouse mask and set off to storm the world stage.
Cazzette
No rating ever goes without the Swedes, and ours did not. They appeared in 2011 and thundered with their tracks "Beam Me Up" and "Sleepless". Undoubtedly, the voluminous music cassettes that they wear on their heads played a role in their history. By the way, very unusual cassettes: messages for fans are scrolled on the lower luminous part of the masks during the concert.
Bonus: Kush Kush
These guys didn't make it into the top five just because they don't have as much experience behind them as the others. But not to mention them would be a crime. They appeared this year and blew up all the world charts with their debut track, and then with the video "Fight Back With Love Tonight". And these doge preferred to disguise themselves in full: they hid their names, and put on the masks of Scandinavian hares on their faces. So far, we've only glimpsed them in their one and only video. But, judging by how chic he went, the guys have a great future.
Last week, Nergal "made friends" with the frontman of the Swedish occult rock band GHOST, who calls himself Papa Emeritus II and carefully hides his identity under church vestments, skull-like makeup and other darkly masquerade paraphernalia. The Pole, either in a joyful frenzy, or without thinking, posted a photo with "dad" as he is on his Instagram, and in a couple of minutes this picture circled the world's metal media. So here you are, they say, what a Swedish ghost!
The Swedes, however, were not very offended by Adam. They even stated in a recent (and since the treachery photo incident) interview that he's a cool dude and they like him. “It’s hard to say anything about the very fact of the “exposure,” one of the team members noted (yes, they don’t give their names, of course; everyone in the team is Nameless Ghoul), we try to keep the veil of secrecy over GHOST, so dense , as much as possible. But something like that must happen sometime... We don't like it, but what can we do... Nevertheless, we will try to keep the rest of the secrets - as we have been doing for many years. More succeeds.” In the meantime, let's hope Nergal is ashamed, let's remember other metalists who have put a fantastic bright, memorable image, costumes, masks and other visual special effects at the forefront.
But first, since we are talking about them, GHOST(they are GHOST B.C. in the USA due to the presence of a team with the same name). The band formed in 2008 and have since released two full-length albums. In Scandinavia they are incredibly loved; a rich, hit mixture of heavy, hard rock and traditional doom (the most common associations are BLACK SABBATH, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, WITCHFINDER GENERAL), heavily saturated with occult-satanic themes, quickly acquired thousands of fans and admirers. And the second album Infestissumam(2013), whose title is a direct reference to the Antichrist, won a national Grammis nomination for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" in Sweden. Perhaps the team owes much of its success to its harsh sectarian appearance, to all these sepulchral mysteries and sacred signs. Or maybe just talent and a taste for good music.
monsters from LORDI- a vivid example of the fact that a thoughtful and spectacular outfit can instantly make you a world celebrity. Plus a simple but powerful hit. "Eurovision". Once - and in the ladies! Horror rock, pyrotechnics, complex and carefully adjusted decorations - the image is everything for them, and it is better to die than to open up. (And alas, we saw some faces; others, having “surrendered” their persona to the media space,.) “Masks not only do not interfere with us,” he said, “they pay our bills! Of course, they are hot, you sweat and you can't move as freely as in normal clothes, but… we look cool!!!”
GWAR- an unpleasant four-letter word immediately comes to mind when you hear about masks, shock rock and brutal productions. This is largely a theater: the role of the same character throughout the long (since 84 years) history of the team could be played by dozens of people. And even when, an old-timer and vocalist since 1986, it quickly became clear: he is not indispensable either. GWAR is too well made to disappear with the death of a person. According to legend, the team is made up of ancient monsters who arrived from outer space. And on every album they attack the Earth, they destroy America, they do lewd things… for 13 studio albums in a row. Plus the constant trash, orgies, violence, humor, gore - the product, in general, is completely enchanting and, it seems to me, primordially American.
SLIPKNOT. One of the most successful bands in the history of metal… ie. alternative metal. Formed in 1995, the guys started with secrets and legends. Each had its own number from zero to eight, its own mask, its own jumpsuit and its own story, diligently studied and outlined by the fans. Then - with the release of each of the albums - the image varied a little. Well, having become hostages of fame, cult status and love for side projects, in the 2000s the guys quietly began to emerge from the dusk, appearing in front of people as they are, in a civil and unvarnished (and sometimes, by banter, and). By the way! Since we're talking. Corey Taylor just announced that the new, long-awaited album is 98% ready. Let's see what they look like...
. Colleagues and associates hated by "slipknots", who for many years accepted and responded by pouring tubs of slops. Who stole the image from whom? Who stole the chip from whom? Who is in charge in the house? The war of overalls and masks lasted for many years; only now, having matured and wiser, the musicians of both groups seem to have decided to truly reconcile. And even, if possible, go to a joint track. The "mushroom heads" that have been playing since '92, however, are an order of magnitude more productive and crazier than SLIPKNOT; the core of their industrial clanking style is chaos and uncontrollable brutality. And also, if you like, a little hip-hop. Punk. Gothic rock. Electro. Why not? The Americans, descending from the stage, do not hide their faces and names; the image for each of them is only a part of the musical performance. And every time it's different.
THE BERZERKER. An Australian band that existed for fifteen years (1995-2010) and is remembered not only for its vigorous mixture of speedcore, grind and industrial metal, but also for its monstrous stage costumes and brutal clips banned from showing anywhere. From their viewing, they say, there were epileptic seizures. The team released five full-length albums, in the middle of their career from costume shows, however, they refused (everyone was scared anyway) - because, as the musicians said, the props began to smell from intensive use. And then they completely fell apart, having lost their taste for extreme sports. Like, ex-vocalist Luke Kenny left music and changed his life orientation. Now he prefers wet women. And alive.
In the case of the question "Who are you, the mask?" rhetorical. Everyone already knows. Well, or easily determined by the constitution. Dino Cazares (DIVINE HERESY, FEAR FACTORY, etc.), Tony Campos (MINISTRY, SOULFLY, etc.) and Emilio Marquez (ENGRAVE, POSSESSED) play in this supergroup. This death-grind project has existed since 2002, but to date it has only two full-length albums to its credit. Plus a third, visible somewhere over the horizon. The guys are brutal and merciless (masks of killers enhance the effect of ruthlessness), and the Spanish-language lyrics tell either about whores with members, or about rapist wrestlers, or about bloody dismemberment, or about something else eternal, sincere and beautiful.
("buckethead") is an American virtuoso guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, experimenter, avant-garde artist and author (or co-author) of 96 releases. (By the way! His 96th album Pike 66 has a playing time of about fifty-eight and a half hours (!). Without bothering with genres, he can play anything from bluegrass to progressive metal and thrash. He says he was raised by chickens, wears a white mask and a KFC chicken pail labeled "FUNERAL" (or alternatively just a white pail); he sees it as his mission to "warn people around the world about the ongoing chicken holocaust in fast foods all over the planet." And in general, he is, to put it mildly, strange. But the guitarist is undeniably great.
is an American team of aggressive powerviolence-outlaws who spice up their wildly experimental dynamic stuff with noise rock, grind, new wave, punk and everything that comes to hand. Favorite uniforms - green tight nylon, masks or balaclavas on the faces ... outfits, however, may change. But they are always there. Guys perform most often, lined up in a row (including a drum set that stands parallel to other participants, and not behind, as is customary), and have a lot of troubles about corporate radio stations, clubs, etc. These schizoid Americans have been playing since 1994, on they have four studio albums and five splits with colleagues in noise and powervillence.
KISS, having developed their expressive theatrical look once, it seems that over four decades they have grown with all their skin and into a characteristic make-up, and leather black and silver suits, and into all these accessories-platforms-lacing-wings. Of course, legendary rockers have only an indirect relationship to our top (not exactly metal, and there are no masks as such), but still KISS is one of the clearest examples of how a recognizable image “makes” musicians. And not hostages, but millionaires.
Electronic geniuses from France are among the most titled mask wearers. The history of their stage image began at the beginning of the 90s - in order to overcome shyness and focus the attention of listeners not on appearance, but on their music, the performers put on robot masks. Later they created a legend about the explosion in the studio on September 9, 1999, as a result of which the musicians became robots. For two decades, the image has been repeatedly transformed, and the latest stage costumes for the French duo were created by the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent.
The stage mask of the Canadian DJ - a stylized huge head of a dead mouse - was invented by the musician after the story of a dead rodent, which he found in his computer. The DJ shared this story with his friends on the Internet and received a lot of positive feedback. At first, Deadmau5 was a nickname, and then became the basis of a very popular stage image.
The Louisiana experimental rock band has prioritized anonymity. To do this, the musicians perform in masks, which are made in the form of eyeballs with irises of different colors. The musicians do not communicate with fans and journalists, but only give out a finished musical product and video clips. It is worth noting that the group was one of the first to start shooting video clips, releasing interactive CDs and introducing various innovations into musical use.
Pillars of American nu metal - the band is constantly refining their stage mask-images from album to album. It all started with a joke by the drummer, who came to the rehearsal in a clown mask. Everyone liked the idea of covering their faces and soon became the main feature of the group. Gas masks, a clown mask, pigs, a pinocchio with a sewn mouth, a hockey or latex mask - all of them are transformed in the musicians' favorite gloomy manner and are complemented by another feature of the group - overalls. In choosing masks, the musicians were guided solely by their inner preferences and the desire to express their “second self”.
The stage images of the American group have a lot in common with Slipknot, and many fan battles flared up on this basis. But if Slipknot expressed the dark side of their self with the help of masks, then Mushroomhead musicians initially simply hid behind masks. The band itself was organized as an experimental side project of already well-known musicians who played in other bands of completely different styles in the early 90s. In case the project failed, in order not to tarnish their name and not lose the love of the fans, the guys wore masks at concerts. However, it so happened that the hobby project became more popular with the main groups and soon took the main place in the career of musicians. At the beginning of their creative activity, Mushroomhead's concert performances were famous for their brilliance - among the musicians the devil, a bearded grandfather, a clown in a cap, a man in a gas mask, Nosferatu, a man in an insect mask, a dancer in a mozachist mask and a stripper in a pink wig on backup dancers.
A unique example of popularity among the general population is provided by the eccentric Finnish hard rock band. According to many experts, they owe their victory at Eurovision 2006 to their bright stage images. All musicians perform in masks and costumes of various monsters, which were created by the founder of the group - Mr. Lordi, in the world of Tomi Putaansuu. Each musician has his own pseudonym, stage image and fictional biography of his character. Hella is a living doll, the result of an experiment by a mad scientist, Amen is the son of the Egyptian god Anubis, OH is a formidable minotaur, Mana is a conductor between the world of the living and the dead, the founder and ideological inspirer Mr. with a huge axe.
Alien monsters were among the very first among the musicians to dress up in masks. Having created images in the best traditions of Lovecraft in the mid-80s, the performers in each new album play out an attack on planet Earth. Also on the stage, they commit ritual murders of careless politicians, famous people and, of course, their main competitors - members of the Lordi group.
Famous rock musicians in masks In general, the psychologists of the world are unanimous in their opinion that behind the masks a person is trying to escape reality, hide, appear in a different role. And everyone who has tried on a “mask” at least once in their life will not dispute this. Behind the mask, a person becomes different, plays a different “role”. Life changes color, brings new emotions, causes new desires. And who knows how to live easier, in a mask on your face or with an open "visor"? But why do famous rock musicians in masks appear on stage? Why do they hide their faces during and after performances? So, let's voice those heroes of the musical Olympus who love masks. 1. KISS Rock musicians were the first to transform their faces beyond recognition with white paint. The “transformation” was initiated by J. Simmons and P. Stanley, and the rest of the guys from the team supported them. Everyone got their own image, taken from comics and “terrible” films that were popular at that time: Stanley put on the Star Child mask, but then changed it to Bandit, though the Child could not forget, Simmons was the Demon, Criss the Cat, Frehley the Cosmic Ace, Vincent the Ankh Warrior, Karr the Fox.
2. Lordi The hot Finnish hard'n'heavy rock band won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. Such a turn surprised, even horrified, many viewers who watch the broadcast and are not admirers of rock creativity. Against the background of elegant, beautiful contestants, musicians in costumes, orcs, monsters and some evil spirits, stood out strongly. The costume and mask of each "lordie" is made of latex, and the make-up before the performance takes more than an hour. Who knows, maybe the doors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will open in front of them? In each new album, the musicians appear in new masks, I wonder where such a violent fantasy comes from? After all, each of them thinks over the stage image independently. The band members always appear in public in their costumes, so it's hard to describe how they really look. Even real “orcs” came to the meeting with the President of Finland T. Halonen, despite the request to come in a normal human form.
3. GWAR Another team of space monster musicians is GWAR from the USA. If we compare the appearance of the two bands GWAR and Lordi, we can see the similarity. And the members of the shock collective GWAR do not get tired of claiming that it is the insidious "lords" who plagiarize images. At their performances, the "guards" tear to pieces the effigies of famous politicians, media people, and for dessert they brutally crack down on the leader of the "lords" - T. Putaansuu , fake blood flows like a river. Soften or inflame the passions of the strippers present at the "bloody" performances.
4. The Berzerker The team, which took the form of ghouls and goblins, apparently did not puzzle over the external appearance of the participants for long, like the above groups. The musicians took rubberized masks as the basis of the “face”, corresponding to the terrible appearance of orc-like heroes. Judging by the criticism towards their work and appearance, most of the clips are banned from showing in many countries due to the storoboscopic visual presentation of material that causes seizures in epileptics. Surprisingly, such "blasphemous" creativity did not harm the psyche of the members of the composition a year after the band broke up, guitarist Ed Dacey became a lawyer, and Luke, vocalist, became a glamor photographer.
5. Mushroomhead The musicians of an extraordinary band at the beginning of their career tried to be unrecognizable only so that later, if the experimental musical project failed, they would not receive criticism in their address. After all, they continued to work with other, more serious teams. The arrival of popularity has changed everything, now masks have become a necessity, a recognizable feature. Initially, J. Hatrix performed as the Devil in a wedding dress fitted with football shoulder pads; St. Felton tried on a gas mask; J.Sekula turned into a bearded grandfather; T. Schmitz reincarnated as a clown crowned with a striped cap; J. Kilcoyne became a Nosferatu; R. Moore donned an insect-like mask; J. Lenkey acted as a jester; J. Popson surprised everyone with a mask with a big ugly nose. There are also dancers in the group - M. Vukcevich enters the stage in a masochist mask, and his girlfriend Jessica in a masquerade mask and pink wig, this couple does not change costumes. He just performs light, in his shorts! Rounding out the team is a clown and juggler named Chamberlain. After a short debriefing with musicians from the band Slipknot performing in similar masks, the mushroomheads chose a reasonable solution and changed the image to the same type of X-Face masks.
6. The Residents Perhaps the most interesting line of behavior in musical creativity was chosen by the members of this American band, formed in 1971. Nobody knows what the musicians look like! In clips, on posters, guys appear in stage images. Nobody knows their real names! They communicate with the world through faithful managers. And many suspect that the musicians themselves are hiding behind these proxies. According to the musicians, anonymity gives freedom for creativity, which one could not even dream of. Since 1985, the "residents" appear in masks, "equipped" with large eyeballs with different color irises.
7. Los Straitjackets The musicians put on wrestler masks and position themselves as an instrumental lineup that creates compositions without words. But over time, they have albums where guest vocalists "tell" a musical story in Spanish.
8. Slipknot Among the megabytes of information about the band, we will single out only the most important, on our topic. The idea to create a group came up with Sh. Crahan, who had not yet thought of hiding his face behind a clown mask. He first appeared in a mask at a rehearsal in 1995, which made his friends very happy. Somewhat later, the musicians also decided to choose suitable masks for themselves, reflecting the inner world of each of them. Overalls, which appeared on the musicians in 1997, were sewn to the masks. As the band members themselves say, they do not want to distract the listener to trifles, i.e. the real face of a musician, facial expressions, the main thing is music! Their external image is constantly changing, it seems that the change in the perception of the surrounding world is reflected in the appearance, which becomes more pretentious. Today we see Sh. Krykhan in the form of a Clown, with a leather “face” decorated with rivets and lightning; Cr. Fena - Pinocchio, with a mouth sewn with lightning; J. Ruth - in a somewhat modified mask of the red-eyed Joker, also with a sewn mouth; M. Thompson - Hockey player, brutal and cruel; S. Wilson - A man in a gas mask, in which "eye" glasses are knocked out. And what, and you can see well and breathe easier. But his last stage feature is the green Goblin "friend" of Spider-Man. J. Jordison wore a dramatic Japanese Kabuki mask, slightly tinted. And over time, supplemented with a wreath of thorns and hands-roots. Paul Gray, who left us in late spring 2010, wore a pig mask given to him as a child. Then he "tried on" a silent beaver, which has two wide slits instead of a mouth. And then he changed it to a dark-colored mask with a lattice mouth. K. Taylor glued dreadlocks to the mask, and then brought it closer to the image of Frankenstein, sinister and overdarned. On the album All Hope Is Gone, Corey appeared in a white rubber mask without a "head", with side slits and a slightly twisted "eye", and the other outlined in a circle.
