KARISHMA D'MELLO
THE MUSIC BEYOND
THE MASK
Sometime during the late 60’s, a group
of musicians in Louisiana found their
identities in eyeball masks, tuxedos
and top hats – a moment that most
people recognize as the pioneering of
masks as a visual component in rock
and heavy metal. The reasons behind
the masks was allegedly anonymity.
The band called themselves “The
Residents”, and paired their surreal
image with equally surrealist lyrics.
But, is that really what inspired future
bands to opt for, what was at the time,
a relatively unusual creative direction
to take one’s aesthetic? Perhaps.
But, simultaneously you can also
recognize that with oncoming reign of
glam and shock rock, where mascara,
lingerie and corpse paint began to
take centre stage anyway, it was only
inevitable that this would eventually
build up to something bigger.
No unknown is the same, and it seems
that each artist’s masked origins
can be traced back to seemingly
unconnected inspirations. In fact,
given the variations and extremes that
followed, where each look being more
drastically different than the other,
the “origin” is almost dismissible.
On the one hand we’ve got Motley Crue
and Poison’s cover-girl worthy glam.
On the other, we have Alice Cooper and
Arthur Brown’s sinister relationship
with corpse paint and gore. And then
along the same end of the spectrum,
is Kiss’s love for theatrical visuals.
In an interview with UCR, Paul Stanley
said, “We wanted to take that a step
further and the makeup seemed like the
perfect way for each one of us to come
up with a character that symbolized
and embodied us as individuals.”
One might wonder, if that sentiment
is shared between other bands like,
death metal’s Portal whose on-stage
act involves black cloaked troops, long
hanging nooses and a lead vocalist (the
Curator), whose mask of choice alternates
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between a confessional chamber and
a papal hat to go with his tentacles.
Arguably, one of the most well-known of
music’s masked crusaders – Slipknot, trace
their own image origins to band member
Clown’s insistence on attending rehearsals
wearing a clown mask. This singular
idea eventually evolved into a collective
identity. And since then their masks
continue to evolve with every album.
Other notable mentions on the
scene include (but aren’t limited to)
instrumentalist Buckethead – who wears
a KFC bucket on his head with the word
“Funeral” written across, Scandinavia’s
Ghost, courtesy Papa Emeritus and
the Nameless Ghouls, The Berzeker’s
representations of animal mutations and
Mushroomhead’s gory masked aesthetic.
Mayhem’s Dead, among others on the
black metal front, would go as far as
carrying dead animal corpses on stage (to
remind him what death smelled like), or
wearing clothes that were once buried –
an experience of death for every sense.
While the entire experience brought on
by the aesthetic can be sensed through the
album art, or the live shows, when you’re
listening to music on your headphones,
it is only the music that you hear. And
so how much does it really matter?
Bands have taken different stands about
the reasons behind the masks. Some use
it as a way to stay anonymous, to push the
focus towards the music more than the
makers, for some it’s shock value – every
reason you can think of probably exists.
Some like, Mudvayne, who eventually
started off with makeup, as a part of
their on-stage persona, felt that it was
easier to focus on the music if they
dropped the added visual effects behind.
But whether it’s a statement, a pursuit
of anonymity, a form of artistic
expression, a quick way to sell brand
merchandise or all of these elements
combined, when the music resonates
with the fans, the image will too.