Black metal face paint

Halloween is just around the corner and you're in need of a costume, right? Well don't worry! We've got some ideas for you, courtesy of metal's most evil and entertaining figures. Corpsepaint isn't just reserved for bands who bathe in blood on the weekend, it's also the haven of artists who just fancy a bit of dressing up. Here's a rundown of corpsepaint in the world of metal, plus a few others you could try this Halloween. Bergen's black metal icon's Gorgoroth aren't scared of a little corpsepaint.

Posted by Jeremy Ulrey on February 19, at pm. First things first, I think we can all acknowledge that "corpse paint" in the vein of black metal is properly understood to refer to a particular style of facial makeup, that being the type that is deliberately intended to resemble a decaying human body, although allowances are often made for other overtly "evil" intentions such as "war" paint or demonic representation. This article is meant neither to insist on any dogmatic interpretation nor to dilute the significance of corpse paint's evolution in black metal, but merely to acknowledge that the tradition didn't spring full cloth out of nowhere. Certainly the cultural tradition of face painting predates written history, both for ceremonial religious reasons as well as military ones. An entire volume could be written documenting these traditions, but for our purposes we can content ourselves with its evolution within the bounds of rock and roll. Hawkins did not originate the use of face paint in the nascent genre, although his use of horror-related props and voodoo imagery were influential in bring a morbid predilection to rock and roll. Their mascot, the Crimson Ghost, helped enamor legions of listeners to the death-obsessed imagery of songs such as "Astro Zombies" and "Death Comes Ripping".

In Episode 16 of Loudwire's ongoing " 50 Years of Heavy Metal " video series, we explore who really invented corpse paint. Though synonymous with black metal's second wave that emerged primarily in Norway, the concept of face painting within rock and metal's confines was hardly groundbreaking, making it difficult to define exactly who should get credit for this ever-popular aesthetic. The term "corpse paint" itself invokes a bit of mystery and has proven to be especially confusing to those not familiar with black metal.

Corpse paint or corpsepaint is a style of black and white makeup used by black metal bands for concerts and band photos. The makeup is used to make the musicians appear inhuman, corpse -like, or demonic , and is perhaps "the most identifiable aspect of the black metal aesthetic. Corpse paint typically involves making the face and neck white and making the area around the eyes and lips black. Musicians will often have a trademark style. Outside of black metal, face-painting and black and white makeup has been used by a variety of other public figures such as shock rock artists notably Arthur Brown , Alice Cooper , members of Kiss , and members of the Misfits and professional wrestlers e.