Abbath and Horgh of Immortal

Corpse paint (sometimes a single word, corpsepaint) is a style of black-and-white makeup used extensively by black metal bands during live concerts and photo shoots. The decoration is used to intensify the bands' imagery of foreboding evil, inhumanity, and corpse-like decay. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Immortal is a pioneering black metal band from Bergen, Norway. ... This article is about the color. ... This article is about the color. ... Cosmetics or makeup are substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... For other uses, see Evil (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Body (disambiguation). ...

Most commonly, the musicians' faces are painted white, with areas such as lips and eyes painted black. Only rarely do musicians use other colors: Gorgoroth and Ragnarok use blood-colored paint, Attila Csihar of Mayhem and formerly of Tormentor uses neon colours, while the Norwegian band Dødheimsgard has experimented using other colours. Still, the clean two-tone style is the more common one. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ragnarok is a Norwegian black metal band, noted of X-Mass Festival and elsewhere. ... Attila Csihar (born March 29, 1971) is a Hungarian black metal vocalist, best known for his vocal work on the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by Mayhem. ... Mayhem (often called The True Mayhem) is an infamous, pioneering black metal band formed in 1984[1] in Oslo, Norway. ... Tormentor is a Hungarian black metal band which was formed in 1987. ... Dødheimsgard (now known as DHG) was originally a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1994, but 1999s 666 International saw them change into an experimental and avant-garde metal band. ...

Origins

Though corpse paint achieved widespread popularity with some rock and roll performers in the 1970s, there are some earlier precedents worth noting. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Corpse paint might be traced back to Germanic folklore. Particularly striking are the similarities between modern black metal corpse paint and the ghoulish appearance of the members of the Oskorei, a legion of dead souls in Norse mythology. One can also note similarities between metal corpse paint and the makeup worn in expressionist films, such as worn by Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Interestingly, expressionist film flourished in Germany, raising the possibility that the makeup in expressionist films of the early 1900s was influenced by old Teutonic tales like the Oskorei. A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. ... The wild hunt: Åsgårdsreien (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo The Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Northern, Western and Central Europe. ... Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) which inspired 20th century Expressionists Portrait of Eduard Kosmack by Egon Schiele Rehe im Walde by Franz Marc Elbe Bridge I by Rolf Nesch On White II by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923. ... Conrad Veidt in The Spy in Black (1939). ... Dr. Caligari, Caligari, and Doctor Caligari all redirect here. ... The term Germanic peoples may refer to: the Germanic tribes that in the first millennium were seen as a barbarian threat by the Roman Empire and its successors; the Germanic Christianity that in the second millennium came to dominate much of Northern Europe, politically organized in the Holy Roman Empire...

History and usage

The earliest rock groups to decorate themselves with makeup similar to corpse paint included Arthur Brown in the 1960s, KISS and Alice Cooper in the 1970s, and, later that decade, punk rockers like The Misfits and singer Dave Vanian of The Damned. For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... See Arthur Brown for others with the same name. ... Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. ... Alice Cooper (born February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article is about the band. ... David Vanian is and has always been the core of the seminal alternative punk band; The Damned. ... This article is about the music group. ...

Corpse paint on members of Gorgoroth.

Hellhammer and King Diamond of Mercyful Fate (who used corpse paint as early as 1978 in his band Black Rose) were perhaps the first death or black metal groups to use corpse paint in the early 1980s. Other groups soon followed suit, including Hellhammer's later incarnation Celtic Frost, and early Slayer. Brazilian band Sarcófago also pioneered the look, being dubbed by Metal Storm magazine as the first band with a "true" corpsepaint^[1]. Early corpse paint designs were intended simply to accent an individual's features and make them look "dead" (examples include early Slayer). Later designs typically incorporated more detailed patterns to improve a "demonic" look (most notably Immortal and King Diamond). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hellhammer was an early-1980s extreme metal band, hailing from Switzerland and popular briefly in Europe in the mid-1980s. ... King Diamond is the band that King Diamond formed after the split up of Mercyful Fate, following the departure of Hank Shermann. ... Mercyful Fate is an influential Danish heavy metal group who are often cited among the influences in the black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal genres. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Celtic Frost is an extreme metal band from Zürich, Switzerland, best known for their influence on the thrash, black, doom and death metal genres. ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... Sarcófago are a Deathrash band from Brazil. ... Metal Storm Limited is a research and development company that specializes in electronically initiated stacked projectile weapons technology. ... Slayer circa 2004. ... Immortal is a pioneering black metal band from Bergen, Norway. ... King Diamond (born Kim Bendix Petersen, June 14, 1956, Copenhagen, Denmark) is a heavy metal musician known for his shock rock image. ...

Norwegian black metal bands from the late 1980s and early '90s (such as Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Emperor, Immortal, Darkthrone, and Satyricon) are arguably responsible for maintaining the popularity of the corpse paint among today's black metal acts. Mayhem (often called The True Mayhem) is an infamous, pioneering black metal band formed in 1984[1] in Oslo, Norway. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Emperor is a seminal and infamous Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. ... Immortal is a pioneering black metal band from Bergen, Norway. ... Darkthrone is a prominent Norwegian black metal band formed in 1987. ... This article is about the band. ...

Cradle of Filth also have been known to wear face paint (as opposed to corpse paint) during their early career in albums The Principle of Evil Made Flesh' and 'Vempire (or Dark Fairytales in Phallustein). Cradle of Filth are a heavy metal band formed in Suffolk, England in 1991. ...

In the fall of 1996, professional wrestler Sting began wearing corpse paint in a persona inspired by the Brandon Lee film The Crow. For other uses, see Sting (disambiguation). ... In professional wrestling, a gimmick is a wrestlers personality, behavior, attire and/or other distinguishing traits while performing. ... For other uses, see Brandon Lee (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Crow (disambiguation). ...

The virtual metal band Dethklok from the TV show Metalocalypse also wears corpse paint when performing during the show. Dethklok is a virtual death metal band that stars in the television show Metalocalypse. ... Metalocalypse is an animated television series on Adult Swim created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. ...

References

External links

• Rate My Corpse Paint Examples of different styles of corpse paint.