From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Corpse paint
Corpse paint
and Alice Cooper, it is debatable whether these were ever
a direct influence on the image used in black metal, and
there are some earlier precedents worth noting.
History and usage
The earliest rock groups to decorate themselves with
makeup similar to corpse paint included Arthur Brown
in the 1960s, Alice Cooper, Secos & Molhados and KISS
in the 1970s, and, later that decade, punk rockers like
The Misfits and singer David Vanian of The Damned. The
look was also to achieve what most bands call "Utter Bru-
tality", it was also unintentionally popularized in 1977
through a series of McDonald’s print advertisement cam-
paigns featuring black-and-white photographs of compa-
ny mascot Ronald McDonald. In the ads, Ronald’s face
paint looked very similar to corpse paint, causing fans of
bands like KISS to collect and even steal copies of maga-
Høst of Taake wearing corpse paint zines with the ads.[citation needed]
Hellhammer and King Diamond of Mercyful Fate
Corpse paint or corpsepaint is a style of black-and- (who used corpse paint as early as 1978 in his band Black
white makeup, used mainly by black metal bands during Rose) were perhaps the first death or black metal groups
live concerts and photo shoots. The makeup is used to to use corpse paint in the early 1980s. Other groups soon
intensify the bands’ imagery of evil, inhumanity, and followed suit, including Hellhammer’s later incarnation
corpse-like decay. It is most commonly used just on the Celtic Frost. Brazilian band Sarcófago also pioneered the
face, but also on arms and torso. Sometimes it involves look, being dubbed by Metal Storm magazine as the first
other colors than black and white. band with a "true" corpsepaint.[1] Early corpse paint de-
signs were intended simply to accent an individual’s fea-
tures and make them look "dead". Later designs typically
Definition incorporated more detailed patterns to improve a "de-
Corpse paint generally consists of the musician’s face be- monic" look (most notably Immortal and King Diamond).
ing covered in black and white makeup, with a bigger Norwegian black metal bands from the late 1980s and
part of the face being white, and with other areas being early ’90s (such as Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Emperor, Immor-
black. The parts being black are very often the eye sock- tal, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, and Satyricon) are ar-
ets, in different symmetrical shapes, but asymmetrical guably responsible for maintaining the popularity of the
(being seemingly random painted) occurs as well. The corpse paint among today’s black metal acts.
patterns are used as trademarks for the musicians who
use corpse paint, and change very seldom. Only rarely do Corpse paint outside metal
musicians use other colors: Gorgoroth and Ragnarok use
blood-colored paint, Attila Csihar of Mayhem, and for- Corpse paint has been associated mainly with black metal
merly of Tormentor, uses neon colors, while the Norwe- and metal in general, but it has inspired artists in music
gian band Dødheimsgard has experimented using other and other entertainment businesses:
colors. • In the fall of 1996, professional wrestler Sting began
wearing corpse paint in a persona inspired by the
film The Crow featuring Brandon Lee.
Origins • Another professional wrestler, The Undertaker, wore
Though makeup styles similar to corpse paint achieved make-up similar to corpse paint in the mid-90s in
widespread popularity with some rock and roll perform- reference to his stage name.
ers in the 60s and 70s, most famously Arthur Brown, Kiss • Japanese Pro wrestler, Onryo, uses extensive corpse
paint.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Corpse paint
• Professional wrestler, Jeff Hardy, wore corpse paint
similar to Nattefrost, vocalist of Carpathian Forest.
• Also, Mexican Wrestler Chessman uses Red and Black
Corpse paint.
• Rap artists on The Insane Clown Posse’s record label
Psychopathic Records regularly wear make-up
similar to corpse paint during performances and
photo shoots.
Examples
• Orion of Behemoth
• Gaahl (formerly of Gorgoroth) with God Seed
• Archaon of 1349
• Hvinder
• Otargos
• Høst of Taake
• King Diamond
• Abbath
See also
• Stormcrow • Heavy metal fashion
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Corpse paint
References
[1] On the Role of Clothing Styles In The Development
of Metal - Part I - Metal Storm
External links
• Rate My Corpse Paint Examples of different styles of
corpse paint.
• How To Apply Corpse Paint
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corpse_paint&oldid=461235328"
Categories:
• Black metal
• Cosmetics
• Heavy metal fashion
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Corpse paint
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