China professor revealed as lead singer of mysterious black metal band with unique style
Professor Liu Yao is frontman for Zuriaake whose album made Chinese heavy metal music history
A doctoral supervisor at a top Chinese university who has published more than 80 scientific papers has been revealed as the lead singer of the famous mainland black metal band, Zuriaake.
Liu Yao, 41, works as a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shandong University in eastern China, specialising in metamaterials and electromagnetic functional materials.
But many people are unaware that he is also the lead singer of Zuriaake, a band established in Jinan in Shandong province in 1998 when Liu was an undergraduate.
The band members have nicknames such as Bloodfire, Bloodsea and Deadsphere on drums.
Zuriaake released a notable album Afterimage of Autumn in 2007 while Liu was a master’s student.
The album, which combines black metal with original poetry, quickly became a fan favourite and is regarded as a milestone in Chinese heavy metal music history.