Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 994 The Masked Band: A New Beginning?
Fu Yiran was certainly interested, but Bian Lang's words were so vague that he didn't take them too seriously. He would go and see if he remembered, and if he didn't, then so be it.

The performance by the band Da Feng and the metal fans was an eye-opener for many first-time music festival attendees. This was especially true for Guo Sichu's fans, most of whom only listen to pop music and have only a superficial understanding of other genres, let alone metal.

Watching thousands of people shoulder to shoulder following Tang Dafeng's head-shaking on the stage, a veteran Chu soldier was utterly dumbfounded: "This! This! Thank goodness they're allies..."

Some people who joined in for a while found it quite enjoyable, seeing it as an opportunity to go completely crazy, something they never experienced even in a slow-rock bar.

After the Big Wind Band's performance, many fans who had calmed down were surprised by their own frenzy. Some female fans even began to wonder if they had been possessed by something.

If it were Bian Lang on stage, they would find it understandable, but Tang Dafeng, that absolute iron-blooded giant, doesn't quite fit their established aesthetic standards, so why did they follow him?

On the way to the next show, Qiu Yue, who had just had a wild time, asked Guo Sichu a similar question: "Chuchu, was I a bit too crazy just now? To be honest, I didn't understand any of that heavy metal at all, but when the drum loop started, I couldn't help myself with the lead singer..."

If it were in the past, Guo Sichu might not have been able to give a particularly specific explanation, but since she decided to take on the role of lead singer for the Rolling Stones, she definitely needed to be well-rounded both internally and externally. Although time was tight and the task was heavy, she really made the most of every spare moment to brush up on her knowledge of rock music.

"Metal musicians aren't your average musicians. Generally speaking, metal drums tend to have a large, blocky feel, embodying power and precision. The more extreme the metal, the more mechanical it sounds, often referred to as a 'human skin drum machine.' When we listen to it, our heartbeats unconsciously race in sync..."

Qiu Yue also temporarily left the music scene after getting married, so she had no shortage of basic knowledge. After listening to Guo Sichu, she immediately understood: "So the teachers who did the background music for us before were not even in the same league as the drummers on stage?"

"That's not entirely true. Ke Zi, the drummer from back then, was quite skilled. Drumming is about expressing the randomness of high-density notes, like threading a needle, or performing Tai Chi with a hidden needle. Perhaps our previous compositions didn't even utilize his full potential..."

By the way, speaking of which, are you still in contact with Ke Zi? I was thinking of looking for him earlier.

Qiu Yue shook her head and said, "You ask me how I, a stay-at-home mom, could possibly still have contact with anyone? These past few years, my child has been the center of my life. If it weren't for..."

At this point, Qiu Yue immediately stopped talking. She did have plans to make a comeback next year, but she didn't want her best friend to know too soon. So she abruptly changed the subject, saying, "You must be having a blast right now. The Rolling Stones are probably the top musicians in China, right? Isn't it amazing to work with them?"

Guo Sichu didn't pay much attention to Qiu Yue's abrupt transition and continued, "It was really exhilarating, but the pressure was also immense. See those guys over there? Those three drummers are Rolling Stones' three best drummers right now..."

They were practically human metronomes, their rhythm was flawless; I was terrified of making a mistake during rehearsals with them. It's been so many years since I've felt this way…”

Following Guo Sichu's gaze, you can see Da Yong, Lin Yaorong, and Kong Liang, the three undisputed top three drummers of Rolling Stones.

"I'm so envious! If only you had met Bian Lang sooner! I've heard your arrangements and music on international stages, they're absolutely amazing. If you had met Bian Lang earlier, could I have benefited from it too!"

Guo Sichu was starting to understand what was going on, but she knew Qiu Yue's personality well, so she didn't spell it out: "Where am I supposed to find out about him earlier? I've already looked into his past 10 years; there's simply no way we could have crossed paths..."

While the two women were talking, the three drummers who had been mentioned earlier met up with Bian Lang.

After exchanging glances with the three men, Kong Liang asked Bian Lang, "Did you figure it out?"

Bian Lang nodded and said, "Hmm! I don't think so. Da Feng's drummer has such amazing basic skills. If we're just talking about playing metal, the three of you would probably be..."

“I heard that he seems to have some health problems…” After Da Yong finished speaking, the others looked at him with questioning eyes.

"I only heard about it yesterday. It seems that Old Han has myelitis..."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces immediately turned grim. Anyone in the industry familiar with this condition knew that hearing this word was tantamount to announcing the "death" of a musician!

Bian Lang understood this perfectly well, because it reminded him of the words of a legendary drummer from Earth: "That kind of pain was something I had never experienced in my entire life before; it was the most terrifying enemy I had ever seen."

This is what Joey, the drummer of Slipknot, told everyone at the 2016 Metal Hammer Motion Picture Awards. At that time, he had already been diagnosed with transverse myelitis, and his legs were already in so much pain that he could not move them, and he even faced the risk of paralysis.

For a world-class, legendary drummer renowned for his ultra-high-speed double bass drumming, a diagnosis of myelitis is tantamount to a death sentence. It's like a musician losing their ears, a painter losing their eyes, or an athlete losing their legs.

Through arduous training unknown to outsiders, Joey ultimately overcame the illness and reformed a band called Vimic.

Many people may not know what the name Joey Jordison means: he is one of the fastest drummers in heavy metal history and one of the founders of the band Slipknot.

He can achieve a superb level of playing 19 legato notes per second, 8 with one hand, and 26 double bass notes per second. He can even use double and compound leaps to strike a coin against a wall at high speed without it falling. On another occasion, he injured the tendons in both legs due to his frantic double bass playing during a performance and had to be taken directly from the stage to the hospital.

To maintain the speed of his footwork on the bass drum, he also insisted on running ten kilometers every day to train his legs and improve his endurance.

And this legendary Joey finally passed away peacefully in his sleep, the soul of this great drummer finally leaving that tormented body.

As is well known, the band Slipknot uses the numbers 0 to 8 to represent each member, with each member assigned a number. This practice is intended to reduce the influence of individual personalities on the overall image, thereby highlighting the band's collective identity.
Joey's number is 1, and he was also the designer of the "S" logo that represents the band Slipknot.

Each member of Slipknot has a mask representing themselves. Since its inception, the members of Slipknot have always been seen wearing masks, never showing their true faces. Thinking of this, Bian Lang suddenly recalled the original owner and Li Yiliang's Mask Band. However, compared to the Slipknot Band, Mask Band was just a nobody.

The reason why Slipknot wears masks during performances, according to lead singer Corey Taylor, is: "Because masks allow the animal inside us to break free and give us more freedom on stage."

The mask represents another personality within the band members; when they put on the mask and stand on stage, they are no longer themselves in their daily lives.

Joey's mask is a Kabuki Japanese mask, which looks expressionless and is covered with fake blood and patterns representing wounds.

This mask reflects his childhood memories. When he was a child, his mother got drunk at a Halloween party. When young Joey returned home, he saw his mother wearing a mask and a robe, which frightened him and left him with a lifelong trauma.

"The mask carries many different meanings that you can't explain. It could be love, beauty, hatred, disgust. It's a combination of all emotions."

Slipknot's performances were quite violent. It is said that in the early days, many members were injured due to excessive force during performances, and some even needed stitches in their heads. Not only that, they would even throw feces at the audience and call their fans "maggots".

This raw, impactful energy won over many metal fans, and in 2000, their sales across the entire metal community exceeded one million copies.

If you know anything about metal music, you'll know that the technical requirements for drummers in metal are extremely high, and Joey from Slipknot is one of the top tier of metal drummers.

Not only that, Joey also created a large number of works for the band. As the number 1, Joey made great contributions to Slipknot's rise to fame. Many people believe that it was because of this petite (165cm tall) and irritable drummer that Slipknot achieved such great success.

At the height of Slipknot's popularity, Joey was the band's most popular member; at the end of shows, the audience would chant Joey's name, not Slipknot itself. He also guest-starred with Metallica, Korn, and Rob Zombie, setting a record for performing with five different bands.

As the soul of the band, Joey was kicked out of Slipknot in 2013 because Joey's leg had problems at the time, and bassist Paul even had to be carried onto the stage during performances.

At the time, Joey was unaware of what was wrong with his body, a problem that also greatly troubled the band. They believed Joey must be using drugs, but in reality, he wasn't.

Joey's best friend in the band is bassist Paul. At other times, he is a naturally reclusive person who is autocratic in his creative process. It is said that he often records demos in advance and then notifies the band members to come and record them.

This caused dissatisfaction among others, and the loss of Paul exacerbated the conflict between Joey and the band members.

Since Paul's death was due to a drug overdose, drugs had become a sensitive issue for the band. Coupled with long-standing conflicts, Slipknot ultimately fired Joey via text message.

After losing two soulful composers and a world-class drummer, Slipknot gradually faded into obscurity and decline.

But in people's hearts, the soul of Slipknot is still this legendary drummer who is among the world's top drummers, and many people even hope that Joey can return to Slipknot one day.

From the very beginning, the band has always pursued its own unique musical style, expressing music in its own way—a frenetic, noisy, dark, violent, cathartic heavy metal music.

However, their unique and crazy performance style did not initially gain much recognition locally, but it did not take long for their frenetic music to win the hearts of many young people.

On Halloween 1996, Slipknot recorded a demo album called "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." and released it in the summer of 1997 through a small Nebraska record label called -ismist.

Fortunately, their album caught the eye of a major record label, Roadrunner Records, shortly after its release. Later that year, Slipknot officially signed with Roadrunner Records, and they began a long-term collaboration with producer Ross Robinson.

In 1999, after a period of accumulation, Slipknot released their first official album, "Slipknot," on Roadrunner Records. Through continuous touring, Slipknot gradually gained their own fixed fan base.

Their performance at the Ozzyfest music festival greatly increased their popularity. Their violent performance quickly won over many heavy metal fans through television broadcasts. During the performance, several band members were injured due to excessive outbursts, and the band's leader, Crahan, even needed stitches to his head.

However, the bloodshed brought them wider fame. Their singles "Wait and Bleed" and "Spit It Out" quickly became popular, and their album sales were consistently strong. In 2000, they almost entered the top 50 of the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 100 million copies nationwide, a first in the history of Roadrunner Records.

By 2001, Slipknot had become one of the most watched heavy metal bands in the United States. Their second album, Iowa, was highly anticipated. Although it faced competition from many other albums when it was released at the end of August, it still ranked third on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 880,000 copies in the United States.

However, right after the release of this album, after touring and Ozzyfest, the band Slipknot founded their own record label, Maggot Recordings, and signed a band called Downthesun, whose lead singer was Crahan's drum tuner.

As for the other members of the band, they all started doing their own things...

Bian Lang thought of Slipknot and then considered Da Feng's current situation. Nobody knew if their drummer could recover, but their heavy metal foundation was solid. If they expanded and created Slipknot, it would definitely be a hit overseas.

As for the masks, designing them wouldn't be a problem for Bian Lang at all. However, in the eyes of those who only accept a single aesthetic standard, these things would definitely be reported…

Just then, Bian Lang was thinking about it when Lao Pan ran over and said, "We've been reported, but luckily the supervisors are all here and they're discussing what to do..."

(End of this chapter)