Think about the word “anonymous”, and no, not the internet anon organization with the Guy Fawkes mask. Think about the word and only the word. It has a very mysterious quality. The idea of anonymity is surrounded and shrouded by a smoke screen of questions. The quality of the idea sparks curiosity in the human mind, so few musical artists choose to be anonymous in the industry. Certain anonymous bands, like Klaatu in 1976, were so mysterious with their identities that everyone thought they were The Beatles. The anonymity stems from Klaatu’s decision to credit their music and production under just their band name, void of personal names. They fell very quickly off the cliff of fame after people found out they were not The Beatles, and have continued to stay anonymous. Other bands have noticed that anonymity adds interest to their music and that they can make a living off of their fame. Most of these faceless bands are in the EDM and the Metal genres with lists that seem to go on and on with made up names and masks. Some of those fake personalities include bands like:

Gwar

Lordi

Ghost B.C.

Slipknot

Destroid

Deadmau5

Daft Punk

Marshmello

Sia

There are artists who take the anonymity, almost, too far. MF Doom is a rap artist who has gone by an almost innumerable amount of names, for example, King Geedorah, M.F. Doom, Metal Fingers, Viktor Vaughn, DOOM, Danger Doom, and many others. He has also sent MC’s in his place to live shows, disappointing fans with an anonymous super villain.

There is a fine line between a musician with a mask and a whole other entity that craves the stage. That is why anonymous bands who pull the gimmick off are so popular. They are not regular people who play instruments. Their personalities transform them into a villain MC, a mouse, a robot, or even a marshmallow that DJ’s. Or they transform the artists into, according to Gwar, “an elite group of chaos warriors who ravaged the galaxy with a boundless hatred of all things alive.”