In honor of local trio Friend or Foe’s upcoming release show at Yuyintang, The Beat is taking a look at bands throughout rock and metal history who have hidden their identities in the name of schtick and awe, and, in the case of KISS’ Gene Simmons, spared us all from having to look at that frightening mug.

Slipknot: The most successful masked band in recent history, Slipknot took the naughties nu metal paradigm of wild facial hair and light makeup to the next level with their wildly demonic head covers and matching prison jumpsuits.

While the Des Moines, Iowa nine piece has been on hiatus following the death of bassist Paul Gray, a.k.a. #2, Slipknot’s four platinum albums and 2006 Grammy win for “Best Metal Performance” cement their place at the top of this list.

Insane Clown Posse: Arguably the least talented band / group to ever gain notoriety, Detroit duo Insane Clown Posse made a multi-platinum career out of humiliating themselves with their “horrorcore” stage show and starting shit with Eminem and Sharon Osbourne.

Although no one will ever actually admit to liking ICP, MCs Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope have released 10 LPs during their 22 year career, and are set to release The Mighty Death Pop! in 2012.

Gwar: The knock on masked bands has been that they compensate for their lack of talent with elaborate costumes and outrageously obnoxious back stories, and no band better exemplifies this than psycho-satirical metal band Gwar.

Owners of a 17 disc catalog, Gwar has defied the industry odds for over 27 years, selling out tours annually to rabid comic book geeks and socially awkward heshers who live in their mom’s basement.

Led by frontman Oderus Urungus, Gwar recently experienced a tragedy of their own when guitarist Cory Smoot, a.k.a. Flattus Maximus, was found dead on the road.

Mudvayne: Known as a poor-man’ Slipknot, Mudvayne broke onto the international radar with the video for their 2000 single “Dig.”

Boasting costumes that combined all the best and worst parts of Slipknot, ICP and Gwar, Mudvayne, another platinum seller in this obscure category, went on to release five albums on Epic records. But when the band removed the masks and makeup for 2005’s Lost and Found, the hits stopped coming and their fanbase started to desert them for fear that the band had become to “normal.”

KISS: The godfathers of all bands masked, KISS were (and still are) one of the most important bands in the history of rock and roll music. While they’ve always been derided by critics for their somewhat sophomoric songs and lyrics, KISS put the fantasy in 70s rock, out-glamming the glammers and out riffing other hard rock acts.

While Space Ace and the Catman have been replaced by newer, younger versions, Gene “The Demon” Simmons and Paul “Starchild” Stanley continue to hit the road, singing and performing some of the most revered rock anthems in history, along with a song about having their wangs immortalized in plaster.

“You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world . . . KISS”

photo courtesy of MetalShip