Chinese university professor revealed to be frontman of black metal band

Liu Yao, a 41-year-old professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at China’s Shandong University — and has published over 80 scientific papers — was uncovered as the lead singer of popular Chinese black metal band Zuriaake.

But while Liu’s secret identity as a rockstar was only highlighted in a Douyin post last week, his career as a musician was mentioned in a Teacher’s Day tribute post as early as September 2021. The band, which consists of members going by aliases Bloodfire, Bloodsea and Deadsphere, was formed in 1998 in Jinan, Shandong province, and incorporates traditional Chinese instruments like handbells and Chinese poetry into their songs. The band went on hiatus between 2008 and 2012 while Liu pursued his doctoral degree at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. The band released their EP “Resentment in the Ancient Courtyard” in 2019 and performed in Australia in June 2023.