Zuriaake () is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band formed in

Jinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...

in 1998.

History

Zuriaake was formed in

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

province in 1998 by Bloodsea and Bloodfire. In 2004 the band's lineup was completed by recruiting their third band member Deadsphere. Little is known of the group's history. According to an article by ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'', Zuriaake is one of the longest active metal bands in China. After signing with Black Happiness Records, China's first music label specialized on

, Zuriaake released a split CD named ''Autumn of Sad Ode – Siming of Loulan'' alongside Bloodfires' other musical venture Yn Gizarm. Zuriaake got signed to Pest Productions in 2006 and released their debut album ''Afterimage of Autumn'' the following year. In 2015 Zuriaake released the ''Gu Yan'' EP with two tracks which was re-released as a full-length album with more tracks the same year. Due to Bloodfire being absent for four years between 2008 and 2012 where he studied in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

the band was mostly inactive until the release of ''Gu Yan'' in 2015. The band recorded their concert in Beijing and released the ''Live in Beijing'' DVD in 2015 as well, which was not for sale but was sent to the attendees of the concert. In 2017 Zuriaake was invited to play at Steelfest Open Air in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

which marked the very first performance for the band in Europe. At the same time Zuriaake became the first Chinese metal band to play a concert in Northern Europe territories. Between August 2, 2019, and August 19, 2019, the band toured throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and played several music festivals such as the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...

. In 2018 Zuriaake played at

Roadburn Festival Roadburn Festival is an international music festival held in Tilburg, Netherlands every April since 1999. It was set up as a spin-off from the Roadburn music blog founded by Jurgen van den Brand and Walter Hoeijmakers. Originally focused on stone ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Brutal Assault Brutal Assault is an open-air extreme metal festival that takes place in the 18th-century army fortress Josefov, located in Jaroměř, Czechia. It is held each August early in the month from Wednesday until Saturday. The festival started in 199 ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. In March 2020 French metal label

Season of Mist Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pag ...

announced the signing of Zuriaake with the plan to release their third album as well as the first two albums via the label.

Musical style

Zuriaake plays traditional

with Chinese musical influences. In an Interview Bloodsea stated that the group chose to play black metal because no other musical style in metal genre could express what the members of the band wanted to say. Black metal and its views on

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

ity,

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

polytheism Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...

and

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

have a unique philosophical temperament which would fit to the band's music. The musicians believe that simple melodies are easier to understand than complex arrangements and ′using simple melodies to describe something magnificent is a superb way of expressing art.′ Next to the typical instruments used in black metal, the band uses samples of traditional Chinese instruments like

temple blocks Temple blocks are a type of percussion instrument consisting of a set of woodblocks. It is descended from the muyu, an instrument originating from eastern Asia, where it is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Description It is a carved h ...

handbell A handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle – traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic – and moves the arm to make the hinged cla ...

s and Xun. During the calm and melodic passages the guitars create a traditional sound. Some songs of the band reach more than 20 minutes length. Bloodfire names bands like Bathory,

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

, Candlemass,

Abigor Abigor is an Austrian black metal band formed in 1993. They are named after an upper demon of war in Christian demonology. History The band was formed in 1993 by Peter Kubik and Thomas Tannenberger. After the release of several demos, origi ...

and

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

as musical influences. In another interview the band states taking musical inspiration from

Mortiis Mortiis is an electronic band from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word "mortis", which is the pronunciation used by the band. Mortiis started as the ...

and

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

as well. Lyrically the musicians take inspiration on traditional, folkloristic Chinese poems so the songs of Zuriaake are picking up on Chinese legends and

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

. Furthermore the band stated that the timeline between 771 B.C. and 221 B.C (also particularly known as

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

) as their inspiration due to the fact that the publications during that time period showed emotional intensity and despair which would fit to the black metal genre. Due to the fact that China has no

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

origin, anti-Christian or satanic themes are not relevant to the musicians. Instead the musicians focus more on philosophy and Chinese history.

Stage appearance

During concerts the band extensively use fog machines. The band members except the drummer wear black traditional

hanfu ''Hanfu'' () is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an upper-body garment with a long outer skirt), the (an upper-body garment with a long underskirt ...

-like clothing as well as traditional Chinese farmer hats (dǒulì) which cover up the faces of the musicians with the intention of depicting an image of old fishermen. Those farmer hats based on the poem ''Jiang Xue''. The microphone stands are decorated with traditional

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

s and branches. During concerts the members do not wear

corpse paint Corpse paint is a style of black and white makeup used mainly by black metal bands for concerts and band photos. The makeup is used to make the musicians appear inhuman, corpse-like, or demonic, and is perhaps "the most identifiable aspect of the ...

. After each song the band members bow to the audience and make traditional hand gestures to show them respect. Little information about the members exists. Bloodfire is the sole member of black metal project Yn Gizarm. Members of Zuriaake are also involved in the Chinese atmospheric black metal/dungeon synth project Demogorgon alongside members of Holyarrow and Destruction of Redemption.

Band name

According to English-languaged online magazines and newspapers the band name Zuriaake is a Chinglish

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words The name is a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

for the Chinese poet

Qu Yuan Qu Yuan ( – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet and politician in the Chu (state), State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to Classical Chinese poetry, classical poetry and verses, ...

who drowned himself due to his hatred for the government. In a Chinese-languaged interview in 2016 the band members stated that the band's name is translateable as ''Zu'', a storm god, as well as ''(b)uria(l)'' and ''(l)ake''.

Discography

* 2005: ''Autumn of Sad Ode — Siming of Louian'' (Split release with Yn Gizarm, Black Happiness Production, Pest Productions, limited to 300 units) * 2007: ''Afterimage of Autumn'' (Album, Pest Productions) * 2012: ''Winter Mirage'' (EP, Pest Productions, limited to 500 units) * 2015: ''Gu Yan'' (EP, Pest Productions, limited to 200 units) * 2015: ''Yao Ji'' (Single,

Nuclear War Now! Productions Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear ...

) * 2015: ''Live in Beijing'' (Live album, Pest Production, limited to 200 units) * 2015: ''Gu Yan'' (Album, Pest Productions) * 2019: ''Resentment in the Ancient Courtyard'' (EP, Pest Productions)

References

External links

{{Commons category, Zuriaake
Zuriaake
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Chinese black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1998 1998 establishments in China Musical trios