Slipknot’s most mysterious new member has been unmasked. Lovingly referred to as “Tortilla Man,” a social media post from the Postojna Cave in Slovenia revealed that Michael Pfaff was the unknown masked percussionist that took Chris Fehn’s place following a lawsuit. The band had been refusing to divulge who Tortilla Man was, as none of the band’s members ever had an official reveal.
Like the masked members of Slipknot, there are many other bands out there that would prefer to remain anonymous, whether their identities have been revealed or not.
In honor of Slipknot's new member, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of these mysterious bands. Here are seven artists/bands who started out or remain anonymous behind their masks.
1. Iamamiwhoami: In December 2009, a mysterious electronic artist going only by iamamiwhoami went viral on YouTube, producing short bites of well-produced, genre-defying music coupled with videos that would completely conceal her and her collaborators’ identities. Diligent followers of the singer continually tried to decode who might be behind the channel, whether it was someone well-known (among the names being thrown around were Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera) or someone trying to gain traction with some brilliant marketing. Speculation came to an end in March 2010 when the video for “t” revealed the singer’s full, undistorted face, showing her to be Swedish artist Jonna Lee.
2. Ghost: The entire idea of metal band Ghost was meant to be shrouded in mystery. Aside from their lead singer, who has gone by various stage names (Papa Emeritus I, II, III & Nihil, Cardinal Copia) over the years only to be revealed as Tobias Forge in 2017 during an intense legal battle, all of the band members are corralled into the designation of “nameless ghouls.” Each member wears identical outfits and face-concealing makeup, giving them no identity at all.
3. The Network / Foxboro Hottubs: It’s fairly well-known at this point amongst fans that both The Network and Foxboro Hottubs feature members of perennial pop-punk favorites Green Day. However, none of their identities have ever been officially revealed. That’s especially true for The Network, who came on the scene in 2003 and released one album through Adeline Records that same year (a mistake if they wanted to remain anonymous from Green Day as the label was run by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong). The six-member band all wore masks and claimed to have been “brought together by an ancient prophecy.”
4. Static-X: In 2019, industrial rock pioneers Static-X revealed that they would be reuniting for their first album in 11 years in memory of their late frontman, Wayne Static and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakout album, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip.’ For the tour they planned to mount, the band hired a singer, who decided to go by the name Xer0 and wear a mask designed to look like Static’s. Though people have tried to decipher who Xer0 might be (Edsel Dope, frontman for Dope and an opener for the Static-X reunion tour is generally thought to be behind the mask), his identity has not yet been revealed.
5. PPL MVR: Dressed as yeti-like creatures, PPL MVR blew up in 2014 despite no one knowing who was behind the masks. According to their website, they are: “A band of unknown origin, the one and only PPL MVR explores myth and mystery through hefty guitar riffs and transmogrified vocals. They venture outside the selfie-obsessed waters we all willingly swim in to find solace in ritual and our pure animalistic nature. There is an ancient power in coming together to stand in a sacred place and chant, sing songs, pump our fists in the air, and venerate.” For a while it was speculated that the band could be a side project of New York hardcore band Brand New, especially when a link on Brand New’s website brought fans to a PPL MVR video. This theory may have been debunked, but my research can’t find where that information comes from.
6. The Residents: Around since the 1960s, The Residents is as much an art collective as they are a band. Releasing over 46 works together, the group’s identities have never been known due to their signature giant eyeball helmets and refusal to grant interviews. Over the years there were many speculations about who could have been in the band, including members of The Beatles, the Dead Kennedys, Devo among them. In 2017, it was revealed that Hardy Fox, one of the band’s Cryptic Corporation crew members, was one of the primary composers for the band.
7. Masked Intruder: One of the hottest and most intriguing up-and-coming punk bands of today, Masked Intruder keep their identities a mystery in conjunction with their convict stage personas. Instead, all four members go by the color of their ski masks.
There are many artists and bands that choose to be anonymous with the world. Some start their rise to fame this way, like iamamiwhoami, creating an air of mystery and getting people to sleuth out who they are. Others choose to continue and grow their careers anonymously by embedding it in the fabric of their act, like Ghost or Masked Intruder. Whether people end up finding out who’s behind the mask in the end or not, there is one thing that’s clear: everyone loves a little mystery.
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Find music from some of these mysterious artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As one of Long Island’s top independent record shops, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a wide range of genres. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.
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