Professor Teaches Materials Science In The Morning, Is A Metal Band Lead Singer At Night

Liu Yao, a 41-year-old professor at Shandong University, is proof that you can be both a brilliant academic and a rockstar. By day, he is a renowned professor in metamaterials and electromagnetic functional materials at one of China’s top universities. But by night, he transforms into the lead singer of Zuriaake, one of mainland China’s most famous black metal bands, reports South China Morning Post.

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Zuriaake, meaning “Lake of Burial” in Chinese, is not your average metal band. Known for their mysterious style, the members perform in straw rain capes, bamboo hats, and veils, keeping their faces hidden during shows. The music is a unique mix of traditional black metal infused with Chinese elements, like temple blocks, handbells, and the ancient flute-like xun. The band’s lyrics are inspired by traditional Chinese poetry and mythology, making their songs rich in culture and sometimes over 20 minutes long.

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Professor Liu co-founded Zuriaake back in 1998 while he was still an undergraduate student. Despite being passionate about music, his academic path never slowed down. During a period of band inactivity from 2008 to 2012, Liu was in Germany earning his doctorate at the Technical University of Berlin. He then returned to China and joined Shandong University as a faculty member, where his career skyrocketed. Today, he has more than 80 scientific papers to his name, with 14 featured on the covers of prestigious journals, reported NDTV.

Liu’s ability to juggle these two very different worlds is remarkable. His success in both academia and music shows that you don’t have to choose between your passions. Whether he’s in a lab coat or on stage in a bamboo hat, Liu Yao proves that you can rock in more ways than one!

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