Chinese metal bands turn up the volume as live venues reopen

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The rapt audience of about 200, many wearing masks, swayed gingerly. By the end of his set, most masks were off. By the time the night’s third band took the stage, the hall was a mosh pit, arms flailing and legs kicking with energy built up during six months of coronavirus shutdowns that kept the lights off in Beijing’s underground music venues.

Brazilian metal fan Daniel da Silva Anana, who had packed in among the moshing fans, said he was more worried about slipping on a floor wet with spilled drinks than the coronavirus. “Finally, the no-metal-concerts spell is broken!” Live venues in Beijing were recently allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity, as life in China increasingly returns to normal. Shui Shu’s band Bliss-Illusion is part of the country’s small but buoyant heavy metal scene, where bands mix genre standards with Chinese elements.