From the professionally inked to the hastily carved, body modifications have always been a defining trait of metal culture. However, whether they end up beautiful pieces of artwork or ridiculous regrets is a different story. Today, we’re taking a look at some of this week’s most interesting body mod stories, from the regretful to the ridiculous.
A band tattoo is always a risk, but one that many people take in a pledge of devotion to a song or band that means a lot to them. Unfortunately, there’s no way of predicting if something will happen along the line to drastically change the way you feel – whether its a new direction in the music or, in this case, the dark truth about a member of the band.
Aspiring UK model Ellia Beasley was a big fan of Lostprophets in her teenage years, as were many others. She got the lyrics “Scream your heart out” tattooed across her lower stomach as an homage to “Rooftops” – one of their most popular songs. It’s a large piece in a sensitive part of the body, the lyrics written in a thick, black script.
When the news broke that frontman Ian Watkins had tried to sexually abuse a fan’s baby among many other disgusting sex offenses against fans and children, she naturally wanted nothing to do with the singer or his band. Not being able to afford pricey and extensive laser tattoo removal, she opted for a cheaper and more artistic alternative.
Beasley enlisted the help of renowned UK tattoo artist Kevin Paul, who helped her plan an elaborate cover up in the form of an owl covering the entirety of her lower stomach onto her pelvis. Unfortunately, this process was bound to be an unpleasant one. Already a touchy spot to have tattooed, the intricate linework and dark shading necessary to completely eradicate these lyrics was, in Beasley’s words, “horrifically painful.” It took over 10 hours to complete, but the finished product looks pretty nice and definitely beats adorning a quote from a pedophile.
(via Aux.tv)
On the polar opposite end of the spectrum from a professionally executed, thought-out cover up is this next story. Obviously something isn’t quite right in a murderer’s head, but this takes it to a whole new (and more literal) level. Nikko Jenkins, a 28 year old convicted murderer from Omaha, recently tried to carve “666” into his forehead – but got a bit confused by the mirror and ended up sporting three bloody 9’s. Forget everything Iron Maiden taught you – 999 is a new contender for most metal number.
Jenkins, who went on a ten-day, four-victim killing spree in 2013, claims that this was a result of his mental illness going untreated. He also claims that his actions are all dictated by an unseen serpent god. Prosecutors believe this may be a plot to appear mentally unstable and avoid facing the death penalty.
There’s no telling if this was an idea all of his own, or if he was looking to follow in the infamous footsteps of Charles Manson – who has a swastika carved into his forehead. Jenkins’ face is already pretty marked up with scars and tattoos, so his new 999 piece is just another well thought out decoration on the canvas.
(via NY Daily News)
