Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Hatebeak – A Death Metal Band Whose Lead Vocalist Was a Parrot

Posted: 11 Nov 2014 02:10 AM PST

I suppose nothing complements the loudness of heavy metal better than ear-bleeding screeches. And when those sounds come from a bird instead of a human, it’s bound to make an impression. Meet Waldo, a Congo African Grey Parrot, a heavy metal prodigy and the lead vocalist of a Baltimore-based band, 'Hatebeak'.

The band was formed in 2004, by audio engineers Blake Harrison and Mark Sloan, who played the guitar and drums respectively. Hatebeak was a strictly studio project with unintelligible lyrics and no real melody. They never toured so as to not torture the bird. "We don't play live," Blake once explained. "It would be absolute torture for the bird to experience decibels at those levels. Waldo is the only vocalist for Hatebeak. He does parrot noises and also says some words."

In the years they were active, Blake and Mark never revealed their last names on their releases in order to maintain the mystery surrounding Hatebeak. They were signed by Reptilian Records (which is now on hiatus), and most of their discography had an avian theme with titles like 'Number of the Beak', 'Beak of Putrefaction', and 'The Thing That Should Not Beak'.

Hatebeak

Chinese Man Confesses Crush on Work Colleague with 99 Brand New iPhones

Posted: 11 Nov 2014 12:41 AM PST

In a geeky display of love, a game designer from Guangzhou city, China, confessed his feelings to a co-worker, surrounded by 99 brand new iPhones. The extravagant gesture cost the man a whopping 500,000 yuan (over $80,000) – two years' worth of his savings.

The man stacked up the 99 boxes of phones in the shape of a heart in the middle of the office parking lot during break. He then stood in the center with a bouquet of roses, ready to profess his undying love. The woman arrived at the scene after some cajoling and pressure from the rest of the co-workers. She apparently heard him out, but hasn't given him a reply yet.

99-iPhones

Swedish Taxi Service Offers Free Psychotherapy for Passengers

Posted: 10 Nov 2014 11:20 PM PST

A new taxi service in Stockholm is offering its passengers a chance to relieve stress on the go. They’ve got psychotherapists occupying the back seats of three different cabs, offering free consultations. The two-week initiative was started late last month by a company called Taxi Stockholm, which claims it’s the first project of its kind in the world.

The idea was conceived when the owners of Taxi Stockholm realized that people are more likely to talk about their problems on dull, quiet drives. They even have data to back up the theory; according to spokeswoman Natalia Santos, a study revealed that "around 70 percent of people said their taxi journeys were a good time for reflection and that they often found their minds wandering."

"And when you think about it, the drivers can even become like therapists," she added. "So we decided to put the two together for all Stockholmers – especially considering it's getting so cold and dark now."

Taxi-Stockholm

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