A man hailing from Greece who goes by Prince Midnight is paying special tribute to the family member who got him interested in heavy metal— by turning his deceased uncle Filip's skeleton into a working guitar.
Speaking with MetalSucks, the musician explained that he wanted to memorialize his late uncle in a way that paid homage to his life and interests, rather than keeping his bones up in the attic to collect dust or opting for cremation.
He said:
So, I decided to turn Uncle Filip into a guitar, which proved to be challenging. I did a lot of research and no one has ever made a guitar out of a skeleton. So, I did it. I started out consulting with two guys in Dean Guitars' woodshop in Tampa but they got cold feet.
Anyways, now Uncle Filip can shred for all eternity. That's how he would want it. I'm super proud of the project and how it serves to honour him, his life and his influence on me.
Filip apparently died in a car accident two decades ago, and at the time, his remains were processed by a local college and were held there as an educational tool, as per Filip's wishes. After Filip graduated from his usefulness at the school, his nephew got to work on filing the necessary paperwork to bring him home.
Prince's efforts have resulted in an axe he's calling the "Filip Skelecaster," assembled from bones and plenty of hours of dedicated welding. The final piece "plays perfect and sounds awesome," according to Prince, who finished work on his uncle/instrument just this week.
Watch Prince Midnight and uncle Filip perform Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger" in the video below.
Speaking with MetalSucks, the musician explained that he wanted to memorialize his late uncle in a way that paid homage to his life and interests, rather than keeping his bones up in the attic to collect dust or opting for cremation.
He said:
So, I decided to turn Uncle Filip into a guitar, which proved to be challenging. I did a lot of research and no one has ever made a guitar out of a skeleton. So, I did it. I started out consulting with two guys in Dean Guitars' woodshop in Tampa but they got cold feet.
Anyways, now Uncle Filip can shred for all eternity. That's how he would want it. I'm super proud of the project and how it serves to honour him, his life and his influence on me.
Filip apparently died in a car accident two decades ago, and at the time, his remains were processed by a local college and were held there as an educational tool, as per Filip's wishes. After Filip graduated from his usefulness at the school, his nephew got to work on filing the necessary paperwork to bring him home.
Prince's efforts have resulted in an axe he's calling the "Filip Skelecaster," assembled from bones and plenty of hours of dedicated welding. The final piece "plays perfect and sounds awesome," according to Prince, who finished work on his uncle/instrument just this week.
Watch Prince Midnight and uncle Filip perform Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger" in the video below.
