Henry’s Music Blog

Nu-Metal is a very controversial genre to most music fans. On one hand, at this point in time, the only nu-metal band you’re still allowed to like are the Deftones, who people say aren’t even really nu-metal. But on the other hand, almost half of the young metal fans around these days started out listening to KoRn and Limp Bizkit, no matter how hard they pretend they didn’t. But at this time, the only way to be hated more than a nu-metal band is to be a Deathcore band, which is mainly nu-metal with growling. That is how despised this genre is. So now, let’s study the genre itself.

Nu-Metal started out with KoRn’s self titled, back in 1994, but it’s influences started out around the early 90s. Nu-Metals primary influences are Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More, Tool, and Primus. However, through all the influences, one stands out has an obvious foundation. “Unsung” by Helmet had everything  nu-metal 2 years before the genre started, with Drop D Tuning, emphasis on Bass, stop and go riffs, and the “Strobe Light Warehouse” video that was used often by nu-metal bands. All it missed was the rapping. Which brings me to the next point; nu metal is not the same as Rap Metal. There is a large distance between Rage Against the Machine, Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys. Although there probably is a direct link from Fred Durst and the Beastie’s performances in “Fight For Your Right”. But enough about the history, let’s discuss the genre itself.

As said previously, Nu-Metal started with KoRn, laying out the hallmarks of the genre. And while most of it is fine to copy, like the choppy riffs and the whispered tone of the lyrics, I have problems with one thing that everyone copied. Jonathan Davis, the frontman for KoRn, has had a troubled life. With constant bullying at school, child abuse, and a family friend molesting him, he has every right to not be a happy fellow. Hell, he performed autopsies on over 500 children, including an 8 year old rape victim. But then we had every nu-metal singer acting like they had been bullied and abused, while being generic dude rock. And honestly, all I can say is FUCK YOU. You are capitalizing on another man’s genuine hard life and issues, just so you can sell more records. That is a godawful thing to do.

Anyway, after KoRn launched, imitators soon followed, as always happens when a new genre is made. And it only got bigger after their third album, Follow the Leader. And while the title is meant to mock those who copied their formula, it just made more and more nu-metal acts flooding the airwaves. It quickly became the new Grunge, becoming the dominant genre of Rock on the airwaves. Well, this and Post Grunge, which is also widely hated, if only for Creed. Nu-Metal had its biggest breakthrough with Linkin Park’s first album, Hybrid Theory. With three huge hits, including the infamous “Crawling”, the album was an absolute smash, selling over 24 million copies. But then the genre met its end, with the release of Limp Bizkit’s Results May Vary. But the results did not vary. To this day, it’s one of the worst reviewed albums in existence, and its cover of “Behind Blue Eyes” is one of the most hated songs in existence, up there with “Afternoon Delight”. Bet you never expected that comparison.

Even after this, there were still a few remnants of the genre lying about. However, the only ones to stay to the sound was Limp Bizkit, with their latest album Golden Cobra. Everyone else realized that to stay relevant, they would have to switch their sound. Linkin Park became U2, Papa Roach became generic Radio Rock, and even KoRn switched to dubstep with their newest album, The Path to Totality. Other artists stayed the same, but they started just being called Alternative Metal, or Hard Rock, like System of a Down, Disturbed, Deftones, and Slipknot. For all intents and purposes, Nu-Metal has gone the way Hair Metal has, being pushed aside, only to be brought up again for “irony”.

But here’s the most difficult part of a discussion on nu-metal; what exactly makes a band nu-metal? When you hear a song, you can usually tell if a song is nu-metal. But have you ever considered the components of music? Here is a short list of opposites that find their way under the nu-metal umbrella:

Rap vs. No Rap

Slap Bass vs. Typical Style

Electronic vs. Industrial

High Energy Vocals Vs. Brooding Vocals

Grunt Vocals Vs. Clean Vocals

Whining Lyrics Vs. Boast Lyrics

People will tell you all of that is under Nu-Metal, and really, a sub-genre like this should be narrower. Hell, Incubus, one of the more famous Nu-Metal bands, doesn’t even sound like Nu-Metal. And there lies the problem. Nu-Metal isn’t a genre, but rather a label. It’s a label that they put on anything harder than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so that there was an easy way to sell Alternative Metal. And that’s the story of Nu-Metal.

Essential Listening

Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park

Follow the Leader - KoRn

The Sickness - Disturbed

Toxicity - System of a Down

Make Yourself - Incubus