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JJ's Bizarre Blog #33 - The Nü Hits of My Generation - Family Values Reunion Tour
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Wazzup, dawg! The summer is here in full swing, it’s getting hot and steamy and there’s a real party mood in the air. In commemoration to that, I thought of bringing you all some nostalgic tunes to really pop off to, while hopefully forgetting how up in age we’re all getting. Or that what I’m about to talk about was almost 30 years ago. But anyway, let’s crack on with it! For this entry, I’m gonna take you back to the past. To the musical movement that defined my youth and that of all my peers. The movement that had the fantastic ability to upset countless parents worldwide and give shocking coolness to some of the worst fashion choices imaginable. So put on your JNCO jeans, heelys and Adidas hoodies, prep your cornrows and frosted tips, reverse your caps, turn on the PlayStation, pop in that WWF DVD and pass the Mountain Dew, cuz this is the sound of my g-g-generation! I present to you, a deep dive into nu metal!
For the n00bs in the audience, allow me to first introduce you to this wacky beast of a genre truly befitting of the title of bizarre. Nu metal (often written as nü-metal) is a subgenre defined by simple but punchy and bombastic guitar riffs with an absence of solos, an aggressive upbeat sound, catchy lyrics and a bouncy pumping vibe. One of the most well known aspects of the genre is its tendency to mix in and incorporate elements from various genres outside of metal, primarily hip-hop and funk, but also delving into reggae, ska, techno, industrial, R&B and more. Because of this, vocals in nu metal are widely varied, mixing melodic singing and aggressive metal/punk style screaming with a litany of other approaches too, most notable of course being rapping. The lyrics are often very dark and edgy, dealing with childhood trauma and teenage angst, among other societal and personal issues. If it’s not that, the lyrics are often satirical and focus on partying and having a good time instead. And of course, being that this wild ride started in the late 90s to early 2000s, nu metal fully embraced, was influenced by and greatly contributed to the stereotypical fashion of the era – baggy jeans, sporty clothes, baseball caps, wild colours, chains, wacky haircuts, makeup and nail polish (for the men too) and abundant piercings and tattoos. It was the anthem of the disenfranchised youth and the outlandish look and sound was a significant point of contention for the different generations. But damn was it tight! Born in the United States and going on to dominate it for decades, nu metal would spread worldwide like a wildfire. And the realm of metal would never be the same again!
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To really kick off this genre, there is only one place to start and that is the outlandish godfathers of the sound – KoRn! As much as they themselves don’t want to take the credit, they are the ones that defined nu metal! Formed in the mid 90s, they are a band that sought to create a completely unique sound to channel the darkness and frustrations of their youth. Pulling from genres like funk, jazz, industrial and new wave, mixing it all into a potent, dark and angry metal sound influenced by the likes of Pantera. The guitars were low tuned and used a ton of effects and wacky techniques, the bass was loud, clangy and metallic and the vocal delivery of frontman Jonathan Davis aka JDevil was varied and melodic, but also downright animalistic at times. The result is an incomparable sound that took the world by storm and captured the emotions of young people perfectly. The sheer uniqueness of KoRn would go on to inspire countless other bands after them and the aftershocks of their influence can still be felt in the newest bands taking the stage today. They had no idea what sort of freak they had just unleashed!
Another early adopter that would kickstart the movement were Deftones! Like KoRn, they too crafted a truly unique sound, but did so from a completely different direction and a wildly different result. Pulling instead from the realms of alternative rock, indie and R&B, Deftones songs would still be punchy and heavy as nu metal would come to be, but were much slower and more melancholic, permeated with themes of failed romance and a bleak outlook on the future. Naturally, they too captured the zeitgeist of the time and would go on to become one of the most iconic bands in the genre!
An equally meteoric rise to fame and infamy followed another group of eccentric lads with an equally eccentric name – Limp Bizkit, yo! They were the ones to truly cement one of the staples of nu metal – rapping. Being fans of both hip-hop and metal growing up, the band sought to combine the two even further than a lot of rap metal bands before them had. The wacky painted creature referred to as Wes Borland contributed some punchy and eccentric riffs, which were supported by one of the sickest rhythm sections in all of 90s metal. With DJ Lethal’s scratches and samples as the seasoning, this was the perfect base for the loud and proud Fred Durst to drop his angsty party raps and finish up a truly killer formula. They would naturally achieve huge success and the sales of red baseball caps would skyrocket to never before seen heights. You can say whatever you want about Limp Bizkit, but their fun factor is undeniable and when they decide to go for a serious tone, it’s actually quite successful. Also, getting hip-hop and metal fans to get along was never an easy feat, they were among the few to do it. United by the power of the holy Nookie!
During the mid-to-late 90s, nu metal would establish itself as a potent genre deserving of attention and the final rocket needed to catapult it to mainstream success would come from one of the most recognizable bands in the field – Linkin Park! I mean, do I really need to say anything here? There is no chance in hell you haven’t heard of them. Mixing the rapping skills of Mike Shinoda with the emotional singing of the late great Chester Bennington, layered over some awesome riffs, scratches and keyboards, you get an amazing sound that shook the world. Their aptly titled debut Hybrid Theory mixed a whole bunch of genres in amazing fashion and went on to become the best selling rock album of the 21st century! While their later material went in all sorts of directions, they had forever captured the hearts of millions and truly made nu metal a household name!
Another band that skyrocketed to mainstream popularity right out of the gate were the immortal Disturbed. With a very punchy riffing style, perfectly suited to the percussive vocal style and animalistic noises of frontman David Draiman, combined with electronic elements and awesome songwriting, Disturbed quickly became a force to be reckoned with!
Gradually, nu metal would also grow heavier and even wackier with one force responsible for this being Armenian-American wackjobs System of a Down. Mixing a litany of genres into a heavy and aggressive style with either heavily political or borderline nonsensical lyrics, SOAD were a party machine that have truly carved out a niche that nobody else in the world can fill. We can only hope they try and work together again in future.
The biggest proponent for the introduction of heaviness were the Iowa nonet SlipKnot. Visually, they immediately made a strong impression with their creepy DIY masks and trademark red jumpsuits. Their chaotic and explosive live performances were an experience like no other. Sonically, they stood out a lot by bringing their death metal and grindcore roots and mixing it with punchy riffage, turntables and keyboards as well as their trademark custom percussion, featuring things like oil drums, barrels and other miscellaneous items. The band would be the gateway drug for countless youths to get into true extreme metal and the late Joey Jordison has arguably done more for the popularization of blast beats and metal drumming than anyone else. SlipKnot’s profound influence on modern metal cannot be overstated.
Among these, many other bands would arise and contribute to the wacky and wild look associated with nu metal, such as fellow masked marauders Mushroomhead or the colourful face and body paint and styled hair of acts like Mudvayne. If regular Adidas tracksuits weren’t your forte, you can always just become an actual Halloween monster to truly scare the kids.
And so, nu metal was now a thing and grew bigger and bigger, with countless bands joining the fray, mostly centered around the United States. The movement had already become massive though and spread to the minds of youths the world over.
So much so, even the concurrent alternative metal crowd got roped in, until the Venn diagram of the two fanbases almost became a circle. The angsty and emotional lyrics and punchy guitars of the alt crowd, along with the striking fashion, really made this a match made in heaven.
The insane popularity of the genre made some non-nu bands catch the bug and dabble with something similar. Some were more successful than others, by far the best example being the iconic Roots album from Brazilian legends Sepultura, followed closely by Fear Factory's iconic Digimortal. The most pumping music ever made, no doubt.
Thanks to the pre-existing genre overlaps and shared band members, plenty of industrial bands got involved with nu metal too. Some like Fear Factory only dabbled with it on an album or two, while my favourites Static-X and other bangers like Dope and Powerman 5000 were commonly lumped together with the nu movement, even though they are industrial first. The insane haircuts really helped them fit right in though. Even German legends Rammstein with their eccentric stage presence, incinirating riffs and genre-fusion sound fit right in and were often found on many of the same festivals.
From the industrial movement, two artists commonly associated with nu metal are the so called Twins of Evil – the horrorshow rock God Rob Zombie and the divisive and charismatic Marilyn Manson. Zombie would entice people with his bombastic live shows and fun shock rock aesthetics, while Manson would captivate the youth with his controversial and extreme lyricism and imagery, becoming the bane of parents everywhere. Both had some awesome riffage and killer songs though.
We also have to talk about rap metal. Combining the free loving spirit of rock music with the brutal honesty of hip-hop was a match made in heaven and it helped unite many disenfranchised people in the early 90s. It actually existed before the advent of nu metal and only rose to further popularity because of it. Naturally, given the significant stylistic overlap, bands from both styles often played together and grew off of each other’s fanbases.
Given that the nu metal fanbase was born out of many others before it, pulling from both the metal and hip-hop crowds, it’s no surprise that several pure rap acts also became the darlings of the nu metal crowd. They often collaborated with nu bands and frequently shared tours and festivals with them, creating a multi-genre party atmosphere like no other.
Nu metal was well known for its electronic elements too, so it was inevitable that plenty of electronic artists would be invited to join the party too. One such movement that arose around the same time is the so called “big beat”, a subgenre of breakbeat and techno known for its hard hitting rhythm (hence the name) and bountiful synthesizers. Basically, it was pioneered by the Prodigy, so if it’s from them or sounds like them, that’s what big beat is. The English innovators and their contemporaries quickly became favourites of the nu metal crowd and broke down many cross-genre barriers to foster even greater collaboration and growth.
From then on, countless electronic artists managed to warm up to the metal crowd and find a brand nu audience. The early 2000s really were the decade of genre mixing and teardown of barriers between fanbases. You love to see it.
The 2000s came and went and naturally, nu metal is far from the mainstream powerhouse it was in its heyday. However, the long lasting impact that these bands have had continues to echo to this day and as the generation that grew up on nu metal is now old enough to pursue musical careers of their own, you can clearly see many next generation bands pulling from the elements of nu metal and keeping the spirit alive.
By far the biggest revivalists are the kings of LA – Hollywood Undead! Keeping up the tradition of the iconic masks from SlipKnot and Mushroomhead and boldly mixing metal, rap, EDM, dubstep and more into a fluid and unpredictable sound that still remains definitively theirs, HU have found massive success and have proven that the market for such genre-bending music still exists and that the rap and metal crowds can still get along. I can also tell you from experience, they deliver some of the most unbelievable live shows ever. Put that on your bucket list!
Speaking of which, time for me to check “making a nu metal blog” off of my bucket list. This has been a really fun trip down memory lane for me and I hope you feel inspired now too. Nu metal was part of a magical time in cultural history and few genres embody the spirit of their decade better (except maybe disco with the 80s, but that’s a story for another time). A cool phenomenon happening today is that a new generation of kids, too young to have grown up with nu metal like I did, are discovering it and falling in love all over again. So enough time has passed and now nu metal is entering a renaissance and becoming cool again! As it if was ever uncool, ha! So, with this blog, you can stay ahead of the curve and join the revival party along with anybody else, cuz you just got served the best breakdown of this iconic movement out there. So have fun, play that freakin' track, keep it real and I’ll catch you again soon! W00t!
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