This articlemay betoo long to read and navigate comfortably. Considersplitting content into sub-articles,condensing it, or addingsubheadings. Please discuss this issue on the article'stalk page.(June 2025)
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, bands likePantera,Helmet, andFaith No More were influential in the development of nu-metal with theirgroove metal and alternative metal styles.Korn is often credited as pioneering the subgenre in the mid-1990s with theirself-titled debut album. Nu metal became popular in the late 1990s, with bands and artists such as Korn,Limp Bizkit, andSlipknot all releasing albums that sold millions of copies.
Its popularity continued through the early 2000s, with bands such asPapa Roach,Staind, andP.O.D. all selling multi-platinum albums. The popularity of nu metal came to a peak in 2001 withLinkin Park's diamond-selling albumHybrid Theory. By the mid-2000s, however, the oversaturation of bands, combined with the underperformance of several high-profile releases, signaled the subgenre's decline. Many nu-metal bands disbanded or changed their sound in favor of other genres.
The 2010s brought a nu-metal revival; many bands that combined it with other genres (for example,metalcore anddeathcore) emerged, and some nu-metal bands from the 1990s and early 2000s returned to the nu-metal sound. Bands such asOf Mice & Men,Emmure,Issues,My Ticket Home, andBring Me the Horizon combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore. Artists likeGrimes,Poppy, andRina Sawayama integrated nu-metal sounds intoelectronic pop music in the late 2010s and early 2020s, and interest in nu metal rose in the early 2020s.
Tim Grierson ofAbout.com wrote that "Falling Away from Me" by Korn showedhip-hop influence through the use of staccato rhythms, textured guitar hooks, and distorted power chords.[2]
Citing the lyrics of the song's chorus, Karan Pradhan ofFirstpost calledSlipknot's "Surfacing" the "best encapsulation of the aggression, attitude, simplicity and indeed, the spirit of nu metal".[3]
Then a funny thing happened:myopic anti-rap sentiment within more conservative heavy metal quarters saw a slew of new bands already busy blurring these genre lines (Faith No More,Infectious Grooves, etc.) repositioned as “funk metal”; but this did nothing to slow down the increasing cross-pollination, as some bands addedrecord-scratching DJs to their arsenal. Finally, a generation ofgroove metal bands led by Texas’Pantera brought a new level (pun intended) ofrhythmic elements into heavy metal, and most of the ingredients were finally in place for bands likeKorn,Deftones,Slipknot andLimp Bizkit to kickstart andcoalesce the Nu-Metal craze.
Instrumentation in nu metal is heavilysyncopated and is based mostly on guitarriffs, although these riffs are prominent, guitar solos are not integrated heavily within the genre. These riffs often being inspired by groove metal.[7] Mid-song bridges and the general lack ofguitar solos contrasts it with other genres of heavy metal.[7][25] Kory Grow ofRevolver wrote, "... [i]n its efforts to tune down and simplify riffs,nu-metal effectively drove a stake through the heart of the guitar solo".[26] Another contrast with otherheavy metal genres is nu metal's emphasis on rhythm, rather than on complexity or mood.[10] Thewah pedal is occasionally featured in nu metal music.[26]
Nu metal's similarities with many heavy metal subgenres include its use ofcommon time,distorted guitars, andpower chords and note structures primarily revolving aroundDorian,Aeolian orPhrygianmodes.[7] While loud and heavilydistorted electric guitars are a core feature of all metal genres, nu metal guitarists took the sounds of "violence and destruction" to new levels with their overdriven guitar tone, which music journalists Kitts and Tolinski compared to the "...sound [of] a Mack truck being crushed by a collapsing skyscraper."[30]
Nu metal bands occasionally feature hip hop musicians as guests in their songs; Korn's song "Children of the Korn" features the rapperIce Cube, who performed on the band's1998 Family Values Tour.[41][42] The hip hop musicianNas was featured on Korn's song "Play Me", which is on the band's albumTake a Look in the Mirror.[43] Limp Bizkit has recorded with multiple hip hop musicians includingMethod Man,[44]Lil Wayne,[45]Xzibit,[46]Redman,[46]DMX[47] andSnoop Dogg.[48]Linkin Park collaborated with hip hop musicianJay-Z on their 2004 extended playCollision Course.[49]Kid Rock has recorded with hip hop musiciansEminem[50] and Snoop Dogg.[51] Trevor Baker ofThe Guardian wrote, "Bands such as Linkin Park, Korn and even the much reviled Limp Bizkit ... did far more to break down the artificial barriers between 'urban music' and rock than any of their more critically acceptable counterparts."[52]
Lyrics in nu metal songs are often angry or nihilistic;[21][31][34] many of the genre's lyrics focus on topics such as pain,[15][34] angst,[25][34] bullying,[3] emotional issues,[3][31] abandonment,[3][31] betrayal,[3] and personal alienation,[15][34] in a way similar to those of grunge.[3][15][34][53] Many nu metal lyrics that are about these topics tend to be in a very direct tone.[31] However, somenu metal songs have lyrics that are about other topics.P.O.D. has used positive lyrics about promise and hope.[54] The nu metal[55] song "Bodies" byDrowning Pool is aboutmoshing.[56]The Michigan Daily wrote aboutLimp Bizkit's lyrics, writing that the band "used the nu-metal sound as a way to spin testosterone fueled fantasies into snarky white-boy rap. Oddly, audiences took frontmanFred Durst more seriously than he wanted, failing to see the intentional silliness in many of his songs".[31] Limp Bizkit's lyrics have also been described as misogynistic.[57]Dope's lyrics are usually about sex, drugs, parties, women, violence, and relationships.[58] In contrast, according to Josh Chesler of thePhoenix New Times, the lyrics ofDeftones, who were once considered a nu metal band, "tend to have complex allusions and leave the songs open to many different interpretations."[59]
Joel McIver acknowledged Korn as the band that created and pioneered the nu metal genre with its demoNeidermayer's Mind, which was released in 1993.[82][83] McIver also acknowledged Korn as the band that started thenew wave of American heavy metal,[82] which is aheavy metal music movement that started in the 1990s.[84][85] The aggressive riffs of Korn, the rapping ofLimp Bizkit, and the melodic ballads of Staind created the sonic template for nu metal.[86] The origins of the term "nu metal" are often attributed to the work of producerRoss Robinson, who has been called "The Godfather of Nu Metal" between producers.[87] Robinson has produced for nu metal bands such as Korn,[88][89] Limp Bizkit[90] and Slipknot.[91][92] Many of the first nu metal bands, such as Korn[93] andDeftones,[94] came from California; however, the genre soon spread across the United States and many bands arose from various states, including Limp Bizkit from Florida,[86] Staind fromMassachusetts,[95] and Slipknot fromIowa.[96] In the bookBrave Nu World, Tommy Udo wrote about the nu metal band Coal Chamber, "There's some evidence to suggest that Coal Chamber were the first band to whom the tag 'nu metal' was actually applied, in a live review inSpin magazine."[97]
In 1994, Korn releasedtheir self-titled debut album, which is widely considered the first nu metal album.[98][99][100] Korn had experienced underground popularity at this time; their debut album peaked at number 72 on theBillboard 200.[101] In 1995, the bandSugar Ray released its debut studio albumLemonade and Brownies, an album described as both funk metal and nu metal.[102][103] In 1995, Deftones released their debut albumAdrenaline. The album peaked at number 23 on theHeatseekers Albums chart on October 5, 1996.[104] Deftones also were temporarily controversial in 1996 when their vocalistChino Moreno was blamed by TV news reports for a riot that occurred at the 1996 U-Fest festival on October 5, 1996.[105]Adrenaline was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the summer of 1999. It was also certified platinum by the RIAA in September 2008.[106]
Sepultura's 1996 albumRoots features nu metal elements that were considered influential to the genre,[107][108] whileRoots itself was influenced by Korn's self-titled debut album.[107][109][110] Nu metal continued to rise in popularity when Korn's 1996 albumLife Is Peachy peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200[101][111] and sold 106,000 copies in its first week of release.[112] Attention throughOzzy Osbourne's 1996 introduction ofOzzfest was integral to boosting the careers of many nu metal bands, including Limp Bizkit.[113]
Few artists were playing nu metal until 1997 when bands such asSevendust,[114] Coal Chamber,[115] Limp Bizkit,[116] and Papa Roach[117] all released their debut albums, in whatBillboard writer William Goodman calls a "banner year" for the genre.[118] Limp Bizkit released their debutThree Dollar Bill, Y'all in July 1997.[118] The album's popularity grew in 1999 as the band's mainstream profile began to increase; in March of that year, it went platinum in the United States, and eventually went double platinum in July 2001.[119] Coal Chamber released itsself-titled debut album in 1997, which was a minor hit, being certified gold in the United States in 1999.[120] The album was frequently compared to Korn,[121] and Coal Chamber's appearance onOzzfest in 1996 gave the band attention. Coal Chamber appeared on Ozzfest during the next two years.[122] Also in 1997, Sugar Ray released its second studio albumFloored. The album achieved mainstream success quickly and was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA on February 20, 1998.[123] AlthoughFloored is a nu metal album,[124] the only song from the album that achieved chart success was the single "Fly",[125] which is instead areggae-oriented song.[126] Although Sugar Ray continued to be extremely popular,[125] the band abandoned the nu metal genre and became apop rock band with its 1999 studio album14:59.[127] Deftones' second albumAround the Fur, also released in 1997, peaked at number 29 on theBillboard 200 on November 15, 1997.[128] The album was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the summer of 1999, and certified platinum by the RIAA in June 2011.[129]
In 1998, nu metal's popularity fully coalesced into mainstream success.Billboard cited August 18, 1998, as the "Biggest Day in Nu-Metal History", which saw the release of Korn's third albumFollow the Leader,Kid Rock's major label debutDevil Without a Cause andOrgy's debut albumCandyass.[130]Follow the Leader peaked at number 1 on theBillboard 200,[101] was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA,[131] and paved the way for the success of other nu metal bands.[52] At this point, many nu metal bands were signed to major record labels,[4] and were using elements of heavy metal, hip hop, industrial, or grunge.[4] Hip hop artistsVanilla Ice[132][133] and Cypress Hill,[134] along with heavy metal bands Sepultura,[107][108][132] Primus,[135][136] Fear Factory,[132][137] Machine Head,[138][139] and Slayer[140] released albums that draw from the nu metal genre. In 1999, Korn's fourth studio albumIssues peaked at number 1 on theBillboard 200.[101][141] The album was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA in one month.[142] The album sold at least 573,000 copies in its first week of release.[141] During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple nu metal bands such as Korn,[143][144] Limp Bizkit[145][146] and P.O.D.[147][148] appeared repeatedly onTotal Request Live. As nu metal became popular, it especially appealed to certain groups of young people. Although Limp Bizkit was particularly popular among "jocks" andfraternity men due to its hedonistic, hypermasculine lyrics,[149] many other nu metal bands, especially the bands with heavier music, instead appealed particularly tomall goths and outsiders who identified with the genre's typically angsty lyrics.[150][151]
TheWoodstock 1999 festival featured multiple nu metal artists and bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit andSevendust.[152][153][154] During and after Limp Bizkit's performance at the festival, violence occurred and people tore plywood from the walls during the performance of the band's song "Break Stuff".[155][156] Several sexual assaults were reported to have happened during the festival;[157] a rape that was reported during Limp Bizkit's performance, andgang rape was reported to have occurred during Korn's set at the festival.[158] Despite the incidents at the festival, Limp Bizkit's popularity and the sales of their then-recent albumSignificant Other were not affected.[155] The album peaked at number 1 on theBillboard 200, selling 643,874 copies in its first week of release, topping over one million sold in two weeks,[159] and eventually being certified 7× platinum in 2001.[160]Significant Other sold at least 7,237,123 copies in the United States.[161]
In 1999, Slipknot emerged with an extremely heavy nu metal sound, releasing theirself-titled album, which was certified platinum in 2000 and 2× platinum in 2005.[162] In a review of the band's self-titled album, Rick Anderson ofAllMusic wrote about Slipknot, "You thought Limp Bizkit was hard? They'rethe Osmonds. These guys are something else entirely." Anderson noted the death metal influence on the album.[163] Slipknot drummerJoey Jordison, noted by Anderson for his death metal-influenced drumming,[163] said of Slipknot's music: "The roots are death metal, thrash,speed metal, and I could go on and on about all those bands."[164]
Disturbed performing in 2005
In 1999, Staind's second albumDysfunction was released; the track "Mudshovel" peaked at number 10 on theMainstream Rock chart.[165]Dysfunction was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2000 and 2× platinum in 2004.[166] In 2000, Limp Bizkit's third studio albumChocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water set a record for highest week-one sales of a rock album, selling over 1,000,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release—400,000 of which sold on its first day of release, making it the fastest-selling rock album ever and breaking the world record held for seven years byPearl Jam'sVs.[167]Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water by Limp Bizkit was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA.[168] That same year, both Papa Roach's second studio albumInfest[169] andDisturbed's debut studio albumThe Sickness[170] were released. Both albums became multi-platinum hits.[171][172] In 2000, P.O.D.'s albumThe Fundamental Elements of Southtown went platinum in the United States[173] and was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000.[174] During the late 1990s and early 2000s, many nu metal bands performed at Ozzfest, includingKittie, Disturbed,Mudvayne,Linkin Park, Slipknot, Papa Roach,Otep,Static-X,Methods of Mayhem,Taproot andDrowning Pool.[175][176] Ozzfest was successful, with Ozzfest 2000, for example, selling out and having 19,000 audience members.[176] During that same year, nu metal bands like Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit joined rappers likeEminem andXzibit on Eminem'sAnger Management Tour, which had sold-out concerts.[177]
Linkin Park in 2006
Late in 2000, Linkin Park released their debut albumHybrid Theory, which was the best-selling debut album by any artist of any genre in the 21st century and nu metal's popularity peak.[178] The album was also the best-selling album of 2001.[179][180] Linkin Park earned aGrammy Award for their second single "Crawling".[181] Their fourth single, "In the End", was released late in 2001 and peaked at number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 in March 2002.[182][183] In 2001, Linkin Park's albumHybrid Theory sold 4,800,000 copies in the United States, making it the highest-selling album of the year.[179][180] Linkin Park's albumHybrid Theory was certified 12× platinum by the RIAA[184] and sold at least 10,222,000 copies in the United States.[185]
Aaron Lewis, the vocalist of Staind, performing in August 2001
Crazy Town's debut albumThe Gift of Game peaked at number 9 on theBillboard 200,[186] went platinum in February 2001,[187] and sold at least 1,500,000 copies in the United States.[188] Worldwide, the album sold at least 2,500,000 copies.[189] Staind's 2001 albumBreak the Cycle debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200[165] with at least 716,000 copies sold in its first week of release.[95][190][191]Break the Cycle by Staind was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA,[192] with 4,240,000 copies sold in 2001 in the United States.[180] Although the album featured nu metal tracks, a lot of the album showed Staind moving to a softer sound.[193] Noting Staind's change in style to a softer sound, Tommy Udo ofBrave Nu World wrote: "It's often said that nobody over the age of 24 could possibly like Limp Bizkit or Korn, but Staind are a more mainstream band and their songs are likely to appeal to a much bigger fanbase."[194]
In August 2001, Slipknot released their albumIowa, which peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200[195] and went platinum in October 2001.[196] Critic John Mulvey called the album the "absolute triumph of nu metal".[197] P.O.D.'s 2001 albumSatellite wenttriple-platinum[198] and peaked at number 6 on theBillboard 200.[199] P.O.D.'s popularity continued in the year 2002.[200] On June 5, 2001,[201] Drowning Pool released a nu metal album[202] titledSinner, which features the song "Bodies".[203] The album went platinum on August 23, 2001[201] and its song "Bodies" became one of the most frequently played videos on MTV for new bands.[204] "Bodies" went to number 6 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[205] In 2001,System of a Down's albumToxicity peaked at number 1 on theBillboard 200.[206] The album was certified 6× platinum in the United States.[207] System of a Down blended nu metal with occasional influences ofMiddle Eastern music,Greek music,Armenian music, and jazz music,[208] and the band featured political lyrics.[209]
2001–2004: Continued success and early signs of decline
In 2003, MTV wrote that nu metal's mainstream popularity was declining in 2002, citing that Korn's fifth albumUntouchables and Papa Roach's third albumLovehatetragedy both sold less than the bands' previous releases.[210] Korn's lead vocalist Jonathan Davis believedmusic piracy was the reason for the lower amount of sales ofUntouchables compared toFollow the Leader andIssues becauseUntouchables had been leaked to the Internet more than four months before its official release date.[211][212] MTV also wrote that nu metal bands were played less frequently on radio stations and MTV began focusing on other musical genres.[35][210] MTV wrote that Papa Roach's third albumLovehatetragedy has less hip hop elements than the band's previous albumInfest[210] and also said that Saliva's 2002 albumBack into Your System has lesship hop elements than the band's 2001 albumEvery Six Seconds.[6] MTV also wrote that Crazy Town's second albumDarkhorse had no hit singles and sold less than the band's previous albumThe Gift of Game.[6] MTV wrote that although Kid Rock's albumCocky had characteristics of the musician's 1998 albumDevil Without a Cause,Cocky's song "Forever", which featured the style of Kid Rock'snu metal[59] song "Bawitdaba", was not as popular asCocky'scountry song "Picture".[6] MTV also wrote, "Another cause for nü-metal and rap-rock's slip from the spotlight could be a diluted talent pool caused by so many similar-sounding bands.American Head Charge,Primer 55,Adema,Cold,the Union Underground,Dope,Apartment 26,Hed (Planet Earth) andSkrape—all of whom released albums between 2000 and 2001—left more of a collective impression than individual ones".[6]
Despite what MTV wrote, the RIAA certified Korn's albumUntouchables platinum in July 2002,[213] and one of the album's singles, "Here to Stay", received a lot of radio play[210] and peaked at number one on MTV'sTotal Request Live twice.[214]Untouchables sold at least 434,000 copies in first week of release and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200.[215][216] However,Untouchables still did not sell as many copies as Korn's most commercially successful album,Follow the Leader.[65][210] Linkin Park's remix albumReanimation was released in July 2002[217] and sold more than a million copies that year, which MTV described as "impressive for a remix album".[200] Additionally, P.O.D.'s popularity continued into 2002 with its 2001 albumSatellite.
In 2003, Linkin Park's albumMeteora peaked at number 1 on theBillboard 200[218] and sold at least 810,000 copies in its first week of being released.[219]Meteora by Linkin Park was certified multi-platinum in the United States[220] and sold at least 6,100,000 copies in the United States.[221] Limp Bizkit's 2003 albumResults May Vary, which features a change in sound with many alternative rock songs[222] alongside nu metal songs,[223] peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200,[224] with sales of at least 325,000 copies in its first week of being released. In 2004,Blabbermouth.net reported that, according toNielsen SoundScan,Results May Vary sold 1,337,356 copies in the United States.[225] However, the album garnered very poor critical reception[226] and consequently performed much weaker than previous Limp Bizkit albums such asSignificant Other andChocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.[227] Korn's 2003 albumTake a Look in the Mirror sold less than previous Korn albums likeIssues andUntouchables.[227] Despite the ongoing decline of the genre, several international bands began to experience success with nu metal, such asThree Days Grace from Canada, andLostprophets from Wales. Three Days Grace managed to land a hit single in April 2003 with the song "I Hate Everything About You",[228] while Lostprophets managed a hit single in December 2003 with the song "Last Train Home",[229] becoming the highest-charting single from a UK-based rock band that year.[230] The Lostprophets' 2004 albumStart Something was successful,[231][232] peaking at number 4 on theUK Album Charts[233] and number 33 on the U.S.Billboard 200.[234]
By 2004, several nu metal bands had begun to experiment with other genres to adapt to the changes in trends. Linkin Park's third studio albumMinutes to Midnight, released in 2007, was noted for its near-complete departure from the band's nu metal sound.[242] Describing the album's style, singerChester Bennington stated, "We've really moved away from anything that sounds like nu-metal."[243] Nu metal bands such as Disturbed,[244][245]Soulfly, Drowning Pool,[202] and Slipknot[246] had begun to utilize heavier elements ofgroove metal,death metal andthrash metal into their music.[247][248] Similarly to Limp Bizkit; Staind and Papa Roach had also begun experimenting with Alternative Rock into their sound.[249][250] Staind's 2003 album14 Shades of Grey was significantly less heavy than previous albums[251] and shows the band's departure from nu metal and a movement towards a lighter sound.[252] Papa Roach abandoned the nu metal genre entirely with their 2004 albumGetting Away with Murder,[253] moving to a hard rock style.[254][255]System of a Down released two albums in 2005,Mezmerize andHypnotize. Both did well commercially and critically, but the band took a morealternative metal approach to the two albums compared to their past three efforts.[256] In 2005, Limp Bizkit released an EP calledThe Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) which had little promotion and advertising.[257] The album was not very popular;[258] its sales fell 67% during its second week of release.[259] In 2006, Limp Bizkit went on hiatus.[257] In 2012, vocalistFred Durst said:
"Here's the deal: say in 2000, there were 35 million people who connected to this band. Twelve years later, lots of those people have moved on. We were a moment in time and it's over."[260]
Of Mice & Men is one of severalmetalcore bands that added elements of nu metal to later albums.
During the mid-2010s, there was a discussion within media of a possible nu metal revival because of bands fusing nu metal with other genres.[261] Despite the lack of radio play and popularity, some nu metal bands recaptured some of their former popularity as they released albums in a nu metal style. Manymetalcore anddeathcore groups[262] gained moderate popularity in the 2010s and used elements from nu metal. This fusion isnu metalcore.[263] Suicide Silence's 2011 albumThe Black Crown, which features elements of nu metal and deathcore,[264] peaked at number 28 on theBillboard 200.[265][266] In 2014,Issues'self-titled debut album peaked at number 9 on the same chart.[267] The album features elements of metalcore, nu metal, pop andR&B.[268] Of Mice & Men's 2014 albumRestoring Force, which features elements of nu metal,[269] peaked at number 4 on theBillboard 200.[270]Bring Me the Horizon, often described as ametalcore band, released their fifth albumThat's the Spirit, which peaked at number 2 on theBillboard 200, in 2015.[271] The album draws from multiple genres including nu metal[272][273] and would experiment further with nu metal on their 2020 albumPost Human: Survival Horror. The band's keyboardist has described them as a nu metal band.[274]Motionless In White inGraveyard Shift andDisguise features elements of industrial, gothic, metalcore and nu metal.[275]
While some media outlets believed these 2010s artists marked the start of a nu metal revival,Metal Hammer writer Dannii Leivers cited the aforementioned groups as simply hinting towards a revival, instead claiming a revival began in 2021, "a crop of young revivalists... looking to put a brand-new spin on the music of their formative years", namelyTetrarch.[279] Other notable acts in this wave includeTallah,Orthodox,Vended, andWargasm.[280][281]
Linkin Park generated a large amount of media publicity by its revival in 2024.
In the early 2020s, several media outlets noted that nu metal has undergone a resurgence in interest amongGeneration Z listeners.[296][297][298][299] In 2023,Google Searches for the term "nu metal" were reported as being at their highest in "nearly 20 years".[300] Deftones and Slipknot began gaining popularity among Generation Z in the early 2020s when their music was featured in videos on the appTikTok.[150] Also, several nu metal bands returned and released new music after decades likeStaind,[301]Adema,[302]Alien Ant Farm[303] andKittie.[304] Late 2024 saw the surprise revival ofLinkin Park after a seven-year hiatus following the death of frontmanChester Bennington in 2017. With new singerEmily Armstrong of the rock bandDead Sara and new drummerColin Brittain, the band released their eighth studio albumFrom Zero on November 15. Several songs on the album, such as lead single "The Emptiness Machine", "Heavy Is the Crown", and "Two Faced" call back to their earlier nu metal sound prominently featured onHybrid Theory andMeteora.
Despite its popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, nu metal has often been criticized by many fans of heavy metal music,[52][60] often being labelled with derogatory terms such as "mallcore" and "whinecore".[21] Gregory Heaney ofAllMusic called nu metal "one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream".[305] Lucy Jones ofNME called nu metal "the worst genre of all time".[67] InMetal: The Definitive Guide : Heavy, NWOBH, Progressive, Thrash, Death ..., Garry Sharpe-Young describednu metal as "a dumbed-down and—thankfully short[-]lived exercise".[306] WhenMachine Head moved to the nu metal genre with their albumThe Burning Red and their vocalistRobb Flynn spiked his hair in the fashion of many nu metal musicians, the band were accused of "selling out" and many fans criticized their change of appearance and musical style.[138][307] Machine Head's drummerDave McClain said, "Pissing people off isn't a bad thing, you know? For people to be narrow-minded is bad ... [i]t doesn't bother us at all, we know we're going to piss people off with this record, but some people hopefully will actually sit down and listen to the whole record".[138] Robb Flynn, Machine Head's vocalist, said
There's a minute and a half of rapping on that album. The other 53 minutes of the record are like a giant scar being ripped open while I projectile-vomit through it. If all that people got out of [The Burning Red] was rap-metal, then they didn't fucking listen to it.[138]
Jonathan Davis, the vocalist of Korn, spoke about the criticism of nu metal from heavy metal fans, saying:
There's a lot of closed-minded metal purists that would hate something because it's not true to metal or whatever, but Korn has never been a metal band, dude. We're not a metal band. We've always been looked at as what they called the nu-metal thing. But we've always been the black sheep and we never fitted into that kind of thing so ... We're always ever evolving, and we always piss fans off and we're gaining other fans and it is how it is.[308]
Lamb of God's vocalistRandy Blythe criticized the nu metal genre and spoke about its loss of popularity in 2004, saying: "Nu-metal sucks, so that's why that's dying off. And I think... people are ready for angrier music. I think people are ready for something that's real, not, you know, 'I did it all for the nookie.'"[309]Megadeth frontmanDave Mustaine said he would "rather have his eyelids pulled out" than listen to nu metal.[310] GuitaristGary Holt ofExodus and Slayer said that he "was so glad about" the decline ofnu metal.[311]
Some musicians who influenced nu metal have tried to distance themselves from the subgenre and its bands.Mike Patton, the vocalist ofFaith No More andMr. Bungle, tried to distance himself from the subgenre and criticized it,[312] even though he is featured on the song "Lookaway" onSepultura's albumRoots, which is often considered a nu metal album.[313] Patton said of his music's influence on nu metal, "I feel no responsibility for that, it's their mothers' fault, not mine".[314]Helmet frontmanPage Hamilton said, "It's frustrating that people write [us] off because we're affiliated with or credited with or discredited with creatingnu-metal and rap metal ... which we sound nothing like".[315]
Trent Reznor ofNine Inch Nails has said he knows some Korn members and that he thinks they are "cool guys",[316] but he remains critical of nu metal, saying:
When I'm asked what do I think of a lot of the nu-metal bands that are out there, my response is that it seems really insincere to me. 'I've had a really shitty childhood and I'm really upset and I'm really ugly and I've put a lot of make-up on and I'm harder and faster and my voice sounds more like thecookie monster's than yours does'. To me it all comes across as being comical, as being a parody of itself.[317]
In response to reports thatFred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, is a big fan ofTool, the latter's vocalistMaynard James Keenan said, "If the lunch-lady in high school hits on you, you appreciate the compliment, but you're not really gonna start dating the lunch-lady, are ya?"[318] While Durst has citedRage Against the Machine as a major influence,[319][320] Rage Against the Machine's bassistTim Commerford is open about his hatred of Limp Bizkit, describing them as "one of the dumbest bands in the history of music".[321] At the2000 MTV Video Music Awards, Limp Bizkit won theBest Rock Video category for their song "Break Stuff", beating Rage Against the Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire".[320] When Limp Bizkit accepted their award, Commerford went on stage and climbed 20 ft (6 m) up a backdrop, rocking back and forth.[320][322] After the incident, Commerford was arrested and spent a night in jail.[320][321] Commerford said in 2015, "I do apologize for Limp Bizkit. I really do. I feel really bad that we inspired such bullshit ... They're gone, though. That's the beautiful thing."[319][320]
"After Korn's 'Follow the Leader' blew the whole movement into orbit in 1998, nu-metal produced some ridiculous bands, to be sure. And to be fair, plenty of them dwelled in the realms of corny rap-rock and dull alternative radio rock with the occasional heavy riff or tendency to scream, making their designation as 'metal' quite dubious indeed ... [b]ut the movement also produced plenty of heavier bands with primarily metal influences".
Metal Underground on nu metal's association with heavy metal.[323]
Jody MacGregor ofFasterLouder called nu metal "music's most hated genre"; conversely, he also wrote that nu metal is "not as bad as people think", praising several examples of the genre.[324] Although multiple nu metal musicians rejected the nu metal label,Limp Bizkit's vocalist Fred Durst defended it, saying "Nu metal let people open up and it meant something to people. It really did."[325]Slipknot's vocalistCorey Taylor also defended nu metal, saying "I'd like to think that that whole nu-metal wave was so important to that next wave of American heavy metal, to be honest."[326]Coal Chamber's vocalistDez Fafara also defended nu metal. He said he is proud to be associated with the subgenre[17] and that nu metal bands "broke new musical ground" saying, "I think 'hair metal' was cheesy. [But] I think 'nu metal' was different. I think what's beautiful about 'nu metal' is it's different. And you've got so many different influences."[327]The Smashing Pumpkins vocalistBilly Corgan praised nu metal, saying "I think it's fantastic. I think the more people are cross-pollinating between different musical styles… it not only has musical implications but it has cultural ones as well."[328] Sevendust vocalistLajon Witherspoon, when asked about the 2020s resurgence of the genre, also spoke highly: "It's funny. I don't mind being in that category because I feel it's awesome that music is resurging and we're not letting a movement get away from us and get so far away that we don't even like it or listen to it anymore."[329]
Unfortunately, some barriers prevent listeners from understanding nu-metal bands apart from the identity that genre label has given them—picture a bone-headed suburban white kid sporting a backwards baseball cap. What used to be a descriptor for a specific strain of alternative metal turned into a ghetto for every band that a) plays extremely heavy yet radio-friendly music and b) sucks. Because the genre came to be defined by its lack of quality, many 'serious' music fans have missed out on what it has to offer.[31]
Writing forLoudwire, music journalist Eduardo Rivadavia credited the subgenre for rejuvenating the commercial viability of heavy metal in the late 1990s, which he believes led to the emergence of several other new musical movements: "If nothing else, nu metal did signal heavy metal’s commercial rebound from the depths ofpost-grunge disrespect and led to the so-calledNew Wave of American Metal later in the decade,metalcore,post-metal and any number of worthy developments."[330]
Some nu metal musicians have rejected the label nu metal and have tried to distance themselves from it.Slipknot prefer to distance themselves from other nu metal groups, describing their music as "metal metal" and equating their link to nu metal as a coincidence of their time of emergence.[331]
Jonathan Davis had originally rejected the nu metal label, saying "We're not 'rap rock,' we're not 'nu-metal' ... We might have invented a new genre of heavy music or rock, but I believe the term 'nu-metal' was made up for all the bands that followed us. Those guys to me are nu-metal. And we're just Korn."[35] In 2014, Davis spoke about the nu metal label, saying:
I've always rejected [Korn's pigeonholing] into some kind of genre that we helped create. It seems like when a band comes out and we do something new and something different, that's all great. When a whole bunch of bands jump on the bandwagon and start copying what that one band did, then it gets called something and those bands are cheap knockoffs of what the original thing was. So, to me, that's why I never liked the 'nu metal' term.[332]
Davis has since become more accepting of the term. In a 2019 interview, he remarked, "If we invented nu-metal then fuck yeah, cool. It's pretty cool to say we helped invent some kind of movement, that's pretty insane."[333] Expressing positive views of the genre's return to popularity in a 2020 interview, he endorsedWargasm as a personal favourite.[334]
Staind's vocalistAaron Lewis rejected the nu metal label, saying, "If we get called a 'nu metal' band one more time, I don't even know what I'm going to do!"[40] In 2003,Chino Moreno, vocalist ofDeftones, rejected the nu metal label saying "We told motherfuckers not to lump us in with nu metal because when those bands go down we aren't going to be with them".[335] As Deftones abandoned the nu metal sound of their early work, Moreno tried to distance himself from nu metal bands and began to criticize the bands and their albums, including Korn's 2002 albumUntouchables; he said, "As Korn go on, it's the same things—bad childhoods and mean moms. It gets too old after a while. How old is Jonathan [Davis]? Thirty? How long has it been since he lived with his parents?"[336][337] Davis responded saying, "Obviously, Chino hasn't listened to the words on the rest of my albums because they're nothing about my parents or my childhood."[337] Moreno also said, "A big problem for me was opening for Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, two bands that wouldn't exist if it weren't for me, straight up!".[336]Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park spoke about the nu metal label in an interview withNME, saying "We never held the flag for nu-metal—it was associated with frat rock. Arrogant, misogynistic, and full of testosterone; we were reacting against that."[338][339]Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit said that he "never liked or condoned" the term "nu metal" in any way, and said he does not understand "how so many bands that sound nothing alike can be put into" the nu metal genre.[340]Mike Wengren of Disturbed said that he doesn't think Disturbed "were ever a nu-metal band to begin with".[341]
Chester Bennington of Linkin Park initially disliked the band being labeled as nu metal, saying in 2007, "I know that we kind of helped create, I guess, the sound of that genre, but I hate that genre. I'm not going to speak for everyone, but I can personally tell you that I am not a big fan of almost everybody in that category. There are a few bands that I don't really believe belong in there, and we're one of those bands."[243] However, by 2012 Bennington said he accepted the nu metal label:
I think for the first time in our history, we're actually OK with being recognized as a nu metal band, especially for what we did early in our careers because the truth is that when we were first doing it, nobody else really was, especially in terms of thehip-hop thing.[342]
In addition to criticizing nu metal, many heavy metal musicians have rejected nu metal as a legitimate subgenre of heavy metal, saying it is not "true heavy metal".[323][343] Some nu metal musicians have tried to distance themselves from being heavy metal at all. For example, Korn's Jonathan Davis rejected the "heavy metal" label.[308][344][345] When talking withVice, Davis spoke about Korn being called a heavy metal band, saying, "I never thought of us to be metal to begin with. Yeah, we're heavy and downtuned, but metal, to me, is likeJudas Priest andIron Maiden. That's metal, man. I always thought of us as afunk band. That funky, groovy shit."[344] Godsmack's vocalistSully Erna also rejected the "heavy metal" label and said he views Godsmack as ahard rock band.[346][347] Linkin Park's vocalist Chester Bennington, though eventually accepting of the nu metal label,[342] had expressed some disagreement with his band being labeled a heavy metal or nu metal group because he felt the term limited the scope of the band's actual style, particularly on their later albums. He elaborated:
[We] wanted to make clear from the very beginning when we were kind of tagged as a 'nu metal' band. Not that we have anything against metal ... [w]e aren't just one thing. So there are elements of the band that are metal, there are elements of the band that are pop, there are elements that are electronic, and hip-hop as well. And we've kind of always felt like we weren't bound to just one genre. So after we madeHybrid Theory andMeteora, we really wanted to take risks beyond what we had already done on those first two records, creatively, and show the world that we can do a lot more than just make nu-metal songs.[348]
^Pelt, Doug Van; Sweet, Michael (2004)."Static X".Rock Stars on God: 20 Artists Speak Their Mind about Faith. Relevant Media Group. p. 180.ISBN0-9729276-9-7. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2017.
^abcTompkins, Joseph (2009)."What's the Deal with Soundtrack Albums? Metal Music and the Customized Aesthetics of Contemporary Horror".Cinema Journal.49 (1):65–81.doi:10.1353/cj.0.0155.S2CID191468077. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2017.Nu metal (or "fusion metal") is a hybrid genre that combines elements of thrash, grunge, rap, and funk. At variance with traditional heavy metal, nu metal relies to a greater extent on rhythm and sound texture over melody and virtuosity, so that, for example, drop-tuned guitars are used to create fuller, "heavier" sounds and percussive rhythms.
^Bowar, Chad."Heavy Metal: More Metal Genres".About.com. Archived fromthe original on July 25, 2011. RetrievedApril 28, 2010.Combining heavy metal riffs with hip-hop influences and rapped lyrics, this genre became very popular in the late '90s through the early 2000s and then fell from favor.
^abcdeKahn-Harris, Keith (2007). "Introduction: From heavy metal to extreme metal".Extreme metal: music and culture on the edge.Berg Publishers. p. 1.ISBN978-1-84520-399-3. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2017.Another hugely successful 1990s offshoot of heavy metal was nu metal, which began to constitute itself in the latter half of the 1990s with the success of bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit. Such bands built on the early funk metal work of bands such as Faith No More by combining metal with rap and dance music. Nu metal also built on grunge and punk by lyrically emphasizing pain and personal alienation. As the twenty-first century has progressed, nu metal has begun to exhaust itself artistically, and 'emo' bands such as Funeral For A Friend and My Chemical Romance, that draw on both nu metal and impassioned versions of 1990s hardcore punk, have become more popular.
^Iannini, Tommaso (2003).Nu Metal.Giunti.ISBN88-09-03051-6.Se prima la base del rock pesante erano principalmente il blues o il progressive, oral'hip hop è un approdo naturale della scomposizione del suo linguaggio canonico. I Korn ne sono l'esempio principe, per il modo in cui imitano dal vivo pratiche proprie del turntablism (come già Tom Morello, chitarrista dei Rage Against The Machine), benché ultimamente abbiano virato verso il rock. L'elettronica, sia a livello di strumenti che di tecniche di registrazione, ha in- nescato un'altra mutazione ge- netica, anche se sono ancora in tantissimi a preferire il suono analogico. L'hardcore esercita una forte in- fluenza renden do il sound più asciutto, compatto ed esplosivo, mentre la lezione del funk traspare da molti grooves di basso e batteria. La componente melodica più comune al genere deriva invece dal postpunk o dal synth pop degli anni '80.
^Udo 2002, pp. 15–16: "Nu metal most commonly describes a wave of bands, exclusively American, heavily influenced by late-'80s and early 90s pioneers like Faith No More, Fear Factory, Rage Against The Machine and Biohazard, who fuse rap, metal and punk, lathered in furious teenage-angst rants and ultra-violent pronouncements delivered at high volume. Guitars are heavily distorted, the riffs are muted, and hip-hop influenced bass and percussion fills the sound."
^Buts, Jeroen."5.1".The Thematical and Stylistic Evolution of Heavy Metal Lyrics and Imagery From the 70s to Present Day. p. 80. "Also, the genre combined a low-tuned guitar sound and many other thrash, industrial, and death metal traits within a structure that was much more traditional and akin to Pop music (e.g. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro)."
^Jeckell, Barry A. (September 19, 2002)."Eminem, Nelly, Lavigne Notch New Platinum Marks".Billboard. RetrievedDecember 31, 2007.The triple-platinum milestone was recently reached by hard rock act P.O.D.'s year-old "Satellite" (Atlantic)
^Loeffler, Shawn."Slipknot: 'All Hope Is Gone' & 'Psychosocial'". Yell!. Archived fromthe original on 2016-01-22. Retrieved2015-10-28.Fans will also be happy to see that Slipknot has made good on their promise of putting out an album that ranks among their heaviest, and one that expands on their thrash metal guitar work and vocal melodies. (September 30, 2010)
Arnopp, Jason (2011).Slipknot: Inside the Sickness, Behind the Masks With an Intro by Ozzy Osbourne and Afterword by Gene Simmons.Random House.ISBN978-0-09-187933-4.
.jpg)
.jpg)
