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thecoz · 04-11-2011, 12:08 AM

Was reading this thread for kicks, thought I might weigh in. I was right in all of this as it was happening; junior high to highschool. I was a big fan of Nu-Metal. I've always hated the tag.

Really what was happening at the time is that record execs were witnessing the demise of charting metal. Believe it or not, before the internet there had to be a real tangible market for subculture. That meant staying competetive on MTV, meant being celebrities and personas. The public was sick to death of Guitar solo's long play songs about dragons, or from the streets rat-boy metal.

Classically when something like this happens you get an answer in a completely new genre like punk killing prog, or New Wave, Grunge killing hair metal.

Nu-Metal ended up mostly engineerd by ad execs and industry insiders who were looking for a way to sell the chunk, the angst and aesthetic of metal in short 3 minute bursts that weren't too alienating (ie: what was going on in the underground. Black Death, Grind).

So a big collective of bands starting coming around and fitting the bill. It was heavy, it was brainless, devoid of virtuosity or even a reliance on technical prowess and that was how heavy music stayed in the industry. I try not to have Nu-Metal thrown around as a negative term. That music got me through the hard times and while I rarely throw it on now, it was an interesting time. Being part of something that was making so many of us hapy and pissing off our parents and close minded friends.

Some bands I think epitomize the sound:

Reveille
Soulfly
Korn
Limp Bizkit
System of a Down
Slipknot (I think turned into a legitimate metal band)
50 Below Summer
Coal Chamber
Disturbed
Deftones (although new output pulls them out, they still use alot of the key moves that put them here. I love them to death, but this is where they started.)

Dope
The Union Underground
Powerman 5000
NonPoint
Mudvayne (love this band)
Ill Nino
Snot
System of a Down (yes they are!)
hed (PE) (Broke was a big album for me.)

But it doesn't have to be a negative thing. Yeah, it's the pop/punk of metal. But I'd rather have come up listening to that stuff and branching out into other aggressive or just rock genres from there. It was stupid and I think everyone involved knows but **** it, it was music for teenagers. No one's going to cut your hands off for liking something a little popular with your friends. Especially when it makes your parents so angry.

04-11-2011, 12:08 AM	#93 (permalink)
thecoz Groupie Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1	Was reading this thread for kicks, thought I might weigh in. I was right in all of this as it was happening; junior high to highschool. I was a big fan of Nu-Metal. I've always hated the tag. Really what was happening at the time is that record execs were witnessing the demise of charting metal. Believe it or not, before the internet there had to be a real tangible market for subculture. That meant staying competetive on MTV, meant being celebrities and personas. The public was sick to death of Guitar solo's long play songs about dragons, or from the streets rat-boy metal. Classically when something like this happens you get an answer in a completely new genre like punk killing prog, or New Wave, Grunge killing hair metal. Nu-Metal ended up mostly engineerd by ad execs and industry insiders who were looking for a way to sell the chunk, the angst and aesthetic of metal in short 3 minute bursts that weren't too alienating (ie: what was going on in the underground. Black Death, Grind). So a big collective of bands starting coming around and fitting the bill. It was heavy, it was brainless, devoid of virtuosity or even a reliance on technical prowess and that was how heavy music stayed in the industry. I try not to have Nu-Metal thrown around as a negative term. That music got me through the hard times and while I rarely throw it on now, it was an interesting time. Being part of something that was making so many of us hapy and pissing off our parents and close minded friends. Some bands I think epitomize the sound: Reveille Soulfly Korn Limp Bizkit System of a Down Slipknot (I think turned into a legitimate metal band) 50 Below Summer Coal Chamber Disturbed Deftones (although new output pulls them out, they still use alot of the key moves that put them here. I love them to death, but this is where they started.) Dope The Union Underground Powerman 5000 NonPoint Mudvayne (love this band) Ill Nino Snot System of a Down (yes they are!) hed (PE) (Broke was a big album for me.) But it doesn't have to be a negative thing. Yeah, it's the pop/punk of metal. But I'd rather have come up listening to that stuff and branching out into other aggressive or just rock genres from there. It was stupid and I think everyone involved knows but **** it, it was music for teenagers. No one's going to cut your hands off for liking something a little popular with your friends. Especially when it makes your parents so angry. __________________ Phish broke up?!