Nu-Metal Resurgence...
 

There's a nu-metal thread. Jansz gave me the go ahead to open a new one, so do not merge it with the old thread please, all you other mods.

Given that nu-metal has been slowly, yet sure climbing out of the grave for another go at the music world. How many of you think that maybe, just maybe, that this time around, nu-metal might actually get something right, and that with the new 'blood' being injected in the figurative veins of this still very much disliked genre, that it might just not remain a stagnant genre with no room to grow, and perhaps this time some of you may give it a shot?

Back in my days of really enjoying this genre, of course I was in middle school and high school during the peak of its popular. I heard some promise, rather, potential underneath all of the repetitive themes used by nearly every band under the sun that identified as a nu-metal band. Now. Don't get me wrong. I'm with every one of you that say that for the most part, this genre was horrible. But I was a teenager when it was popular, I enjoyed a handful of bands, but it isn't like I listen to them anymore these days, and there's reasons why that are obvious. For the nu-metal bands that I still listen to these days, they're the ones that in my opinion, had a little something more that all the others lacked; a bit more originality, a bit more depth to their music. But they weren't perfect, surely they weren't that great either. I just liked them.

What is the possibility that the genre will achieve growth this time around? I think it's a possibility, yet I'm not thinking it's entirely probable either. I've listened to maybe, five or six of the nu-metal bands stomping around today that are truly new in the genre; My Ticket Home (they say they're something called puke metal, what the hell is that???) and then there's Issues, which I can sort of see why they're called nu-metal, but they're much more metalcore or screamo than anything. There's other's I have heard. But right now I can't remember the names, and I truthfully can't be bothered to dig them up.

From what I have heard of these new, nu-metal bands thus far. Promise is bleak, or just not there. This resurgence is off to a pretty lousy start. The only thing 'new' or 'fresh' (I hate using that word to describe music...) that I have heard, was from nu-metal bands that were there at the start of it all, they're the only ones that are offering up anything even remotely different to the nu-metal of the 2000's. What bands? There's Korn, but they never went away, they were smart and took on some changes to survive. Then there's the band FLAW. Now, this band split back in mid 2005 I think it was, not real sure, don't really care, but they new material they have released, though only a few songs so far, sounds matured, there's growth or development in their overall sound. Nevertheless, it's still mediocre music, but better than a lot of the stuff from the 2000's. There's also Adema, these guys were moderately big back in the 2000's, and they sold just barely over a million albums combined so far...not impressive, but they moved some sales. Adema has gone through a lot of lineup changes. Right now it is down to their rhythm guitarist taking on lead vocals, but there's the same drummer and bassist. They put out a new EP a while back, not sure what year, and it sounded ok, but I was bored listening to it. Still. It had some development in that rapped nu-metal sound every band in 2000 had.

Linkin Park is still around, and they're still huge as all hell. I'm not a big fan, I'm pretty bored with them. Last time I really enjoyed an album from them was their first, Hybrid Theory, I was like...13 or 14? Whatever. But, Linkin Park have undergone some pretty obvious changes in their sound, starting with Minutes To Midnight, clear up to The Hunting Party, which is indeed heavy (lol, Linkin Park, a heavy band, no, not really...) My point is, some of the veteran nu-metal bands are still here, even Limp Bizkit. If these new, nu-metal bands can't realize that using that same formula from the 2000's won't get them anywhere, my verdict is that this resurgence will be short lived.

Thoughts, everyone?

thoughts .....


Nu Metal Never left :yeah:

Great now I'm old enough to have seen the resurrection of a ****ty genre I already had to endure once.

I think it's POSSIBLE that nu-metal could be good. Maybe. At it's core it really just needs to be loud, with electronic and/or hip hop influences, crunchy guitars, simplistic song structure, and rapped (or almost rapped) vocals. RATM did it, and did it well. Throw in some samples, some of that new Skrillex flavor into the mix, and the huge Death Grips influence that is inevitable (of course)... Boom. New nu-metal, better than ever.

Great two $hit genres mixed into one, Bro step (Skrillex) meets Nu metal (Limp Bizkit) that's all we need!

PS: Please don't associate RATM with Nu Metal.

I'm not personally a fan of bro-step, but I really don't have a problem with it. I like metal, I like other dissonant genres, Skrillex and everyone like him are just playing really noisy EDM. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

And come on, you really can't admit that RATM had a big influence on nu-metal? They're not the same by any means, but you can hear the Rage worship in every song off of Hot Dog Water.

Clearly, that is something I already knew. Nu-Metal these days, it's very much an underground movement, if you can even call it that. But there's bands now, over the course of the last few years, they're getting major label contracts, releasing albums, having national tours and such. Issues, though like I stated before I don't believe are truly a nu-metal band, they're pretty popular. Then there is My Ticket Home, more a slow burning band but they're getting attention. Upon A Burning Body is a sort of nu-metal, hardcore type band, and they're playing Knotfest. You can see where I'm going with this...

Sort of how I feel as well, only I'm not nearly as bitter toward nu-metal, as like I stated before, I still listen to some bands from that era that in my opinion, they were more original and had more to their music than a lot of other bands in the genre. I'm not expecting much from this sudden second exposure for the genre, but who knows...

Of course it can be good, an example from back in the 2000's would be an unknown nu-metal band that only played a few somewhat high profile festival shows, and toured bars and pubs by the name of Simon Says. Look them up, you can find music from both of their albums on YouTube, though I recommend the material from their second release Shut Your Breath over anything else they did.

Given the fact that for the most part Limp Bizkit and their music wasn't that appealing, there were much worse bands back in the height of the nu-metal era. Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland is regarded as the only member in the band that had anything going for himself, because he is actually a good guitar player.

The only association you could link RATM with nu-metal, is the fact that yes, RATM did influence a lot of nu-metal bands, one of mention would be Incubus, but they've evolved in to something far removed from nu-metal.

what is NU metal really its hard to pin the sound down IMO

like u could say at time Dir en grey sounds NU metal at times


or Death grips has sounded nu metal at times

even some EDM DJ have nu metal guitar like riffs in there songs

Alright, I know rapping/rapping-influenced vocals are a hallmark of the genre, but what exactly is nu metal guitar work? Aside from a lowest common denominator band like Limp Bizkit---who I imagine is to nu metal what Nickelback is to Pearl Jam---I've never been entirely sure what a nu metal band is supposed to sound like. Most of my preconceived notions come from latter day, early '00s bands that were probably derivative, or possibly mislabeled: Linkin Park, late-era SOAD, Disturbed, Slipknot, Saliva. Aside from Korn and a couple Deftones songs, I don't think I ever really listened to much nu metal from when it was actually new.

And this is idle curiosity, so I might listen to a few songs, but I probably won't have the interest to listen to a bunch of albums by bands I probably wouldn't like anyway.

Ah, screw you, Batlord. You come in here, post a good post, and I have no time to answer because I'm leaving for work. I will answer in exactly ten hours from now!

well most people will say Nu metal is Rapping/singing Down tuned guitars and rhytmatic drums and clicky bass

but thanks to KORN that sound was just a moment in time cus by there 3rd record they had already changed things up alla Tuned Guitars Bass lines less clicking and more layed back Drums

and different bands changed stuff around at that time has well

to them Nu metal meant Freedom like the freedom to just write what ever type of music they wanted that's why some bands in that umbrella went Heavier and some went more melodic

I'm not sure where I agree with any of this, but I do know where I disagree.

First, nu-metal was not primarily consisting of rap/sung vocals. There were bands that did this, but it was not the 'sound' that I would say people described it to be. The rap aspect was just a part of the overall formula, but singing was more dominant than the rapping. You had bands like 3rd Strike that did the rap/sung vocal, Limp Bizkit, some early Korn, Lifer, Pitchshifter did this to a point, Gravity Kills sort of...sort of haha, and there were other bands but, like I said, sung vocals was dominant or favored over the whole rap/sung formula.

You're right about down tuning, right in some aspect to the whole 'click' type stylized bass playing bands would emulate after Korn (Korn wasn't the first band to have that thick bass sound, just so you know...)

Freedom I would say played a role, but it's just another part of the formula. One major theme that the majority of bands in the genre followed, were extremely angst ridden, dark, angry, drawn out lyrical content. It was almost like it was a contest of who could sound the most damaged, most angry, ****ed up on drugs, messed up family life, etc. If you payed attention to the look a lot of these bands had, it was very street, or rather, they took aspects of that dirty grunge look, and made it darker to reflect the tone their music had. They were angry bands, mostly. Some positive, sure. But there was a lot of negativity in the music. Linkin Park took on a more boy band look, but they were try hards to fit in anyway, yeah yeah...millions of albums sold of their breakout album, not my point here...

I'll elaborate more after work...

Yes, but it never really died it just stopped being the most popular rock genre.



They kind of remind me of Pitchshifter.

Never thought of Pitchshifter as nu metal. Maybe a more palatable Godflesh.

Originally, they were a lot like Godflesh, but I was thinking more www.pitchshifter.com and after where they honestly sounded nothing like Godflesh.

I'd also say that Godflesh is one of the earliest examples of nu metal or at least a prototype for nu metal bands that came after. Very heavy hip-hop influence, and especially on their remixes.

Also, I think this:



and this:



are pretty close to a modern form of nu metal, but with dubstep instead of hip-hop. I actually like it, even though I don't really care for any dubstep that I've listened to. I like the combination of metal guitars with electronics a lot right now, though.

Well, there's their album PSI, it was a bit more of a shift in their sound compared to earlier albums that were a pretty straight up industrial. PSI is probably my favorite record from Pitchshifter. Their PSI was the closet to nu-metal they ever got.

There's a band called Exotype that is sort of this modern nu-metal band that mixes in some hardcore in with their sound, along with electronics too. They're ok, and I think you'd probably dig them.