Nu Metal

Nu metal, a subgenre of heavy metal, was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It fuses the heaviness of metal music with elements of other genres, most notably hip hop.

Nu metal gained popularity by way of bands such as Limp Bizkit being played on MTV, and through performing at Ozzfest (which was introduced in 1995). Nu metal was seen at the time as a sort of metal revival, making the genre once again accessible and enjoyable for youth (understandably, as hair metal is just weird). The way I see it, nu metal is essentially an urban version of metal music: less hard-hitting than big acts such as Metallica or Slayer, more appealing to the kids of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park (the latter of which has evolved into an act that is almost difficult to attach to one label, but found their roots in nu metal/rap rock) incorporated rap, typically associated with hip hop music.

Since nu metal is a subgenre, and because

most bands generally don't stick to one specific formula, many bands could fall in and out of the category of nu metal, Linkin Park being one.

Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, fits the bill better than their other releases, with songs like "Forgotten". While some may disagree that Linkin Park was a strictly nu metal band at the time, it is certainly one of the most successful bands to come out of the nu metal era.

Nu metal did birth more than poppy rap-

rock groups, though. Many heavier acts found their niche in with the nu metalheads, most notably Slipknot. This nine-piece group made a name for themselves with their energetic live shows, their dark (sometimes angst-driven) material, and their iconic image. Slipknot's occasional inclusion of rap, as well as having a DJ in the band and using samples probably didn't hurt their nu metal credibility, as it catered perfectly to that culture. Their song "Spit It Out" off of their debut album is a perfect example of the combination of heavy metal guitars, rap vocals (growled on this track) and scratching (typical of hip hop) that is the basis for nu metal.

Another critical band from the nu metal movement is Korn, who found success with such songs as "Freak On A Leash". Korn is most likely one of the best examples one could give of a nu metal band, because their overall sound is something that I have not yet heard replicated in another band's music or any other genre. I think that if you were to assign a particular sound to nu metal, it would be very close to that of Korn. There's just something that sounds particularly '90s about some of their music, it almost has a touch of grunge to it.

Essentially, that's what nu metal was all about: making heavy metal more accessible to the kids of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every band that fell into and out of the genre of nu metal had their own unique sound, each one incorporating similar elements yet bringing something new to the table. Nu metal took influence from popular '90s music, for the most part, and applied it to metal, producing several memorable bands, many still relevant. Papa Roach is another group whose music could be attributed to nu metal, as well as Disturbed and politically-charged System of a Down. I don't believe that any of the bands I have talked about could be called 100% nu metal, because in my opinion nu metal was more of a transitional stage than anything. True, it was and still is regarded as a subgenre, however all of the above-mentioned bands have moved on and their sound has changed drastically. Slipknot are no longer the raw, pissed-off machine that they once were, every album that Disturbed has released since their debut follows the same formula, and the frontman from Korn has been dabbling in dubstep. That said, I believe that it's safe to say that nu metal (as it once was) is dead, and has in turn given way to new subgenres of metal. Regardless, I thick that it would have been an exciting era of music to have been a part of, so it's too bad that I was only 5-ish.