Nu metal
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Nu metal (also called aggro metal) is a controversial musical genre that is essentially alternative rock with influences of heavy metal music. It sometimes bears some influence from hip-hop, because rhythmic innovation and syncopation are primary. Nu metal bands also feature aggressive vocals (either rapped, shouted, or sung), drop-tuned guitars that are clean or distorted (with riffing similar to the Seattle scene of the early 1990's), a funk-based rhythm section, and occasional DJ techniques such as turntables and sampling. Generally speaking, the emphasis is on either communicating feelings of angst and hostility, or motivating a crowd to move with the beat -- ideally, both at once. The popularity of such music in the late 1990s and early 2000s led to widespread negative associations with the phrase "nu metal", particularly due to commercialisation, and many nu metal fans and artists reject the term, which has become almost an all-purpose musical insult, despite the fact that it is a legitimate musical term. A related term, mallcore, is used similarly to dismiss aggressive music that is seemingly calculated to appeal to angst-filled young teenagers, who would be expected to spend free time at the mall, hence mallcore.
The genre is occasionally called "nü-metal," using the traditional heavy metal umlaut.
Definition
While nu metal was viewed by the media and fans as indicitive of a resurgence of metal music in the late 90s, some heavy metal fans do not consider nu metal a form of heavy metal music at all, arguing the genre is too diluted from what they consider "true" heavy metal. Nu metal guitarists, for example, typically forgo traditional metal guitar technique such as soloing, and often use riffs quite different from those most commonly associated with traditional metal. It is also not liked because of the lyrics that usually deal with what teenagers face and many metal fans feel that metal is about strength, not weakness. Other heavy metal fans, however, reject these arguments, citing rock music's long history of incorporating disparate elements--including jazz, experimental music and world music--out of curiosity or genuine appreciation for other musical genres. Some of the anti-nu metal backlash might be due to the genre's significant mainstream success. In general, the rise of nu metal has caused severe divisions and remains the source of much animosity and debate among heavy metal fans.
While Deftones and Korn are typically cited as the genre's instigators, bands like Fishbone, Body Count, Urban Dance Squad, Faith No More, Suicidal Tendencies, Jane's Addiction, Helmet, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool and others are also proclaimed as progenitors. Producer Ross Robinson, for example, was labelled by some as "The Godfather of Nu-Metal" due his producing of several notable Nu-Metal albums. Entertainment!, the 1979 debut from British punk rockers Gang of Four has been cited as an indirect infleunce. Critic Andy Kellman suggests that the album's "vaguely funky rhythmic twitch, its pungent, pointillistic guitar stoccados, and its spoken/shouted vocals have all been picked up by many."
Categorization of specific artists as "nu metal" is difficult, considering the widespread mistrust of the term among artists and fans alike, and the "edges" are fuzzy where nu metal bleeds into other genres. In general, the artists in question are American bands that found their first success in the mid- to late 1990s. Immediately, other artists began shaping their sound to resemble the new groove-driven metal, and its influence is still felt today. For example, the American metalcore scene of the early 2000s owes much to nu metal, as do recent releases from artists like Metallica and In Flames.
History
The origins of nu metal can be pinpointed to the Lollapalooza music festival in the 1990's which increased the exposure of bands who performed brands of metal and metal-influenced alternative music that had little to do with traditional genre approaches (see Alternative metal). The funk of Primus and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the hip hop crossover of Rage Against the Machine and Fishbone, the industrial metal of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, and the aggressive experimental rock of Tool have been mentioned numerous times as influences who toured on the festival by nu metal bands who gained mass-media exposure at the end of the millennium.
Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's death in 1994 would signal the beginning of the decline of alternative rock as the driving force in modern American rock music, paving the way for nu metal to gain ground with the public. Yet perhaps more than any other musical definition, grunge is the most recognizable ancestor of nu metal; the quick jolts of distorted guitar chords, tortured vocals and lyrics of angst associated with grunge have found clear public display in signature nu metal artists, including those with a reputation for integrating hip hop into their sound.
The most apparent offspring to grunge is Post-grunge, which is often quickly dismissed as nu-metal. Whether it is or isn't is a subject of debate or matter of opinion. However, arguments on both sides are usually valid. Bands, such as Cold, Staind, and Puddle of Mudd have been seen as both, since the song paces are usually faster, the guitars are louder and more distorted, and the consumer field is generally younger and usually a fan of what could comfortably be defined as "nu-metal".
However, the term nu metal came to be identified in the late nineties with the rise in popularity of bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and the Deftones. While Korn had released their first album in 1994 at the height of alternative rock's popularity, their true breakthrough came with the release of their 1998 album Follow the Leader and the accompanying Family Values Tour that year, which also included Limp Bizkit, Incubus, Orgy, Ice Cube and Rammstein. Soon other bands gained major radio airplay and rotation on MTV's Total Request Live program, leading critics to declare a resurgence in rock music. The sentiment was reinforced by MTV's "Return of the Rock" specials which featured Korn, Limp Bizkit, and related bands. Other acts, such as Slipknot, Godsmack, Papa Roach, P.O.D., and Incubus, also managed major mainstream success at the turn of the century. Nu metal became a term not only encompassing rap-metal bands like Korn, but also bands who did not integrate much or any hip-hop into their sounds but still had much the same approach and influences.
Nu metal bands essentially defined the image of modern metal music in the late 90s/early 2000s by headlining major rock concerts like the Ozzfest festival and Woodstock 1999 and dominating the playlists of both Modern Rock and hard rock radio stations, to the chagrin of many. Criticisms included the incorporation of hip-hop and electronic sounds, the emphasis of groove and texture over traditional metal hallmarks such as solos and and intricate riffing, the mass appeal that some viewed as selling out and a faux rebellion, and particularly the empashis on anger and aggression in the music. A pivotal moment in nu metal's history was Woodstock 99 where a large number of nu metal acts appeared on the bill. After the three-day festival ended in rioting, many blamed the aggressive nature of nu metal bands for the destruction; Limp Bizkit's set drew particular scorn, in particular their performance of the song "Break Stuff" where some believed frontman Fred Durst encouraged the audience to engage in violence. However, nu metal continued to be quite popular, and in 2001 Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water became the rock record to debut with the biggest first-week sales in the SoundScan era up to that point. Another Family Values tour launched in 2001, with Fred Durst label signings Staind headlining the tour.
Many bands have tried to distance themselves from the "nu metal" tag over the years, particularly the Deftones, who early in their career stopping touring and collaborating with Korn partly out of fear of being classified as part of a generic sound. This partially had to with the use of the term nu metal as an insult by many people, including traditional metal fans and alternative rock fans. Quite a few nu metal bands, including Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit, abandoned the integration of hip-hop (once viewed as vital to the sound of nu metal) and experimented with different sounds on their later albums, often with less success than they had previously. Currently nu metal has declined in popularity in the United States as Indie rock, Emo, Metalcore, and other genres have gained support, although it is still considered an active force in the music mainstream, particularly overseas in places like the United Kingdom.
Style
Themes
The lyrics of most nu metal bands reflect on the stresses and mishaps of everyday life. Topics range from childhood alienation or abuse, socio-economic status and relationship/marital difficulties.
Drug use, particularly marijuana and heroin, is also touched upon, but usually in more celebratory or sarcastic manner. There is usually a fine line drawn for the latter, as a few prominent singers (and sometimes other band members) admitted to extremely hardcore drug addiction in the past and use music as "therapy" to denounce their days before recovery.
Political progressivism and activism is a less common item, but still noticeable in many nu metal bands. More often, this is usually discussed candidly rather than in songs.
Vocals
In the 1990s, many bands began to mix rapping and other new techniques with traditional heavy metal guitar and drum sounds. As a result, fans and music journalists needed to differentiate between the more traditional heavy metal music and this "new breed" of bands who were using samples, DJs, raps and drum machines in a way that made their music distinct. "New metal" evolved into the trendier spelling "nu metal," and a genre was vaguely defined.
Nevertheless, some distinction is usually maintained between bands that use rapping vocals, and those that don't. Bands featuring rap vocals are sometimes loosely called Rap Metal -- with a minimum of other styles. Rapcore is term used by fans to depict a combination of singing, screaming, and/or rapping (for example, the vocals of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park). Furthermore, some nu metal artists use no rapping at all.
Tool has been a recognizable origin for some nu-metal vocal styles, if not nu metal in general. Although dedicated fans distance the band as "different" and "progressive" compared to other popular rock acts, Chevelle's Pete Loeffler, Inner Surge's Steve Moore, Taproot's Stephen Richards and even Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst have cited Maynard James Keenan's signature "drone" style as an influence.
While traditional heavy metal is very much guitar-based, with intricate guitar solos and complex riffs forming an important part of most songs, nu metal generally emphasizes the guitar as a rhythmic instrument. Nu metal riffs often consist of only a few different notes or power chords played in rhythmic, syncopated patterns. To emphasize this rhythmic "pulse," nu metal guitarists generally make liberal use of palm muting, a technique which itself blurs the boundary between melodic note and rhythmic attack. Unlike classic eighties thrash however, these palm mutes are widely spaced out and blend easily into the surrounding riffs. Another common tactic is the use of de-tuned strings (in drop-D or lower, sometimes adding a seventh string) whose lower pitch creates a thicker, more resonant sound. Finally, many nu metal guitarists occasionally use natural harmonics. The opening riff of Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" is a representative example of many of the above techniques. Guitar solos are generally not part of nu metal songwriting, though there are exceptions, such as Adema, Inner Surge, Saliva and System of a Down. Some consider these more like melody lines for their short length. Another aspect of nu metal guitar work is the use of electronic effects. Usually outboard effects pedals are manipulated to enhance simple single note riffs or add to simple to play chord riffs. Luminaries of nu metal such as Korn, Deftones, and Limp Bizkit have all utilized this tactic in their work. Helmet has been cited as one of the biggest influences on the origin of nu metal guitar styles, along with Machine Head, Prong and Fear Factory.
The speed and skill of a bassist in Traditional Heavy Metal plays a large part of outcome in the band's sound, complementing percussive tempos (and occasionally the guitar riffs) to add a strong rhythm to the tone.
In nu-metal, however, the bass is often the star, with guitarwork only acting as a sample in the case for more "hip-hop geared" nu-metal.
Although the nu-metal "bass line" is hard to classify, the "slap style" style made popular by Michael Balzary, Billy Gould and Les Claypool would be forefront in the styles of latterday bassists like Justin Chancellor, Reginald Arvizu and Sam Rivers, who would follow in becoming influences themselves.
The nu-metal bass is also slower than Tradional Heavy Metal, strutting a funkier, louder sound that would arguably compete with the presence of the band's vocalist.
Nu-metal drumming usually consists of basic 4/4 beats (some say this could be from the hip-hop influence) but often reaches beyond traditional heavy metal patterns for more syncopated beats, such as Eastern dance rhythms (as played by John Dolmayan of System of a Down), jazz drumming, and the complex breakbeats of hip-hop. One of the most important aspects of nu-metal drumming, and the music in general, is that tempo rises above the estabilished 'alternative' midtempo range. This is an almost universal rule, with a relatively small number of bands, including Slipknot and System of a Down, being the rare exceptions. Also, many notable nu-metal bands feature a DJ who provides sampled "beats" and other effects, and often "scratches", or manipulates the beats with his or her hands pressed upon the vinyl record. Two of the more famous nu-metal DJs are DJ Lethal (of Limp Bizkit) and Joe Hahn (of Linkin Park).
External links
- MTV.com: Nu Metal Meltdown
- Nu Metal at Ringsurf.com
- Stylus Magazine list of "Top ten nu metal bands"
List of nu-metal bands
A large list has been made of the most notable nu metal bands, List of Nu metal musical groups.