Big Blog: Metal and Nu-metal
For this big blog, I decided to dive deeper into something I really love: metal and it’s transition into nu metal. Metal music found it’s roots in Britain, and the United States adopted it and shifted some aspects of the genre. To start, I figured I would drop some definitions for each genre, just to give some context.
Metal music has a very distinct sound, setting it apart from the other sub-genres of rock music. This sound is defined by fast tempos, large amounts of distortion, intricate and intense rhythms, heavy electric guitar, drums, and bass. Most of the time, the themes and content of metal music is dark and full of heavy, deep themes.
Nu Metal is kind of like a branch of metal music, that started in the 80s, but became popularized by the band, Korn. The genre shows its distinct style through its blend of meal and hip-hop/rap.
1950s/60s
Metal music got its roots from the earlier forms of rock music, starting in the 1950s with blues music that started to dabble in heavier tones and guitar solos. Rock movements in the 60s, such as psychedelic rock and other sub-genres associated with the hippie movement, helped to feature more heavy tones, further inspiring the metal movement.
1970s
Now, a good bit of metal music originated in Britain. Bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and Cream really propelled the metal movement. However, that didn’t stop the movement from continuing over in the States. KISS makes their appearance here! Rooted in New York, KISS just so happens to be a big influence in the costume aesthetic of metal bands. Their music style is important too, but I truly have a hard time classifying them as one of the early metal bands. Nonetheless, their influence is significant, and is one of the first exhibits of American born metal music.
1980s
I hate to say it, but more stuff is happening in the UK! Early British metal bands are going crazy over there. For the sake of context and my timeline, I’m still going to include them, just not go in depth. Black Metal, Death Metal, Power Metal, and Thrash Metal are all born in this time.
Alice Cooper is starting to make a splash in the United States. Alice Cooper is from Detroit, MI and is well known for the rebellious, dark, theatrical shows that the act put on.
Metallica is formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, CA. Their first album, Kill ‘Em All exhibits inspiration from British metal styles and punk rock. The group really grew into the Thrash style that they’re known for by the release of their third album, Master of Puppets (1986.) The album did outrageously well, and sold over three million copies.
In the same year as Metallica, Anthrax is born in New York City and Slayer is born in Huntington Park, California. Two years later, Megadeath is born in Los Angeles, California. These four bands make up what is now known as the “big four” of metal.
1990s
The 90s allowed many sub-genres of metal to be born, such as grunge, metalcore, and most importantly for this blog, nu metal. Nu metal really got its start with the release of Korn’s self-titled album in 1994. Korn’s success was propelled by producer, Ross Robinson, who happened to be a thrash metal guitarist. Robinson helped them reach the lower registers of music and deeper emotions.
More On Nu Metal
Nu metal swept the mainstream music scene in the 90s, and produced some big names, most of them coming out of California. Some of my favorite bands and their iconic tracks:
Deftones was formed in Sacramento, CA and is most widely recognized for their second studio album, Around the Fur (1997.) Stephen Carpenter, lead guitarist, taught himself guitar by playing alongside recordings of trash bands like Anthrax and Metallica. In 1995, the band began to tour with bands like Korn, giving them more of a nu metal influence. The band’s later work strays away from the nu metal scene, but the early work definitely contributes to the scene overall.
Rage Against the Machine was formed in Los Angeles, California. Mostly known for their strong political lyrics and very distinct sound, RATM is a perfect example of nu metal. Frontman Zach de la Rocha says, “I don’t particularly care for [Black] Sabbath… and Tom doesn’t particularly care for a lot of the hip-hop riffs I come up with, but the two, when fused together, makes something unique.”
The linked video,”Bombtrack,” a song from their first album is a great exhibit of nu metal. There is a very strong blend of rap-style verses with a heavier metal sound in the background. And if you really listened to the lyrics, you’d hear the political nature of their songs.
Slipknot, a band formed in 1995 in (a bit of an outlier from the California trend) Des Moines, Iowa, comes from the influence of bands like Black Sabbath, Slayer, Jimi Hendrix, N.W.A, etc. Like most other nu metal bands, the groups popularity flourished in the 1990s and continued their growth throughout the 2000s. Explicit lyric warning for the linked video, but “Eyeless” (from their first album) is another great example of the rap-influenced metal style. Sorry about the quality, it’s hard to find a high quality performance of this song (but the energy is pretty awesome I must say.)
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“Alice Cooper Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More.” AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alice-cooper-mn0000005953.
Clark, Brian. “The History of Heavy Metal - Origins, Bands, and Early Influences.” Musician Wave, 9 Aug. 2021, https://www.musicianwave.com/history-of-heavy-metal/.
“Deftones.” Wikiwand, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Deftones.
MasterClass. “Nu Metal Guide: Explore the Genre's History and Characteristics - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 3 Dec. 2020, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/nu-metal-guide#9-nu-metal-bands.
“Metallica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metallica.
It was really fun to learn about mental and nu metal, especially since it is a genre I do not listen to often or at all. I could also see the connection between metal and punk rock, which is what my blog post was about. I think both genres had the same influences but interpreted them differently and created slightly different genres.
ReplyDeleteI have listened to many different metal bands and based my blog off of metal in its entirety but I didn't know that Korn was classified as Nu Metal or that it started back in the 1990's. Further I didn't realize that Slipknot was formed around that time as well. I will be honest and say that Nu Metal isn't my cup of tea in the metal categories, Power Metal takes a special spot in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI knew a little bit about metal prior to reading this, but this was very informative. I had not heard of the genre Nu Metal, but I had heard some of the songs before. However, I think I am more familiar with the original, mainly metal groups. I liked reading and listening to the progression and subgenera of metal music throughout this.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Nu Metal was a sub-genre within Metal. When reading your blog I initially thought it was a typo, just to show you how clueless I was. I have listened to Metal music before, such as System of Down. Would they be considered a version of Nu Metal? They have some elements of pop alongside their scream-o style.
ReplyDeleteI loved your analysis of metal and the subgenre of nu metal. Also the way you split up the information as sort of a timeline of the history of metal was very comprehensive. I believe understanding the history of a genre like this can lead to a better understanding and a basic level of appreciation for the musical community. And hopefully less hate that it often receives.
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