The 90’s and early 00’s birthed many new genres and showcased many up-and-coming bands: grunge, metalcore, deathcore, black metal, and industrial metal. One genre that was created and flourished was the controversial yet very commercial genre “Nu-Metal”, a genre of down-tuned guitars, turn-tables, the occasional rapped vocals and bass for days. Bands like Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Kid Rock, and Limp Bizkit gave us the blueprint of the new genre, and material for newer bands to try to mimic.
However after the turn of the millennium, Nu-Metal seemed to fade away as fast as it came, leaving us only childhood memories of head banging and air-guitaring in our bedrooms with our chain wallets swinging back and forth. Whenever “Freak on a Leash” comes on the radio, we all think of a simpler time where our biggest concern was whether or not our President got laid or not.
A genre once thought dead appears to have only been dormant, waiting for the right time. With the kids who grew up listening to these bands coming to the age to make some noise themselves, they have resurrected the Nu-metal beast. Newer bands are sprouting with this Nu-metal sound, either using its musical elements combined with another genre, or just adopting the sound as a whole. Here are some of these newcomers.
Darke Complex (Spinefarm Records)
With only an EP (Widow EP) out, this band has left a mark on the underground scene with their grooves and dark lyrics. The Nu-metal influence is undeniable in the hybrid sound that Darke Complex has concocted.
KING 810 (Roadrunner Records)
A band that has seems to have caught everyone’s attention with their debut album, Memoirs of a Murderer, displaying their poetic and intense music. This band’s popularity will only continue to rise as their sophomore effort comes out September 16 on Roadrunner Records.
Of Mice & Men (Rise Records)
This is probably a familiar name for some as this is a band that has garnered radio play and numerous amounts of fans during their tenure. However, this once Post-Hardcore/Metalcore band seems to have altered their sound once again to a discordant dark needle sounding Nu-Metal machine that is Of Mice and Men.
Stray From The Path (Sumerian Records)
A band that seems to be channeling their inner Rage Against The Machine; the influence Tom Morrello and the gang had on Stray From the Path is unquestionable while listening to any track the Sumerian Records signed band has released. Stray even went as far as releasing their covers of Rage tracks such as “Vietnow” and “Bulls on Parade”
Korn (Roadrunner Records)
While some of the newer bands are bringing back the once thought dead genre, some of the originators are returning with the sound that got them success in the first place. Look no further than the new Korn single as evidence; they tried many experiments with their sound which seemed to turn off many of their long term fans, but this single might be teaser for their triumphant Nu-metal return.
Whether the genre will continue to grow or to be just another trend of millennial nostalgia has yet to be determined, but one thing has been verified; Nu-metal is not dead.
