Nu metal

Nu metal (or aggro metal) is a controversial subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically bears the influence of hip-hop, because rhythmic innovation and syncopation are primary. Nu metal bands feature aggressive vocals (either rapped, shouted, or sung), low and heavily-distorted guitars, unorthodox drumming, and sometimes DJ techniques such as scratching 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 led to widespread negative associations with the phrase "nu metal," and many nu-metal fans and artists reject the term, which has become almost an all-purpose musical insult. A related term, mallcore, is used similarly to dismiss aggressive music that is seemingly calculated to appeal to angst-filled young teenagers.

The genre is occasionally called "nü-metal," using the traditional heavy metal umlaut.

Definition

Beyond the pronounced hip-hop influence, nu metal has--like most forms of heavy metal music--proven somewhat difficult to define. Some fans and musicians have a firm concept of genre and subgenre, but others reject such categorization as unnecessary, limiting or useless.

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 andoften use riffs quite different from those most commonly associated with traditional metal. 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. Moreover, little objection has historically been raised to doom metal (a genre which lacks high-speed guitar pyrotechnics) or power metal (whose high fantasy image is often even less threatening than nu-metal angst), and some of the anti-nu-metal backlash is surely due to the genre's signifigant 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, Tool, Suicidal Tendencies, Onyx, Helmet, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cubanate and others are cited as progenitors. Some fans have noted the influence of even earlier artists; Prong 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," including some rap metal group's "not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize" the connection.[1]

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.

Style

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 rap metal, rapcore and nu metal. Rap metal is normally considered to be metal with primarily rap vocals — with a minimum of other styles. Rapcore generally refers to a combination of singing, screaming, and/or rapping (for example, the vocals of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park). Furthermore, some nu metal artists (such as Godsmack) use no rapping at all.

Nu-metal vocals can include rapping, clean singing, hardcore-like barking, and various forms of screaming, sometimes all in the same song. Some of these techniques have older precedents: Slipknot, for example, utilizes rhythmic vocal techniques very similar to those of Glen Benton from Deicide in his earlier days.

Guitar

While traditional heavy metal was 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. The 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. 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 seem to be fond of 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.

Bass

Traditionally, metal bass lines tend to be quite simple, often following the root note of the guitar riff (Cliff Burton of Metallica and Steve Harris of Iron Maiden are two notable exceptions). In nu metal, however, bassists tend to use more complex lines, often influenced by jazz. Limp Bizkit's Sam Rivers, for example, comes from a jazz background, as does their drummer, John Otto. Another notable bass influence is funk, as shown in the bassist for Mudvayne, Ryan Martinie.

Drums

Nu-metal drummers often reach 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. Also, many notable nu-metal bands feature a DJ who provides sampled "beats" and other effects. Two of the more famous nu-metal DJs are DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit and Joe Hahn of Linkin Park.

Notable nu-metal bands

A large list has been made of the most notable of these kind of bands. List of Nu metal musical groups