What defines Nu-Metal?

[abandonist]

Sigur Ros - Aegis Byrju - remember, this came out in 99'.

after that, Takk.

Welcome.

 

[flint757]

So nu metal is essentially anything released with distorted guitars between 1993-2005 that wasn't TRVE METAL.

Basically. If it wasn't grunge, metal or hardcore, but definitely metal/rock influenced it was categorized as nu metal. I mean none of them sound all that similar to each other and some of them don't really belong at all in the category. There is a link, but it isn't as black and white as rap lyrics (combination of many varying factors that I can't honestly articulate ). Rage Against the Machine doesn't feel/sound like any other nu metal band and all they do is rap.

 

[Joose]

Groove. Lots of simple, heavy grooves.

Switched's "Subject To Change" was so damn good. Ben's vocals were just spectacular.

The transitions from cleans to screams in this song are awesome, in my opinion.


And my personal favorite from that album.

 

[Ben.Last]

Basically whatever bands dumb metalheads that are obsessed with the idea that there's some kind of "metal street cred" want to dump on.

Hell, Tool have more in common with Korn than they do with King Crimson, but people still throw them in with prog.

It's arbitrary and asinine.

 

[purpledc]

Saliva had that nu-metal influence only on their first record, the next records were solid hard rock albums with several good songs, and great riffs as well. But I really understand what you mean and Deftones was (and still is) above all of that scene combined.

Really? I kinda thought nearly every single saliva record sounded the same. At least thats how it seems with their singles. Half the time I cant figure out which song of theirs is on the radio until the chorus and even then the guitar parts on a few of them are nearly identical. They seem to be a band comprised of 1 sound, and 2 songs in slightly different arrangements.

 

[Ben.Last]

Really? I kinda thought nearly every single saliva record sounded the same. At least thats how it seems with their singles. Half the time I cant figure out which song of theirs is on the radio until the chorus and even then the guitar parts on a few of them are nearly identical. They seem to be a band comprised of 1 sound, and 2 songs in slightly different arrangements.

So, the songs that they have that get played on rock radio sound like radio rock? ...Imagine that.

 

[lucasreis]

Really? I kinda thought nearly every single saliva record sounded the same. At least thats how it seems with their singles. Half the time I cant figure out which song of theirs is on the radio until the chorus and even then the guitar parts on a few of them are nearly identical. They seem to be a band comprised of 1 sound, and 2 songs in slightly different arrangements.

I get where you come from, but their records actually have some interesting songs that never turned into singles. Their singles almost always sound alike, I agree, but they're better than what they are perceived to be.

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

you wouldnt go hunting deer with a grenade launcher.

Maybe YOU wouldn't...

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

Challenge Accepted.

Sigur Ros.

Aren't Sigur Ros post rock? Or is that so nebulous a "genre" that saying a band belongs to it isn't really saying much about that band?

Not trying to trip you up or anything here, either. I'm just now starting to try to get in to post rock, and that's what I thought Sigur Ros was considered.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

But I simply have to ask why? .

Some bands make use of the higher strings for cleans and other funky sounds?

Head and Munky from Korn don't solo much, but they still make a lot of use of the higher strings from what I've seen.

One of the only nu metal bands I can think of, that rarely used the higher strings, is Linkin Park, but even their guitarist used the higher strings for natural harmonics and such. He did eventually ditch the 7-string in favor for a 6-string, though.

 

[Korbain]

Some bands make use of the higher strings for cleans and other funky sounds?

Head and Munky from Korn don't solo much, but they still make a lot of use of the higher strings from what I've seen.

Yeah this is true, thats the only reason i don't see why its not an issue they use seven strings. The guitar is used from its very highest to lowest, head plays some of his creepy sounding stuff very high up on the fret board at times.

 

[Veldar]

What defines Nu metal, you have to say your biggest influence was Black Sabbath, but you can't sound anything like them.

 

[Unjustly-Labeled]

Thought I'd throw in two more cents here. I think the biggest problem with nu metal (apart from being basically meaningless because of how many different bands got that label) is the fact that there's an enormous stigma associated with the genre, and therefore, we tend to go "But I like this band, so they're not nu metal!" I find myself doing this too when I think about it.

A lot of this is happening in the djent movement as well. It seems like every other djent band is going "Oh, we're not djent, we're progressive metal" because of the same kind of stigma.

 

[CTID]

One of my favorite bands, super cool guys, too.

 

[RevelGTR]

Big Grooves, eerie cleans, Jekyll/Hyde vocals. Djent is definitely the Nu-Metal of today.

 

[Marv Attaxx]

Big Grooves, eerie cleans, Jekyll/Hyde vocals. Djent is definitely the Nu-Metal of today.

And before that most modern Deathcore. Can't deny the massive Korn influences of Suicide Silence for example

 

[MikeH]

ITT: u all mad.

 

[UV7BK4LIFE]

I've been wondering a bit about this for a while because I noticed no matter what riff you play (even if its doom metal oriented or something else) as soon as the drums play a "hiphop" kind of beat with alot of groove behind it people seem to call stuff nu-metal. Same for slap bass and calling music "korn copy".

I think the main perception of nu-metal comes from groove drumming and how it influences the whole sound of a song, what do you guys think?

Bingo! Drummers pretty much define what your riff is going to sound like. Never throw away a riff until your drummer has heard it...

I see some posts about seven string guitars in Nu-Metal, but all I can think of is Korn, Jaxon Benge of Hed-Pe, Stephen of Deftones, and that is pretty much it. The list of 6 stringers in Nu-Metal is endless. Drop C tuning, anyone?

I think thrash and deathmetal guitarists like Dino Cazares and Trey Azagtoth did much more for the sevenstring, with the exception of Korn of course.

 

[Zalbu]

Challenge Accepted.

Sigur Ros.

Straight up post-rock.

 

[abandonist]

Like dude said, that's way too nebulous of a genre.

No band on Earth sounds like Sigur Ros.