Happy Nu (Metal) Year

In the late 90s, a new genre of music rose from the ashes of grunge. Labeled nu-metal, it was different from anything anyone had heard - it had loud, aggressive guitars, funky and jazzy beats and samples, electronic backgrounds, and hip hop vocals that evoked  similar angst to punk and grunge. To the chagrin of many metal purists, it was often lumped within their diverse genre - but we know the MTV-fueled fanbase went wider than that. And thus - the basis of our nostalgia as we close out a year that felt oddly reminiscent of that chaotic, “I don’t know what to call it” energy.

This week, I’m joined by Eric and his lifelong best friend Josh to discuss what we remembered and loved about this controversial genre. So slip on that Adidas tracksuit and let’s get rollin’.

Music video referenced in the episode: Mudvayne, “Dig, 1997 (youtube.com/watch?v=YIqbdnaPcT8)

Sources

• 28 Nu Metal Era Bands You Probably Forgot All About, NME, September 2013 - https://www.nme.com/photos/28-nu-metal-era-bands-you-probably-forgot-all-about-1425509

• The 21 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums of All Time - Ranked, by Kerrang.com, June 2020

• https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-21-greatest-nu-metal-albums-of-all-time-definitively-ranked/