So yeah, nu metal. It is one hell of a consistent genre. Perhaps at times a little too consistent, delving into the realm of being repetitive. That is why it’s very important to know who the fucking OG bands of nu metal are.
Because the reality is that they are the only bands that are worth your time in the genre. It certainly stands the test of time though.
Disturbed, one of the most recognizable sounds in metal, is one of the only groups to have five consecutive #1 albums in a row. That really is astonishing and shows just how massive the nu metal audience is.
Korn’s third album, follow the leader, has sold over 8 million copies in the United States alone. That’s a great album by the way.
A lot of nu metal is about feel and groove, mixed with brutal heavy distortion and aggressive drumming. The great news is that the bass comes a lot more to the fore front in nu metal so bass players rejoice and be glad in it.
What’s really special about the genre though are the sound effects that are created with the guitar. There may not be a large amount of shredding, with the exception of Biohazard. However, there is a large amount of sound experimentation in what the guitar can do sonically.
Rage Against the Machine, Korn and Disturbed all use the guitar to maximum in that regard. Those are definitely three bands to know, along with Biohazard, which are the less mentioned group. But they are the ones who created the movement and they deserve so much more credit than they get.
At the end of the day, check out: Biohazard, Korn, Rage and Disturbed if you haven’t. Especially Biohazard, they are a perfect band… seriously.
