Dumbass Question

[wwallinga]

Ok. I'm 29 - probably older than the average person in here. I grew up listening to 80s thrash, fell for 90s grunge and generally lost my taste for any new music after 1994. I really haven't picked up any "new bands" over the years. Oh, sure, I've bought cd's - I have over 500, but I really can't say I've gotten into any new types of music - other than Opeth - in the last 10 years. So, perhaps I'm a bit "out of the loop".

So, in a round-about way... here are my questions:

1) What defines nu-metal?

2) Why do we hate it?

These may seem rhetorical to you but I really am curious and you guys seem to be more knowledgeable than me.

 

[Kenneth R.]

i dont necessarily hate it, i just dislike many bands of that genre.

its metal+(other)
where other can be rap, electronic, or anything really. this might sound progressive, but often it's simplistic and cliche'. lyrically its often angsty and shallow. perhaps the worst part about nu-metal (as in new, but spelled wrong in that AOL kind of way.) is the typical nu-metal fan. these are closedminded people who think nu-metal is the heaviest shit ever and no one else could ever be as good. they don't want to hear other types of metal or care about other forms of music as much. they're what somebody here recently called "tr00bies".

however: there are good bands within this genre, though they are few. there are also some open minded fans, though they too are few. my general dislike for it is the majority of the style and the fans and their image is something i don't want to associate with. i like to think for the most part i'll give any music a chance.

 

[wwallinga]

Thanks! That was a very quick and informative reply. I think I know exactly what you're talking about (specifically with the fans). I always see kids at the school where I teach with Slipknot and Korn shirts, and they think they're way to heavy for me. Little do they know that I'm a full-blown metal-head..

So it seems to me that the main objection to nu-metal is its lack of attention to the musicianship. It's just screaming for screaming's sake. Unintelligent metal?
Given some of the idiots I teach, it may be all they can handle.

Opeth is the "chess" of heavy metal. Intelligent, complex, emotional, and above all, classy. Those who don't understand probably never will.

 

[The Dude]

Chess-Metal. That's awesome.

 

[Ermz]

It was a new form of music that I personally think was pioneered by producer Ross Robinson. It was a sound given to Sepultura's 'Roots' and also Korn's first album. At this point the style wasn't all that bad. It seemed to be an approach that brought a particular influence to the music. The song formations themselves were like those of rock albums and there were undertones that screamed 'rock' all the way, yet this was all done with guitars that were downtuned and distorted to all hell. It was a style that was sort of bringing the simplicity of (then) modern rock music together with metal.

The riffs became notably simpler... groovier and there was more of a reliance on production elements to convey the general sound accross in a heavy way.

Ever since those albums though, bands have played with that archetype until the style degenerated into the festering pile of steaming feces known as 'Slipknot', modern era 'KoRn', 'ill Nino' etc.

Our hatred for the music itself is fairly obvious. There is a lack of musicianship at this point. The bands are all building on a rudimentary foundation to make even more basic music, whilst this is all being compounded by the legions of idiotic mallcore children who think these bands are the greatest thing ever.

Put simply, these bands just want a shortcut to the rockstar lifestyle. Playing this form of degenerated metal music is your ticket to world stardom and a seemingly endless market of stupendous fucktards who'll buy everything you defecate into the proverbial toilet bowl.

 

[cthulufhtagn]

Nu-metal essentially has none of the technical proficiency, depth, songwriting skill, complex melodic sense, or lyrical range of what we would consider "real metal". All the songs have the same "quiet verse/loud chorus" dynamic, and the "hooks", if they can be considered as such, are recycled over and over, sometimes within the same song.

Grab a 7-string, tune it down to drop-A, and play the same 3 power chords over and over again, with another guitar in the background making weird noises with 1700 pedals and your singer whining about how daddy never loved him. Ta-da! Nu-metal.

 

[R0l0]

I'm not going to stereotype all of the bands but for the most part the lyrical content in nu-metal is far inferior to that of metal. While themes in metal songs cover topics such as life, death, love, fantasy, sadness, justice, religion, war, violence, etc; the themes in nu-metal music often deal with angry topics that go through the minds of teenagers (e.g., fuck the world, no one understands me, you're all stupid, my life sucks, etc etc). Lots of the songs also use expletives to get their messages across. I wouldn’t say I completely hate it (hell I’ll admit some of those thoughts went through my mind at 15 as well), but I find most of it to be really immature and childish.
I'm sure there are some exceptions in both genres... (CoB lyrics come to mind )

 

[MasterOLightning]

Nu-metal is a combination of metal, rock, and some third influence, either hip-hop, industrial, or whatever. Pretty much everyone else said it right.

 

[coolsnow7]

Not much to add...though I think that there is a complete lack of anything that could be considered "Progressive Nu-Metal" while the same cannot be said for most genres, such as every subgenre of metal.

 

[Kenneth R.]

actually that can be argued seeing as nu-metal itself is different enough to be considered a seperate entity, it has progressed (or digressed) from some other form of metal. there are certain bands on the forefront of these changes.

 

[Nico]

they're what somebody here recently called "tr00bies".

Tr00bies was in reference to the bedroom black metal brigade... not the nu-metal scene.

 

[Kenneth R.]

still applies

 

[Nico]

Doesnt bother me. Valuable points made by all.

 

[deliverance]

Given some of the idiots I teach, it may be all they can handle.

hahaha looks hilarious to see a teacher type that.

Opeth is the "chess" of heavy metal.

haha, i like that.

 

[dorian gray]

i like chess

 

[Arnold Layne]

Nu-metal is summed up in a comment one of the guitarists from linkin park made........"learn musical theory so when it comes to playing you forget it all"

 

[Risquit]

To succeed in nu metal you must:

1. Whine--I'm gonna do things my way, my way or the highway
2. Perfect a not quite gutteral scream of pseudo-anguish over what some girl has done to you--'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge, I'm about to break
3. Wear a goatee without the mustache part.
4. Black t-shirt, baggy shorts, forearm tattoos. No exceptions.
5. Make sure each band member stares ominously into a different direction in group shots.
6. Have a "DJ", scratching in the background. 808 bass(optional).
7. Either be bald or have some serious gel action going. Long hair not allowed.
8. Every song must oscillate between slow parts with single string guitar plucking followed by single chord bursts of sound generated through effects pedals (rather than talent).
9. When on stage, your head must bob, in fact, if you can make it look like you are fornicating with your instrument, even better.
10. Through lame ass "gang signs" on stage and in publicity photos.
11. When interviewed about your new album, mention that you were going for something "much darker" than your previous work.

 

[Ermz]

Best advice they can give is 'graft your left hand into a powerchord shape'.

 

[Vrykolakas]

If you hear it on the car radio and it makes you cringe, it's probably nu-metal.

 

[BurningSky]

Guys, let me first say, I hate nu-metal, but, I think the bashing is getting ridiculous. Not all the bands are talent-less uninspired hacks. I have the misfortune/pleasure of hearing it come out of my roommates computer all day long, and even though it's not my cup o' tea, I completely understand why he likes it. Nu metal isnt the only thing he listens to, he actually listens to a really wide variety of music, so it's not the case where he's musically uneducated. People are saying that the lyrics are really trite and shallow a lot of the time, but a lot of problems and things in life are trite and shallow. Not everything has to be about the meaning of life, sometimes you just want to yell "fuck you" at someone. Yeah, a lot of the music revolves around power chords and nothing more, but that doesn't make it terrible. From what i notice, my roommate just gets really pumped up from hearing it, sings along often, so it seems like its just straight forward rock, but a little bit heavier. I heard some heavy stuff coming out of his computer so I asked him if he liked any other metal bands like In Flames, Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates, Slayer, Opeth, etc. but he wasn't really into them. I found it kinda odd, but I just figured he likes aggressive pop, which is pretty much the definition of new metal in my mind. Again, I don't like nu metal, but I think the bashing of it's fans is getting a little ridiculous.