Nu-metal: I need your opinion!

[JdeTheije]

Let me introduce myself, my name is Jarno de Theije, I’m a musicology student at the university of Groningen, The Netherlands.
I’m writing a paper on Nu-metal as a musical genre and why it came to such a sudden downfall. Also I’m trying to uncover why the heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal.
I’m currently in the research stage and I need your opinions.
I would like to ask you to fill out the questionnaire below and please do this sincerely and also tell me why you gave a certain answer (questions like “I don’t like it because it’s just shit” are of no value to my research)

I would like to thank you in advance for your time and effort!




1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…
2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…
3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…
4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…
5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…



Note:
Try to consider things that have happened or are happening in the Heavy metal scene when you give your answer, for example: if you think the Heavy metal scene never accepted Nu-metal because it was too popular and too mainstream, think about the fact that in the late ‘80’s Heavy metal accounted for over 40% of all record sales and some bands could have been considered mainstream.


Thanks again for your time, I appreciate it!

 

[Alter]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…It just the IDEA of metal to try and capitalize on the huundres of teen age anger.

2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…It sounds nothing like metal really sounds like. How can a rapper or some one screming take the place over death grunts?

3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…Rap and hard rock were at its hight and they collided and made nu-metal

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…People lost interest in it like grunge died.

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…It never took any of the real acpects of metal and metal bands want those.

 

[Ender Rises]

Nu-metal wasn't metal, it was a popular genre that tried to combine 3 things: the fans identifying with it that grunge had, the driving force of rock, and the rhythm and flow of rap and hip-hop. There is no real metal involved. Metal is about not caring whether or not you have an audience, it's about the music, and nu-metal was about the audience. It's a difference in focus, among other things, but most of the other things come from that difference in focus.

 

[Seditious]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because… it's not a sound I enjoy, just as I dislike opera but like classical, the vocals certainly ruin it, but as I dislike Handel but love Brahms, there is just something in the composition of numetal I don't enjoy, it's just a taste bias.

2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…of heavy metal? I think of heavy metal as a subgenre of metal itself somewhere between thrash and power metal. numetal seems to have more in common with the softer rock-like genres like emo and poppunk and screamo.

3.) I think Nu-metal was so popular in the late ‘90’s because… bad taste takes many forms, for the novelty always wears off and a new form of that which appeals to those of bad taste surfaces.

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because… sudden? I don't know, but between how tryhard to sound hard, and pussy and soft 'numetal' is, it seems metalcore and emo/indie fulfill th roles for which it was used. Perhaps it has just been replaced by these newest in popular forms.

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal for the same reason the church never accepted same sex marriage, it's too fuckin gay, and we don't like gay shit!

 

[Vitor]

Nu Metal is Hip-Hop with guitars, so, if someone likes hip-hop or rap or other shit, Nu metal isn't so bad...

But, if a traditional metal fan, like me, listen to nu metal, he say:

- man, WTF bullshit is it?

 

[Blue_Jay]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…: I dislike Nu metal because it gets old as time wears on, it is what got me into metal though so I do have a soft spot for the genre . I also found some adults listen to nu metal now for God knows why.
2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…: I think it's a real subgenre of metal because it's too heavy to be rock.
3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…: It was? lol to be honest I think it still is popular just with younger people, it gets really old really fast though as you get older.
4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…: Because there's better metal out there? lol I still say it's popular but w/e even the nu metal bands are releasing albums that the nu metal fans aren't approving now adays.
5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…: Because it gets old after about a year, most adults (not all) will care about the angry lyrics.

 

[thisisaformicatable]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…
2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…
3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…
4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…
5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…

1) Don't care for it, musically it can be interesting at times for rock music but the entire culture, lyrical themes, and overall shallowness and simplicity all turn me off.

2) "Nu metal" isn't a clear stylistic derivation of any prior metal movement, it's a distant cousin of the genre that shares a few superficial characteristics. It isn't even a clearly defined genre, it's only a blanket term used to group a bunch of bands sharing certain characteristics (namely "loud" and "heavy") to simplify marketing efforts. The bands labeled as such are more accurately described as hybrids of hard rock and modern hardcore, rap, funk, industrial, etc. The instances where you can take a nu metal band and see clear metal influence (s/a, "this riff is clearly in the vein of Slayer") are rare. While some nu metal bands may have some metal influence, they generally use ideas from metal in a different context; taking a metal riff and placing it in the context of a hard rock song doesn't make that song metal.

Furthermore, it evolved as an entirely separate "scene" from metal. Remember back in the early 1990s when all those nu metal bands were playing local shows, opening for your favourite death metal bands, defining themselves as the next wave of metal? I don't.

3) It was popular because it had a marketable sound and record labels, needing a new flavour of rock to feed the insatiable appetite of mainstream music fans, marketed the hell out of it.

4) I don't recall it being sudden, it sort of gradually gave way to the more poppy side of metalcore. This was mainly due to the short attention span and general fickleness of mainstream music fans. Record labels need to update their products regularly, otherwise they go stale like in most any other industry.

5) Metal didn't accept it because it is a foreign movement. It came from outside of the metal scene, it did not grow out of it.

 

[Vitor]

Why a nu metal fan needs an explanation about it?

i dislike it cuz it's a peace of shit and it's enough

 

[Nikki]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…
I dislike Nu-metal because it was unoriginal(see Anthrax/Public Enemy or Aerosmith/Run Dmc) and the music industry seemed too desperate to get over the grunge era

2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…
I do think that Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of heavy metal because well, it's not rock, it's surely not rap, therefore, it's metal.

3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…
As the grunge rockers dropped like flies and entered rehab, music industries were looking for the next big thing

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…
More bands began defining themselves as nu-metal, and everything began starting to sound the same. Also, bands had differences, some of the members wanting to do something else, while another member wanted to keep the band going.

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…
While it was metal, it wasn't truly the metal that they learned to love

 

[Vitor]

 

[Hatebreeder]

1.) I dislike Nu-metal because…it is heavily influenced by the late 80's/early 90's alternative rock scene, which had already started to stagnate in the early 90's and was never meant to be combined with metal. The rap element also turned out to be a fundamental failure.

2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…it takes more cues from alternative/pop rock than metal and does not follow a lot of metal's guidelines.

3.) I think Nu-metal was so popular in the late ‘90’s because…the general listening public was looking for something new after alt. rock decline and angsty teens are always looking for something new, angry, and controversial to rebel, hence why it was so popular especially in that demographic

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…the originality of the scene quickly decayed and there were too many bands overwhelming the public.

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…it didn't have a timeless value to it like other forms of heavy metal did and once the listening public started to mature somewhat, the in-your-face, anti-establishment messages of many nu metal bands no longer appealed to its former fans.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because… It is just crap.... rap should never be mixed with metal... I was never a fan of anthrax but when they did that shit with Public Enemy I disliked them even more...

2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because… Nothing about it sounds "metal" imo... it's just a label put on a hard rock form of music mixed with hip hop...

3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because… after getting a little dose of "heaviness" from grunge the younger kids who were too young to get into grunge got into nu metal as their own genre

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because… It lost it's welcome... and because it's fans outgrew it... much like Britney's fans outgrow the bubble pop music and move on to more adult contemporary artists like Madonna... Nu metal didn't evolve to survive.... neither did Britney but Madonna did...

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because… read #1..

 

[Vossyrus]

I pretty much agree with thisisaformicatable.

 

[Crapples]

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal for the same reason the church never accepted same sex marriage, it's too fuckin gay, and we don't like gay shit!

hahaha!

This.

 

[~Derek~]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because…it generally is heavy in parts but seems mixed with too many things to really take a hold of me for long, Slipknot and Mudvayne were good to me when I was 13 because it was the heaviest things I had known, even if I didn't care for the soft parts and the bands eventually sold out and became less heavy but what do you expect, it's Nu Metal? So now I generally dislike most of Nu Metal, was really only into 2 Nu Metal bands.
2.) I do/don’t think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because…it's like metalcore, it's a hybrid genre, some will accept it, others don't, not real Metal but on the fringes.
3.) I think Nu-metal was so populair in the late ‘90’s because…it wasn't too extreme for the masses and had some heaviness to it along with being associated with other accesible forms of music.
4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because…the trend was finally over, some of us went and listened to extreme metal, some went and still listen to Nu Metal and other things not extreme.
5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because…it was mixed with accesible forms and was trendy in that real metalheads didn't generally listened to Nu Metal and not things real metalheads listen to.

 

[Vacant_Planets]

I do think that Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of heavy metal because well, it's not rock, it's surely not rap, therefore, it's metal.

Obvious logical fallacy, if not A or B, must be C. Just because it has distorted guitars does not mean it's Metal...

 

[Seditious]

Nu Metal is Hip-Hop with guitars, so, if someone likes hip-hop or rap or other shit, Nu metal isn't so bad..

you clearly don't know jack shit about hip-hop

 

[Vossyrus]

Nu-metal isn't a real genre anyways. It was basically a term generated by the mainstream media to call what they believed was a new wave in metal (or more accurately applied, "loud" music). In other words, I've always considered bands like Korn, Disturbed and Godsmack to be "hard rock" and not metal. As for Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, or Linkin Park, I hardly see how anyone can even say those bands are anything close to metal. But to say nu-metal is hip-hop with guitars is just ignorant whether you like the music or not.

 

[biggsy]

1.) I like/dislike Nu-metal because the music is simple, reptitive and uninteresting as a result of being specifically written to suit early teenagers.

2.) I do think Nu-metal is a real sub-genre of Heavy metal because it takes after and uses heavy metal as an inspiration. You don't really need a good pair of ears to work it out, some of the ideas are just recycled heavy metal classics reworked in ways that appeal to a much more general audience.

3.) I think Nu-metal was so popular in the late ‘90’s because it was just another phase. We go through rock, disco, pop etc. all the time. it's just a cycle and it'll be popular again in years to come. Rock is already becoming popular again with bands liek Jet, Wolfmother etc.

4.) I think Nu-metal came to such a sudden downfall because it succumbed to the harshness of the music industry. Mainstream audiences are fickle and once their attention is taken away, a genre won't be listened to again for quite a while mostly.

5.) I think the Heavy metal scene never really accepted Nu-metal because of it's blatant disregard for what metal fans love: brutality, beauty and darkness. Nu-Metal is watered down so the little kids can hear it without their parents worrying.

 

[Blue_Jay]

Haha I found this thread in other metal forums also.