What makes nu-metal not metal?

[Badbird]

I see groove metal and thrash metal influence in there but has lot of hip-hop, industrial, grunge, and funk influence as well. Even some bands like Godsmack and Staind can be called post-grunge as well. There is non solos in metal so that counts out. I think it's more of the alterative rock riffs that make it different from other metal.

 

[razoredge]

as far as I know there is no definitive definition of "nu" metal or even "metal" for that matter. It seems to all go along with the ego of who ever is speaking, as "metal" always has. What little research I went into during the last ruckus over "nu" metal I still could not figure out what exactly the sole sound of it even was.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

I'm not very familiar with nu metal, just Toxicity and the stuff my coworker used to play. But the first thing that strikes me about nu metal in comparison to "metal metal," is that nu metal seems poppier. I mean, having catchy choruses is nothing alien to metal. I don't think Pantera did more than one song that didn't have a big, beefy ass chorus. However, chorusy metal bands still tend to have an instrumental focus, long instrumental passages, things like that. Nu metal seems to be just verse/chorus/verse, as much like grunge as metal.

As far as defining nu metal, I'm certainly not qualified to do that. But I'd say it's the wave of metal-styled music that followed the end of grunge and the rise of suburban hiphop. It seems to mainly be chugga-chugga music with accessible song structures and influence from rap & industrial.

 

[Badbird]

I saw it as between grunge and rap with some industrial and groove metal influences.

 

[razoredge]

but bands listed and/or considered under nu metal cover a good variety of sounds. Its probably a fairly bogus branding for many many reasons.

 

[Badbird]

And I said the sounds it covers.

 

[RedFox742]

This is actually a really excellent question.

I know why I don't personally care for nu-metal, but I also know that I don't personally care for death metal... what makes the former not "metal" and the later "metal"? The term metal covers such a wide variety of styles, from Stratovarius to Mayhem; even people who don't like certain styles of metal will admit they still are "metal". What elements of nu-metal put it outside even that courtesy?

 

[Badbird]

I think it might be it's grunge and hip-hop/rap influence that show more in the music than ir's metal influence.

 

[razoredge]

grunge is another nightmare with the difference between Nirvana and AiC nearly night and day, yet both showed plenty of metal influence. What grunge did was replace or change the face of commercial metal that had a great run of over 10 years.

The entire metal debate is impossible, it stemed from hardrock, had its roots in hardrock even was just origionally hardrock then there after influenced back into hardrock. The line is impossible to draw.

Best example I always think of is everyone ("metal") wants to deny Disturbed metal status yet they are far heavier and metallic than Maiden, that alone is proof enough for me to know the debate is impossible and has only boundries created by individuals that apply to their personal likes and dislikes.

Thus why I made the statement during the "bigbuzz" that black and death metal isnt metal because I think the stuff sucks. To show the grounds by which most self proclaimed metalheads draw their lines. Its not popular to go against the statis quo of little clics.

ROFL !

 

[Badbird]

I see grunge as a moment rather than a genre.

 

[mdmatt4ever]

SNOT invented nu-metal but they were awesome