PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Hey, everyone! This is Connor with another episode of Global Transmission. Today I’m talking about metal music, specifically Nu Metal. This is a subgenre formed in the mid-1990s. What makes it different from the heavy metal and thrash metal that was being released at the time was the elements of fusion with other genres. If your music was metal but influenced by another genre, it was likely to be considered Nu Metal. The most commonly associated genre mixed with metal was rap, but things like Reggae, funk, and punk were added by some artists as well.
It’s unclear exactly which album kickstarted the genre of Nu Metal. Most people would say that it was Korn’s debut album in 1994. I would agree that it was the first instance of Nu Metal as we know it today. However, I think that Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled album in 1992 was the real pioneer. This was the first mainstream album that incorporated rap and metal music together. Anthrax and Public Enemy had collaborated a couple of years prior, but that still wasn’t the same as what RATM did. You may know songs from that album such as “Killing In The Name” and “Bombtrack.” The album is themed around radical political movements and flaws in the government. In addition to those themes, the album gained controversy for its cover artwork, which is a real photograph of a Vietnamese Buddhist monk burning himself alive in protest of oppression by the government. Overall, I love the album. Like I said, Korn released their self-titled album in 1994. This is what really started the craze of Nu Metal. It was all a domino effect from there. Limp Bizkit was the next notable artist that surfaced, with their album “3 Dollar Bill, Y’all” releasing in 1997. The last mainstream band to surface was Slipknot, and their first studio album was in 1999.
Now, I’m going to talk about the bands that you might not have heard of. Some of these are more popular than others, but I am a big fan of all of them. The first band I want to shout out is Snot. They were only able to release one album in 1997, titled Get Some. Sadly, frontman Lynn Strait along with his dog featured on the album cover were killed in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. The rest of the band released two tribute albums after his passing, but went quiet afterwards. Another band I really enjoy is Static-X. They are Nu Metal, but they have a very good industrial vibe as well. They have 8 albums total, but their best is “Wisconsin Death Trip.” The final artist that I want to mention is Powerman 5000. Many people have never heard of them when I bring it up, but they gain a bit more credibility when I mention that their frontman is Rob Zombie’s younger brother. They are still active to this day, and I’m very lucky to have seen them in concert. My favorite album by them is “Tonight The Stars Revolt!” from 1999.
Nu Metal is sometimes looked upon as “fake” metal. But I think that it’s just as valid as any other subgenre. Just because it’s mainstream does not mean that it’s not a real thing, and that people aren’t real metalheads for listening to it. I actually have a call to action today, and that’s to give somebody’s music taste a chance. It can mean a lot to people to just listen to music with them. Thank you so much for listening, and I’ll see you all next week.
