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Oct 14, 2020 · A list of the most influential and memorable nu metal tracks from Korn, Limp Bizkit, System Of A Down and more. Find out which bands made the cut and why they shaped the genre.
- Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst
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- Metal Hammer Features
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- Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst
- Korn. 3,155 votes. Korn stands as pioneers in the nu metal genre, having emerged from Bakersfield, California, in the early 1990s. The band's unique sound combines heavy, down-tuned guitar riffs with powerful vocals from lead singer Jonathan Davis.
- System of a Down. 2,752 votes. System of a Down, formed in 1994 in Southern California, has often been lauded for their distinctive fusion of metal, punk, and Armenian-influenced music.
- Slipknot. 3,133 votes. Hailing from Iowa, Slipknot has consistently pushed the boundaries of nu metal since their formation in 1995. Known for their unforgettable stage presence, complete with eerie masks and aggressive performances, the nine-member ensemble expertly combines heavy metal with elements of rap and electronics.
- Linkin Park. 2,616 votes. Linkin Park emerged as a nu metal force with the runaway success of their debut album, Hybrid Theory, in 2000. Combining heavy guitar riffs with emotive lyrics, rap-infused verses, and electronic production elements, Linkin Park forged an instantly recognizable sound.
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal) is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge.
- Korn. How can you not include the band that invented nu metal in the first place? While the likes of Faith No More and Rage Against The Machine undoubtedly laid down some of the templates from which countless nu metal bands would pilfer in the years ahead, the boys from Bakersfield crystalised their own influences into something fresh, new and vital that truly felt like the dawn of a new era.
- Linkin Park. If Korn were nu metal's first superstars, then Linkin Park were easily its biggest. Their 2000 debut Hybrid Theory was freakishly successful, shifting more than 20 million copies worldwide and becoming the biggest-selling debut album of the 21st century.
- Slipknot. By far the most intense and aggressive thing to emerge from the nu metal explosion, Slipknot's ferocious, furious debut album was unlike anything else in the scene at the time, bolstered by a terrifying, horror-indebted image that made them instant icons in the eyes of millions of maggots in waiting.
- Limp Bizkit. If any band symbolised nu metal at its most obnoxious, braggadocios and mainstream-invading, it's surely Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst's red cap became as iconic to a generation of young rockers as Slash's top hat had just over a decade earlier, while the success of the band's third album, 2000's Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water, was nothing less than obscene, shifting a million copies in its first week alone.
- Korn, 'Korn' (1994) There was no way this album wasn’t going to be on the list. The debut album by Korn arguably started the genre itself by creating THE sound others strived for.
- System of a Down, 'Toxicity' (2001) Combining an array of musical elements and genres including jazz, folk and Middle Eastern music, System of a Down’s 2001 sophomore album molded their raw early sound into a complex and innovative record.
- Linkin Park, 'Hybrid Theory' (2000) This genre-defining debut album literally rocked the metal establishment, thrusting Linkin Park into the music stratosphere.
- Slipknot, 'Iowa' (2001) By far their darkest and most intense work, ‘Iowa’ also happens to arguably be Slipknot’s best. While their next album (‘Vol. 3’) displayed the band at their most troubled, ‘Iowa’ was Slipknot as their most angry — at each other, at themselves, and at the world.
Jan 4, 2024 · Amongst the most despised genres of music ever, nu-metal is responsible for both the biggest debut album of the 21st century and the fastest-selling rock album of all time, yet its flagship artists still find themselves working to divorce themselves from the genre that they created and created them.
Jul 18, 2022 · What’s more, their gleeful clusterfuck of a sound — wiggly electro-punk grooves, crunchy nu-metal riffs, fist-pumping hardcore rage, and a playfully sexuality on songs titled “D.R.I.L.D.O.” and “Lapdance” — has a broad enough appeal to reel in listeners from all over the rock-music map.
