10 Nü-Metal Albums That Aged Incredibly Well

Along with hair metal, nü-metal is usually seen as a style that did not age properly. That sentiment could also be partially true, however c’mon, there’s so many nü-metal albums that sound simply pretty much as good at present as they did when Limp Bizkit have been rollin’ their approach throughout MTV.

You may must forgive us for skipping albums like Korn‘s Comply with the Chief, Deftones‘ White Pony and Slipknot‘s self-titled. Everyone knows these are S-tier nü-metal albums, so let’s dig a bit of deeper into metallic’s most maligned subgenre.

In case you’re gonna make music this wild, you’ve obtained to be one of many tightest bands on earth. Only a few acts can do what Maximum the Hormone did on 2007’s Bu-ikikaesu — limitlessly mash collectively kinds and make it sound straightforward. You’ve in all probability heard “Zetsubou Billy” and “What’s Up Folks?” in case you’re a Demise Observe fan, however this complete album is filled with nü-metal genius that’s immune from getting stale. 

It took a meme to remind the world how phenomenal this band is. In contrast to lots of nü-metal acts that attempted to sound out of their minds, Mudvayne was truly distinctive sufficient to drag it off. Take a bow, Ryan Martinie. Your bass taking part in is so phenomenal that it might solely come from psilocybin-induced psychosis. Past Martinie’s bass, there’s lots of actually sensible stuff on L.D. 50, from references to toxicology, life’s interconnectedness and a heroic dose of Terence McKenna.

If solely Lynn Strait had lived, Snot would’ve been proper up there with System of a Down and Incubus. Each dynamic on Get Some is so rattling tasteful… the songs are so well-paced, from the large aggressive grooves to the funky gradual components. Snot even made conventional guitar solos work on Get Some. For a nü-metal album launched in 1997, Get Some sounds extremely contemporary. 

Incubus was once so fucking attention-grabbing! Certain, their radio rock stuff is superb in its personal proper, nevertheless it’s on a completely completely different wavelength than S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Incubus’ sophomore album is off-the-charts bizarre. It jumps between rap metallic, funk, journey hop, techno and simply whacked-out nonsense. You possibly can inform this was the precise album Incubus wished to make on the time — it pulls no artistic punches and sounds prefer it was lots of enjoyable to create.

In 2003, nü-metal was starting to outstay its welcome on the radio. Keep in mind, this was the yr Korn put out Take a Look within the Mirror and Limp Bizkit launched Outcomes Might Range. Regardless of the artistic decline of nü-metal’s greatest acts, the style had loads left to supply. Nothingface’s remaining album is by far their most sonically various and harsh. It was produced fantastically and was dead-on with its criticism of the Battle on Terror and the Catholic Church’s cover-up of kid sexual abuse. Skeletons often is the heaviest, most slept-on nü-metal album of the 2000s. 

Wisconsin Demise Journey is an album that deserves to be gushed over. Exterior of Korn, no band did heavy dance beats like Static-X. “Push It,” “I’m With Silly,” “Bled for Days”… this band on was on some shit after they made their debut album. Plus, Static-X couldn’t have been this ridiculous with out Wayne Static’s voice. He strung collectively all of the weird parts like a grasp quilter, permitting an usually overly-serious style to be unapologetically foolish. 

Sevendust is pure high quality inside nü-metal. They didn’t fuck round when it got here to stellar musicianship and unbridled energy. Animosity has aged exceptionally properly as a result of it didn’t lean on any of nü-metal’s cliches or tropes. It’s simply wonderful songwriting with killer supply and a whole lack of worry. Sevendust have by no means been the edgiest nü-metal band, however they’re actually one of many smartest. They made a hauntingly lovely Christmas track ffs. 

Sunk Loto had a stranglehold on Australia’s nü-metal scene for a number of years, making a well-known model of rap metallic deep into the Nineteen Nineties. The band actually solidified their sound on 2003’s Between Start and Demise although, mixing nü-metal with alt metallic and reducing again on their hip-hop affect. The end result was finely crafted cuts like “Every part Everyway” and “Starved.” Try Sunk Loto in case you’re unfamiliar. 

You possibly can immediately hear why Ross Robinson wished to work with these guys. Hailing from Los Angeles, Amen concocted a uncommon mix of nü-metal and punk rock for his or her 1999 self-titled album. Amen could have been too bizarre to stay and too uncommon to die, as a result of they by no means actually obtained their due regardless of being round for 30 years now. Simply take heed to “Drive” and inform us they didn’t deserve mainstream radio play.

We’re gonna deviate from the foundations of this checklist and provides a spot to one in every of nü-metal’s giants, just because this album is so fucking sensible and inventive. Sure, Toxicity is the System of a Down album, however god rattling, actual followers know concerning the energy of System of a Down. These tribal drum beats, creepy-crawly guitar components, thudding bass strains and impossible-to-duplicate vocals… there’s completely nothing like this. By no means a boring second.