The Nu Metal Thread

Linkin Park - "Hybrid Theory" (2000)

Despite this album being one of the biggest selling in metal history, I'd never actually heard it until a couple of days ago. Sure, I was well aware of the few mega-hit singles but had always assumed that Linkin Park were probably none of my business. This changed a bit when I explored their 2003 "Meteora" sophomore album (4/5) as a feature release for The Gateway as it took me by complete surprise & it was at that point that I decided that I needed to check out the debut as well, particularly as I'd witnessed the band performing live at the 2013 Soundwave Festival in Sydney & found them to be more than tolerable & quite professional with five of the tracks included having been drawn from their debut.

The result of my long-awaited first visit to "Hybrid Theory" is that it's not a bad record, not as mature as "Meteora" it has to be said but worth a listen nonetheless. Once again it's the vocals of Chester Bennington that carry this band as he was a rare talent that possesses the uncanny knack for hitting on memorable & quite epic melodic hooks. The rapped vocals are again the obvious weak point but there are only a couple of tracks where Chester fails to resurrect things (see "Be Myself" & "Forgotten"). There are a few genuine highlights here though & they come in the form of the big hits "In The End" & "Crawling" as well as the downtempo instrumental hip hop change-up track "Cure For The Itch" which reminded me of artists like Moby or Groove Armada. Almost every track includes a big chunky, rhythmic guitar riff that will have alternative metal fans jumping around too & it's invariably performed in super-tight fashion.

"Hybrid Theory" didn't actually finish too far off higher honors but the deciding factor was that I was left with a general feeling of "Hey, this isn't too bad" rather than the "Well, I'll be damned! This is some high quality shit!" feeling I got after checking out "Meteora". The fact that I was reminded of Limp Bizkit at a few points is definitely one of the reasons that I couldn't quite get myself up to those heights but I don't think there's any question that Linkin Park are playing at higher levels than those guys. "Hybrid Theory" is the very definition of the nu metal genre though so if you find that term to be a turn-off then it's probably not for you, particularly when it sits on the more accessible end of the nu metal spectrum. The hooks are certainly there though & that's an important thing to remember when it comes to your more commercially focused metal releases.

3.5/5

Slipknot - "Slipknot" (1999)

To tell you the truth, I had only ever heard one Slipknot song before deciding that I'd finally take the plunge & see what they are all about this week. It was "Eyeless" from their self-titled 1999 debut album & it didn't sound too bad although wasn't strong enough to lure me into further exploration at the time. I've actually been surprised by what I've heard over the last couple of days though to be honest, not because Slipknot are better or worse than I was expecting but more because of the fact that it's a glaringly flawed yet still generally satisfactory metal album. Saxy's review summarizes the faults very nicely. The inconsistent production is very ordinary with the drum sound being grossly inadequate (particularly the awful snare sound) while the use of DJ scratching & clean vocals are total misfires. But then on the positive there are some pretty cool groove metal style riffs included on this album along with some suitably aggressive vocals & a decent amount of energy. The Korn influence is obvious throughout & you'll never be in doubt about the album's nu metal credentials. There's certainly worse metal records out there but I can't say that I can see why Slipknot blew up off the back of this record. It's got slightly more wins than losses but it's really left to the lengthy "Scissors" (my clear album highlight) to step up at the end of the tracklisting & ensure that my rating finishes a little on the positive side of my enjoyment line rather than on the negative one.

3.5/5

I have always found it easier to enjoy Slipknot in small doses. I wasn't much for the S/T when it came out and still prefer the following two albums, although I wouldn't exactly call either favourites - except for Vermilion parts one and two which are probably my most favoured tracks from the altenative / nu-metal scene. From what I've seen on YouTube they did put on a hell of a show though, so perhaps that is why they were so huge.

I have come to yet another unconventional decision regarding my ratings: Korn's Issues drags on at the end, but there is another Korn album that gives me everything I look for in an album.  So, taking Issues' place as my top nu metal album is See You on he Other Side.  Why?  Yes, it's not always as dark and disturbing.  But it's extremely catchy, musically diverse and coherent, consistent in song quality and collects most of Korn's previous ventures into a consistent whole while sounding completely futuristic.

I'd find it hard to split Deftones' "Around Ther Fur" & Linkin Park's "Meteora" for my nu metal fave.

Note: I don't actually consider "Around The Fur" to be a nu metal record but that seems to be the common consensus these days

I think it pushes the boundaries but still barely makes it.  But for Deftones it's always been questionable.  There was maybe a tiny bit of it on White Pony, which was extremely diverse.

Deftones - "Adrenaline" (1994)

Upon returning to Deftones' very popular debut album, I've realised that I've been significantly underrating it for the entire fifteen years since I first discovered the Sacramento alternative metal legends through excellent "Diamond Eyes" record back in 2010. I think there are a few reasons for that. 1. There's a lot more nu metal here than on their other records, 2. Chino Moreno's vocal melodies aren't fully developed as yet & he tends to do a lot more nu metal style screaming (admittedly very well), 3. the guitar tone is very dry which gives the album an under-produced feel & 4. there aren't any obvious classics included here. Looking at it with fresh ears though, there's still a lot to like about "Adrenaline". It showcases Deftones at their rawest & most visceral with the heavy riffs offering a savage edge that oozes of the tortured youth that their audience were craving so much on the back end of the grunge movement. It's taken me by surprise really & I actually wasn't too far off scoring this release even higher. "Adrenaline" may be the weakest Deftones' full-length I've encountered to date (Note: the only one I'm still yet to experience is 2016's "Gore" which seems to be frowned upon) but it's certainly not the disappointment I originally thought it was so perhaps I'm softening in my old age.

For fans of Ikd-sj, Nothingface & Ocean Grove.

3.5/5

Slipknot - "Iowa" (2001)

I didn't mind the 1999 self-titled debut album from Iowa's Slipknot when I checked them out for the first time only within the last few years although it was certainly let down a bit by a poor production job. The 2001 follow-up fares better in that department & is also a slightly heavier & more extreme record overall which helps it to slightly eclipse its predecessor. It's easy to pick up on Slipknot's influences here with Korn, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Slayer & Morbid Angel all receiving some attention & assisting in the creation of a slew of high-quality groove-laden material. Unfortunately, there's also a couple of clear creative failures included too & these generally align with the band's more commercially focused clean-vocal choruses (see "My Plague" & "Left Behind"). I really dig the slower, sludgier moments, as well as the more death metal inspired ones while Corey Taylor's aggressive delivery is well up to the task. There's little doubt that "Iowa" is one of the better nu metal releases I've heard but I couldn't quite bring myself to award it the four stars I was hoping it would achieve in order to place it alongside records like Linkin Park's "Meteora" & Korn's self-titled.

For fans of Korn, System of a Down & Mudvayne.

3.5/5