In a decade now best remembered for trends that suffocatingly enveloped one another, nu metal may well be the most infamous of them all. Filled with baggy-jeaned, backwards-hat-wearing types (hello, Fred Durst) who conjured the full gamut of emotions, from eternal sadness to hyper-illicit wrath, nu metal set the stage for a generation of angst-filled musical fans to groan, moan and sob along with.
Of course, 12 or 12,000 of you might be wondering aloud, “What is nu metal?” And to be honest, with all the shade that’s been thrown its way, combined with the fact that many of the bands labeled as such are so different… it’s a bit difficult to define. But if we were to try, we’d say: nu metal combines elements of heavy metal and hip-hop with syncopated layers, dense guitars and gloomy (but not really doomy) down-tuned guitars.
