Conner’s Top 3 Nu Metal Bands
By Conner Reinhardt on November 13, 2024
Nu metal is possibly the most controversial genre of metal. People tend to really enjoy it, or really hate it. The phrase “I love nu metal, it sucks” made popular by the nu metal agenda, became a saying for fans of the genre. People who don’t enjoy the genre believe it’s full of misogyny and frat guys. Which is somewhat true, but there is a whole other side of the story where some of the most beautiful music was created. I will be listing my top 3 nu metal bands and why.
My personal favourite nu metal band is Deftones. They’ve been around since 1988 and released their first album “Adrenaline” in 1995. It was until the year 2000 when they released their 3rd album “White Pony” they achieved commercial success. The album White Pony showed the band’s ability to move away from heavy and aggressive music to more of an angelic and melancholy like style. With their biggest hit “Change (In the House of Flies)” they began to experiment more with shoegaze and art rock. My personal favourite album is “Around the Fur” released in 1997 but my favourite song by the band is “Hexagram” off the self-titled “Deftones”. A song I recommend if Deftones are something you want to get into is “Be quiet and Drive (Far Away)”.
My second favourite nu metal band would be Linkin Park. They’ve been around since 1996 and released their first album “Hybrid Theory” in 2000. This album was released during the peak of Nu metal which pushed their debut album to diamond status. The band was known for its aggressive rap and vocals provided by Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington. Sadly, Chester passed away in 2017 which left the band and fans shook. But Linkin Park lives on with their new singer Emily Armstrong with the upcoming album “From Zero” to be released on November 15th. My personal favourite album is “Hybrid Theory” but my favourite song is “Bleed it out” off the album “Minutes to Midnight”. A song I recommend if Linkin Park interests you is “Somewhere I belong”.
My third favourite nu metal band has to be System Of A Down. They formed in 1994 and released their first album self-titled “System of a down” in 1998. It wasn’t until 1998’ “Toxicity” that they achieved mainstream success. This band really stood out from others, due to their Armenian folk influences and political lyrics. The lead singer Serj Tankian has one of the most recognizable voices in the entire genre. He’s known for his wide vocal range, which ranges 4.2 octaves, the same as Freddie Mercury. My personal favourite album would be “Toxicity”, but my favourite song would “Hypnotize” off the album “Hypnotize”. A song I recommend if System Of A Down interests you is “B.Y.O.B”.
These bands were perfect showcases for nu metal, but instead bands like Limp Bizkit and Crazy Town were the faces of the genre. Don’t get me wrong I can enjoy some Bizkit from time to time but its hard to listen to without wearing a backwards baseball hat, cargo shorts and an oversized white tee. I hope these three bands will change your perspective on Nu metal as a whole.
