12 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands Of All Time
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It’s fair to say that ‘Nu Metal’ is quite a divisive music genre. It was often panned and mocked by music critics but did manage to find a devoted and passionate audience.
But what exactly is ‘Nu Metal’?
At times it has been used as a tenuous label assigned to bands that don’t neatly fit into a designated genre. The most common definition describes it as a sub-genre of heavy metal that explores elements of other genres, namely hip-hop and rap.
The Nu Metal movement seemingly came out of nowhere and managed to infiltrate the mainstream music charts in the late 90s and early 2000s, but then inexplicably vanished from the charts almost as quickly as it arrived.
A number of bands from the scene have managed to continue finding success in the charts, although many of them have tweaked their sound and moved away from the Nu Metal genre.
Whether you loved or hated the genre, any angsty teen from the noughties will definitely be able to remember some of these iconic Nu Metal bands.
12. Kid Rock
Kid Rock had been in the music industry for a few years before he found mainstream success in 1998 with the release of his ‘Devil Without A Cause’ album. The new-found attention was largely thanks to a change in sound and a new persona that was, let’s say, ‘of its time’.
The ‘Redneck Pimp’ seemingly stumbled off of the set of Jerry Springer and found his way into the music charts. The success of singles such as ‘Cowboy’ and the eloquently titled ‘Bawitdaba’ launched Kid Rock into superstardom and introduced a mainstream audience to a new sub-genre of heavy metal music.
Fusing elements of rap, country music and metal, Kid Rock arrived with a fresh sound that caught the attention of the public and saw the ground-breaking album sell over 14 million copies worldwide.
Although elements of his act from this period may have aged poorly, his influence can not be ignored. Kid Rock has had mixed levels of success since the late 90s and has moved away from his hip-hop roots, focusing more on his country rock music, but the legacy left by his ‘Devil Without A Cause’ album will forever be remembered as one of the early milestones in the rise of the Nu Metal genre.