10 Greatest Nu Metal Albums Of All Time

Nu metal enjoys a polarised reception these days. Burdened with plentiful critics, scoffers and a severe decline in quality, the genre fell into decline by 2005 thanks to severe over saturation. In a cruel twist of irony, its popularity proved its undoing with too many acts diluting the scene and reducing its quality.

For many of us 90s kids, however, nu metal was the gateway into the world of heavy metal. Many of us never left, even if we moved on from the brief but massive nu craze.

An adventurous, unconventional genre initially, nu metal fused alternative metal with the likes of hip hop, funk and industrial among many other diverse sounds. Heavy metal had dwindled under the weight of grunge and other similarly angry hard rock subgenres by the mid 90s. When the likes of Korn, Deftones and Limp Bizkit exploded onto the scene, heavy metal enjoyed a blockbuster resurgence on all fronts.

Outside of a brief revival in the early 2010s, nu metal has never ascended the cultural and historical musical heights it hit at its peak. Many of its finest acts remain relevant however and, in keeping with the spirit of nu metal, have continued to experiment with new sounds and genre hybridisation.

Let’s take a stroll down a memory lane of baggy trousers, bleached hair and a teenaged rage lasting well into adulthood with 10 of nu metal’s greatest.

An impressive display of industrial power, Static-X’s towering debut is almost as grand scale as frontman Wayne Static’s hairdo. The Californian headbangers ramp up the aggression with a hard-hitting, surprisingly rhythmic LP chock full of big hit tracks such as Bled For Days, Push It and I’m With Stupid.

Named after the 1973 book of the same title by Michael Lesy, the band members were fascinated by its study of harsh midwestern life at the turn of the 19th century. A collection of photographs centred on various deceased residents of Black River Falls, Static briefly considered naming the band itself after the book.

To accomplish the very particular drumming sound they wanted, the group built their own triggering system out of plywood and piezo microphones. From there, they would record the sounds via Opcode Vision with cymbals played separately. The result was an impressive display of machine-like drums without assistance from any actual drum machine.

With a sound often described as evil disco, Static-X captured listeners’ imaginations thanks to their supercharged riffs and groovily heavy style. Static-X’s best selling album, it is a fine a showcase of the late Wayne Static’s often excellent front man capabilities.