Nu Metal took the music world by storm in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The heavy, aggressive music and angsty lyrics were like catnip for teens and people in their early 20s. However, those of us who spent our high school years listening to the likes of Korn, Slipknot, and Mudvayne have since moved on to music with more mature lyrics, proving that it was, indeed, a phase. However, there are still a handful of songs from the era that we all still enjoy, even if we won’t admit it to ourselves or anyone else.
The songs on the list below come from some of the biggest bands nu metal had to offer during the genre’s heyday. Most of us can’t relate to them like we could more than 20 years ago, but we’ll still reach for the volume knob if they ever pop up on a streaming service or radio station. Break out your chain wallets, Tripp pants, and fitted caps, and get ready for a blast from the past.
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[RELATED: Remember These 5 Nu Metal Stars? Here’s Where They Are Now]
1. “Blind” by Korn
No nu metal list would be complete without Korn. They popularized the genre with their 1994 self-titled debut album. Their heavy, tuned-down guitars, signature clicking electric bass tone, and Jonathan Davis’ voice created a sound that took some time to catch on with the mainstream. However, angsty metalheads the world over connected to their music almost instantly.
“Blind” was the lead single from their debut album. As a result, it was many young fans’ introduction to the band. Today, most early fans of the group have moved on. However, if this tune pops up on a throwback radio station or gym mix, we’ll crank it up and relive our youth for a few minutes.
2. “Wait and Bleed” by Slipknot
Five years after Korn put nu metal on the map, Slipknot released their self-titled debut album. It was heavier, angrier, and altogether more aggressive than anything else on the mainstream market at the time. The video for “Wait and Bleed” introduced the world to nine dudes in coveralls and masks, one of whom played a beer keg with a baseball bat, and we were all hooked.
Most casual Slipknot fans started to fall off after the release of their third album. However, the band still maintains a cult following that includes several generations of metal fans. Even those who haven’t heard their music in years still get amped when they hear “Wait and Bleed.”
3. “Dig” by Mudvayne
If Korn popularized nu metal, Slipknot popularized the “dudes with masks” trend that happened in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bands like Mushroomhead and Mudvayne emerged, the latter donning face paint and extreme hairstyles.
However, these bands were more than just masked men with instruments. Mudvayne’s debut album, L.D. 50, was a favorite among many genre fans and is still highly regarded. The lead single, “Dig,” introduced them as a force to be reckoned with. Today, that iconic Les Claypool-like bass will still get metalheads of a certain age in the mood to get in the pit.
4. “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit introduced a rap element to nu metal when they dropped “Counterfeit,” the sole single from their debut album in 1997. Then, two years later, they released Significant Other, which featured the “Break Stuff.” It was the perfect song for backward-hat-wearing angry teens everywhere.
In all honesty, most genre fans wouldn’t admit to liking “Break Stuff” or anything else from Limp Bizkit, especially those who were devoted Slipknot fans. Despite the bands’ fanbases being locked in a brutal online war, many still reached for the remote to crank up the volume with the video came on MTV. Today, it’s the perfect song to soundtrack a morning commute on those days when you don’t want to wake up, let alone go to work.
Featured Image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
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