A branch off of the heavy metal music tree is known as Nu Metal. This metal genre has been known to blend other features and styles of music into their own, like Hip Hop, Punk and Grunge. Nu metal bands commonly used melodic singing, aggressive vocals and forms of hardcore punk.

This term “nu metal” meaning “new metal” was introduced in a Spin magazine article. As time went on and the genre expanded the “new metal” term was changed to “nu metal.” It was presented at the end of the movie “Get Thrashed.” This metal genre was introduced by Korn in 1990 and has grown through the 90’s into the year 2000.

Nu Metal popularity jumped when “Follow the Leader” Korn’s third album release came out and sold for 9 million copies worldwide. Many Metal Music Bands began to rise up and be noticed. After the doors were opened for the nu metal community, nu metal bands came out to the public.

Once the nu metal community grew, the nu metal bands followed. Staind, Coal Chamber and Limp Bizkit started to have success in the nu metal community after the release of Korn’s “Follow the Leader” album. The start of nu metal bands came from the Los Angeles scene, like Static-X, Spineshank and Coal Chamber. The popularity of the nu metal community on the rise, bands like Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Soufly, Slipknot, Sevendust and Godsmack started to become more and more successful. Tours like Ozzfest, Family Values Tour and Lollapalooza started featuring nu metal bands in their lineup. The biggest tour that featured nu metal bands was the 30th anniversary of Woodstock that had mostly nu metal bands in the lineup.

The number of bands grew with time in the nu metal genre. Nu metal bands started releasing albums that earned the status of platinum, like Linkin Park, Papa roach, P.O.D and System of a Down. The nu metal community was at its high in 2001 when nu metal was the most popular metal music in American. Record tables were signing a majority of nu metal bands that approached them. With this explosion of new bands, it ended with bad quality of nu metal music.

Into the early years of 2000 nu metal’s popularity died down and bands that started the wave wasn’t selling their new albums as well as their previous ones. Nu metal came down from being at the top and metal lovers moved to a pop and emo punk metal. Most nu metal bands are still playing a similar style of music and staying in the genre, others have moved on.

Additional Reference

Metal Music Blog
What is Nu Metal?

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