25. Pulse Ultra (no clue about this band)

24. Snot Get Some. Now I wouldn’t call these guys Nu-metal. It had a funky/punky metal kind of vibe and I thought this was a really cool album despite what others may have said about it.

23. Powerman 5000 Tonight The Stars Revolt. Can’t stand this band but they played Ozfest 97 and I actually enjoyed their set. But then again I was three sheets to the wind before I even got through the gate. Kinda of ruined some of the fun.

22. Mushroomhead XX. Frankly who gives a shit who ripped off who’s gimmick. This record kicked ass as did their second album. The third…meh.

21. Puya Fundamental. I used to play the hell out of this album. Another band I would not really cal Nu-metal.

20. Sevendust Home. I always thought Sevendust could be kind of cool but I could never get into them.

19. Soulfy Soulfly. I loved this album when it came out but these days I can’t stomach it.

18. Mudvayne L.D. 50. Loved it.

17. Rammstien Sehnsucht. Loved the music, couldn’t stand to listen to it in German. Don’t know why.

16. Kid Rock Devil Without A Cause. Nu-Metal? I don’t know what the hell to call Kid Rock, but I would never call him metal, nor Nu-metal. I’ll admit that I kinda di some of the Kid Rock stuff…but nu-metal?

15. System Of A Down S/T. There was not a whole lot of substance to this album except for maybe 2 songs. Saw them live and they sucked.

14. Disturbed The Sickness. Was kind of fun in a different kind of way but grew very stale, very quickly.

13. Coal Chamber Chamber Music. the only memorable song from this is the George Michaels cover.

12. Drain STH. Kind of cool, Kind of different but I couldn’t get past the voices. I’m very picky when it comes to female voices in metal.

11. Likin Park. Echkk!

10. Disturbed Believe. Believe what? Was this the one with that song about heaven not being hot enough?

9. Korn S/T. This is a Nu-Metal classic. Was the term Nu-Metal even coined when this came out 14 years ago?

8. Limp Bizkit Significant other. I think I would have put 3 Dollar Bill Y’all on this list before this one (No it’s not here).

7. Slipknot Iowa. I was impatient waiting for Iowa to come out and when it did I was happier than a….you get it.

6. Deftones Around The Fur. The first Deftones cd I ever bought…the last Deftones cd I ever bought.

5. Korn Follow The Leader. This entire albums screams Nu-Metal and was probably the peak of Korns Career.

4. Static X Wisconsin Death Trip. I think I just threw up a little.

3. System Of A Down Toxicity. Much better move on this bands part. Better songs than the first. These days this album is one of those that very rarely gets listened to.

2. Slipknot S/T What can be said about this album and Nu-Metal. for every 1 person that hated it there were 5 that loved it.

1. Deftones. White Pony….ok, this is the part where I say that this list sucks.

Post from: Metal Martyr

In the metal industry these days, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. What I mean is that metal fans are never satisfied one way or another. Through all the changes that have gone through metal over the year, there is always something that aggravates us as fans. Let me explain…

In the beginning all metal was created equal. Through innovation and evolution it has changed in order to keep thriving and satisfying the fans hunger for something bigger and better. As thrash and speed metal started to get big, a big fat, wet, cat crawled out of a trash can and glam rock was born. Glam rock took over the scene and metal as we knew it was put in the shadows for the moment. We still knew it was there and supported it but it wasn’t so much in the public eye. When it was it was always a bad thing like some schmuck off-ing his best friend while listening to his favorite metal band, while glam rock probably spread more STD’s than a big city crack whore. Men looked like women, pants were tighter than a most women’s, yet these guys were seeing more ass than a proctologist. Am I jealous? Nah. It was time for something new though. Even glam rock fans were getting bored and very tired of choking on Aquanet fumes.

Grunge suddenly became the staple food for music fans. Torn jeans were a fashion statement, guys stopped shaving and washing their hair or bathing in general. You were either depressed or just playing the roll. That didn’t last very long until it was named “alternative”. It was a slowly dying cow. Alternative is still here and there but not nearly as big as it was back then and probably never will be again.

Punk re-emerged in a new pop kind of form. The new “punks” were instrument extraordinares. They knew how to play their instruments and sing well. But it wasn’t fooling the old school metal-heads. The ones that saw punk die. They knew that 99.9% of these guys were posers. It was quite obvious. Metal needed something new still. Even though in the mid to late 80’s a different kind of metal had emerged out of Florida called “Death” metal. This was more underground and controversial because of the lyrics and cover art on records and often incomprehensible deep, growling, throaty vocals . Some liked it and some didn’t.

As the “punk” scene had it ups and downs (Mostly downs) a new kind of metal was forming. A new metal that sometimes had turn tables, tuned down guitars, and even rapping. A New kind of metal called…Nu-metal. To me it was something new and different. I wasn’t into the bands that did a lot of rapping like Linkin Park. It was tried before and still lives a bit with Hardcore bands like Biohazzard, but Biohazzard did the hardcore/rap (not hardcore rap) thing well. Some metal fans turned a deaf ear to Nu-metal. Even if you fit the nu-metal bill but still had a bad ass metal sound you were still called names and mocked. While bands like Korn, Nothingface, and Slipknot had hard and heavy sounds people still hated them. Nu-metal is kind of still alive but the bands that were big knew they would need to change their sound a bit in order to survive.

The late 90’s started to bring metal back out of the shadows. Hardcore started to be seen more as well as metal and a hybrid called metal-core was born. Metal was getting bigger and the record labels saw it and started to sign every stinking band that fit ‘metal’. Metal genres of all sorts started forming from other forms of hybrid genres making the even more variety in the scene

Today there are a shit-load of metal bands on the scene. Some of them are barely worthy of the ‘metal’ label and some of them are just plain garbage. As metal fans we say stuff like “Cookie Monster” vocals and chuggah-chuggah guitars. We always say we want something new but talk about the good ole days of thrash. A few bands come on the scene playing that good ole thrash sound and suddenly we’re ass backwards complaining about it. Metal fans are such a mix of opinions and we can never agree on the same thing. Some like it tuned down and crunchy and some like it melodic with high pitched squealing solos. Some like the vocals deep and raw sounding and some like them clean and cut. Some like the bottom end heavy, some like it to mix perfectly and not over powering. I wouldn’t have it any other way though.

As metal fans we’re all different. If we all liked the same exact thing we would be the same bunch of dumb-ass, trend following bunch of zombies that the rest of them are. I like what metal has become. What the fans have become. Sure we still get the fans that think they are hardcore or the karate moshers making fools of themselves in the pits but that’s expected. The real fans help each other out in the pits. You may get hurt but that’s part of the pit. Luckily in a lot of venues security can spot out douche bags that cause trouble and escort them out.

Metal is bigger now than it has ever been, no matter what anyone says. It may not be all over the media like Hip-Hop or pop, but it’s there and growing. Enjoy it for what it’s worth. Keep bitchin, keep complaining, keep name calling. It’s normal. But at the same time keep raising your fists to the sky and supporting your favorite bands no matter who does or doesn’t like them. Once you start hating or liking someone or thing just because someone else does….you’ve become one of THEM! Metal fans are never satisfied. We keep the standard high and that’s why metal will never die!

Post from: Metal Martyr

No matter how old Alice Cooper gets…he still has some very nice teeth. Must have a good dental plan.

Tommy Lee, as much as I hate him and think he is such an over-rated, mediocre drummer…you can not deny that he can twirl a drum stick like no other.

That thing on Lemmy’s face gets bigger every time I see it.

George Corpse-grinder Fisher’s neck is much wider than his head.

Black metal is still the goofiest genre in metal…even compared to Nu-Metal.

Every Time I see a Manowar or Venom band photo…I have laugh.

I don’t care how gay Rob Halford is and what he’s done in his personal life, he is by far one of the best Metal vocalists ever…EVER!

No matter what Dave Mustaine says or does to make people despise him he will always be an under-rated guitar player and an absolutely amazing song writer.

Metallica, even though they have written and recorded some of he most classic songs in metal, a lot of people can not get past the shit they have done since 1990 and they will will go down in metal history as the band that went from great to…eh. Will they ever recover? Even maybe one last time? I would like to hope they can but my faith in Metallica pretty much went to shit with St. Anus.

Lastly, Ronnie James Dio and Rob Zombie. Now matter how old RJD gets and how far his hairline recedes, or how much of a tool Rob Zombie can be..their both really cool and have made an impact in metal.

Post from: Metal Martyr

After keying in the basic bands that every metalhead should be listening to I would try to bring it more modern by introducing bands that have come and gone like Guns N Roses. There is someone out there right now saying “But GNR aren’t gone, Axl just hasn’t put out the new CD yet”…trust me…G n R are dead but they are not forgotten. While more hardrock than metal in my opinion, you can’t deny the fact that they ruled their world during their day.

Moving on. I would also try to convince them to listen to some death metal to get a feel for what is to come in the present day metal. Bands like Carcass, Entombed, Morbid Angel, Grave, Sepultura, Obituary, etc., etc. And of course I would have to include some GOOD nu metal (your scratching your head wondering if there is such a thing). Bands like Nothingface, Slipknot, Mushroomhead, Fear Factory, and yes, even some Korn. Limp Bizket can kiss my choclate star fish, the only thing I would recommend for them is the trash can.

Moving Forward I would show them bands of today like Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Yakuza, Hatebreed, Mastodon, Shadows Fall, Machinehead. Bands that are still on top of their game and just continue to get better with time.

I would also urge them to sit down and see just exactly where metal has gone and see what trends have come about in metal and show them how much carbon copy bands there are being signed by every other label out there. I would show them bands that have stood the test of time and bands that are fighting to stay in the scene due to the digital era.

These are just some of the things I would recommend to a new metal enthusiast. So that brings me to my question,(which may in turn introduce me to some new bands)…What would YOU recommend?

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Post from: Metal Martyr

Slipknot would take a lot of bits and pieces from MFKR and incorporate it into their first major record label release. Its starts of with the song (sic) that just pummels you into submission from the get-go. It was 1999 and I was so bored with metal at the time. Honestly there wasn’t a whole lot happening at the time and I stopped by a local record/video store to see what they had. This was at their listening station so it had me curious. I couldn’t believe my ears. This was something new, something different than all the garbage that was being pushed onto the metal fans due to the growing popularity of Napster and the fact that the record industry was starting to feel the damage from internet P2P downloading. I wasn’t quite sure what to think with all samples, turntables, and a bit of rapping (if you will), but what I did know was that it was fast, heavy and scary in its own way. Between Liberate, Only One, Wait And Bleed and Eyeless it had a hook and an audience to boot.

Long awaited by fans of the self titled debut, Iowa also took parts of MFKR and put an even heavier twist to them. Gently had that mellow, erie sound that it did before but just sounded…better. With a new darker, more evil sound to it Iowa brought every song with a vengeance. With songs like Left Behind, My Plague, People=Shit, Everything Ends, The Heretic Anthem we now knew that Slipknot was not a one-off and were here to stay and left you wanting more.

For Slipknot fans the gap between 2001 and 2004 felt like an eternity only being pacified by Stone Sours debut album, which although was a great record was still not exactly what we were waiting for. Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses brought us something well worth the wait. With a different producer and one with such a reputation, Vol 3 was highly anticipated. Rick Ruben did a great job producing this record. From beginning to end this album is a hailstorm of chaos. A bit different from their first two releases Vol 3 takes a much more strictly metal approach. Sure the turntables and samples are still there but it’s not as evident as the first two records. Slowing things down with a two part stalker ballad Vermillion Pt 1 And 2 display once again the diversity of Taylor’s vocals and show once again that he can slow things down and really sing. Pulse Of The Maggots is more or less the Slipknot fan anthem.

Three years later and we see side projects of the band members. Jordisons Murderdolls, Taylor’s Stone Sour/ DumFux and Sean Crahen’s Dirty Little Rabbits/ To My Surprise, makes for rumors of the bands break up. Slipknot are supposed to be back in the studio some time in 2008 to start recording a fourth record. Perhaps we’ll have something to look forward to in 2009.

Post from: Metal Martyr

As Metal-Heads we all know what its like to be shunned and looked at as being different just because of the music we listen to. Then we turn around and cast away one of our own just because its not like the other. There are so many bands out there today that are starting to sound the same and I see it happening all over again. Its hard for me sometimes when I go to buy a new CD and I’m afraid to buy a CD because I’m so afraid of disappointment. I’m Afraid that I’m going to buy a CD and its going to suck royally. This is exactly what led up to Napster. People were tired of getting ripped off by bands because they hear one single on the radio and go buy a CD and its full of crappy fillers (AKA Papa Roach). So hell, if I can get the song for free that’s awesome! And to totally top things of, I don’t get the rest of the crap with it, that’s a bonus. Unfortunately for the record industry and the bands this cost a lot of people a lot of money by saving a lot of people a lot of money. But this is a whole other can of rotten worms I’m not willing to open right now.

So anyway, moving on. Do we need so many sub-genres? Is it necessary to label everything? Why are people so hateful of certain sub-genres? If I hear a band that catches my ear and I really like it then I buy the CD. Why hate it just because it is not YOUR favorite genre. Everyone thinks they have something to prove and want to save face because they think something is “Uncool”. That’s what rock and roll has always been about, saying ”Screw what you think is cool or not, I don’t care so F**K OFF!”. So, once again…Is it necessary to label every different sub-genres? The record stores don’t think so, they just separate CDs by major genres, perhaps they’re on to something.

(Sub)Genres Pt. 1

Post from: Metal Martyr

If bands tune their guitars a bit lower or adds something different is it a necessity to give them a new genre. There are some genres that deserve a whole new category, like punk rock…it totally defined itself. This new breed of “Punk“, however, is different. These guys have talent (can’t say I enjoy their talent) and yet we throw them into a genre that is totally the opposite from what they are. Punk wasn’t just a genre, it was a way of life. Lets face it, Punk is dead! Thanks for the memories but its gone and not forgotten. You can emulate and imitate every punk band and mimic Sid Vicious all day but you can’t relive the time and lifestyle.

Nu Metal: I’d like to find the person who came up with this sub-genre and choke them. Then I’d like to take every person that says they don’t like a band because they are “Nu-Metal” and I’d like to choke them too. Nu-Metal has been tagged on every band in the last 10 years that has tuned their guitar below E and has added anything to the music besides the basics of a guitar, drums and vocals. I never even heard of the term Nu-metal until Slipknot came around and then I found out that a lot of the bands I liked were deemed as nu-metal and for some screwed up reason they were hated by the so called “Real Metalheads”.

I first heard Slipknot in a small record store near Watertown, NY back in 2000. They had a listening station set up and I was combing threw the new bands in the library when I came across a cd with a bunch of guys in jump suits and masks. Naturally I was curious so I started playing track one, which shortly led to track two “(SIC)”. I was amazed because up until that point metal had become boring to me, almost cumbersome. This was something new, something raw and different to me. To me this was the rebirth of heavy metal.

To Be continued…

Post from: Metal Martyr

Let me begin my first blog by telling you a bit about myself. I’m a 31 year old husband to a wife of ten years. I’ve got two kids, a nine year old boy and a baby girl. I grew up in a small town and spent ten years in the military (4 yrs USMC, 6 yrs US Army). I’ve always loved music as a kid but grew up having to hear my mom playing Anne Murray, Berry Manilow, Neil Sedaka, and the Oak Ridge Boys. Needless to say it wasn’t the great start in the life of a future metal head. I had my favorite bands as a young teenager. I loved Aerosmith, AC/DC, Foreigner, Basically stuff I heard my older brother listening to. Luckily I never dug the music my sister was in to which would have put me in with the Culture Club and Kenny Rogers. I know, it’s a weird combo, but that’s my sis.

When I was 14 I was working at a diner in upstate NY when in walked this long hair dude, kinda lookin a bit in his 40’s. Long story short, Robert Plant was on tour in Albany and had went for a ride in the Adirondacks and just happened to stop by the diner I was slaving over greasy soap filled pans in. One of the waitresses recognized him, we all got autographs and he left after a walk by the lake with his band mate. At the time I didn’t really know who this was, but it sparked a curiosity in me that led me to Led Zeppelin (a band I often heard of but never really heard), which made me wonder what else out there I was missing.

I had often heard of heavy metal bands but never had the chance to hear them until 1991 (Yeah I got a late start) when I started tuning into 94.9 fm K-rock (WKLL) out of Rome, New York. K-rock is where I first heard Pantera’s “Walk”, Megadeth’s “Peace Sells” and Metallica “Seek And Destroy” (yeah, I was way behind the times). I was totally amazed and wanted more and more like an addict. In a small town as I grew up in Heavy Metal, like all things different was looked down upon and criticized as the devils music among other stereotypical B.S.. So from then on people would make fun of the music I would listen to because it wasn’t Pearl Jam, or Phish, or the Dead or whatever seemed to be popular those days. I never let it bother me because I loved it, I loved every crack of the snare drum, every heavy riff that chugged from the speakers, every growl, scream and solo that made my inner ears bleed. It was suddenly my life blood, my reason to wake up everyday.

These days I still listen to Metal but I’m open minded and I love to kick back to a little Floyd every now and then among other bands. Bottom line is that good music is good music. Metal is my passion and if I don’t like a band I will say so and I will say why. Music is the key to eternal youth and metal is just one of the many treasures beyond the threshold!

Post from: Metal Martyr