#nothingface reference

[gentleoverdrive]

[March/1 of ?] Can you feel that? Oh shit!

Have you ever felt that, as an online culture, we "backed" the wrong horse in the memetic zeitgeist? Right now you're probably wondering what the hell is it that I'm talking about specifically, but rest easy: I am indeed talking about how Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness" fucking sucks and how we should've memefied "Stupify" instead.

---- The argument is simple: Better overall instrumental performance AND way funnier/more annoying vocal stylings. If you think I'm high on fumes or something, hear for yourself.

---- If you're listening to crappy butt-rock, at least go for the track that has something going on for it throughout, instead of just one mildly interesting hissy-fit on a song that also includes a skit that sounds like the best acting Robert Downey Jr. ever did, it's all I'm saying. ---- On second thought, Dan Donegan is a "Cancel culture" whingy shithead that makes me embarrassed that I use the same guitar brand as he does and David Draiman is an all-around garbage person, so I think that's way funnier (even if unintentionally) than anything they have ever put to tape. Here's a cool song by an awesome band that I still love instead...

Anyway, I'll probably go back to writing about anime and Fire Emblem because that's all it ever seems to interest people when I type out these journal entries/brain droppings. Love a duck!

[troutfishinginmusic]

Guide: Lesser-known nu metal albums that hold up

Nu metal is a genre that’s easily derided. It was caricatured as over-the-top angst, baggy jeans and casual misogyny. It was one of the biggest genres when I was first discovering music.

There was plenty of bad music, but to say it was all bad would be inaccurate. It was extremely diverse compared to other metal scenes. It also put issues like child abuse to the forefront, showing survivors they were not alone. Nu metal took a genre that was showing signs of wear and reinvented it. While it soon became saturated by faceless bands (as every popularized genre eventually does), it was important.

As the genre regains popularity, there have been plenty of retrospective lists about bands like Slipknot, Deftones and Korn. There have even been lists detailing some of the lesser known bands. The podcast Roach Koach has done a great job reassessing the genre (It was the catalyst for me making this list). In no order, here are seven nu metal albums you might be less familiar with but are worth your time. These all roughly come from the genre’s original era of popularity.  I’ve also put together a ranking of more established nu metal records at the end.

I love the first couple of Static-X albums, but Cannibal is truly a high-water mark. It’s catchy, concise and extremely heavy. While it has some more straight-ahead metal flourishes (guitar solos!?!), no one could mistake this for another band. And, if nothing else, Static-X is a definitive nu metal band. Cannibal seems to find Static-X revitalized after kicking out a problematic member. Vocalist Wayne Static (who died in 2014) knows exactly what he wants these songs to do. His barking delivery finds spaces in each of these spartan industrial rippers. It represents all the things I like about the genre.

Oracle represents somewhat of a break from the more straight-ahead nu metal sound of Spit, so it might not exactly fit on this list. But ultimately Kittie is forever tied to the genre (much like Deftones), even if they’ve branched out in other directions. Oracle doubles down on heaviness by incorporating death metal influences. Morgan Lander’s vocals kneecap a lot of her more melodically inclined nu peers. It also shows the band progressing, despite losing guitarist Fallon Bowman. When people dismiss the nu metal as an outlet for white male whining, though sometimes deserved, they overlook great albums like Oracle.

Apex Theory’s only album, Topsy-Turvy, is brimming with creativity. Much like System of a Down, which originally featured lead vocalist Ontronik Khachaturianon on drums, the band channels its Armenian heritage. Yet Apex Theory leans into something more melodic, mathy and possibly emo (in more of the At the Drive-In sense). Every aspect of this album feels so precise and thought out. Khachaturianon’s vocals can leap out like a barrage of stream of consciousness yet can just as easily smooth out. It might’ve been a bit too weird for radio but, in a world where SOAD broke, it certainly could’ve happened.

Apartment 26’s final album might be one of the strangest on this list. It’s apparent that it was made to be more “marketable.” Yet those touches make it even weirder. The production here is very polished, but this is still an album that incorporates swing jazz into metal through programmed horns. It’s that oddness, intentional or not, that benefits Music for the Massive. An added bonus is the great cover of “In Heaven” from David Lynch’s Eraserhead (the band’s name is a reference to the film). Apartment 26 easily surpasses its legacy as Geezer Butler’s son’s band on this album.

Taproot’s debut struck on something deeply vulnerable that the band has carried through on subsequent albums. What is often missing on those other albums, though, is the heaviness found on Gift. The band’s raw talent is on display here, recalling System of a Down’s debut. Like that album, influences peek through but the band sound fully formed and unique. Stephen Richards’ distinct vocals, while not for everyone, bend around every twist and turn of these knotty songs. The band moved away from the genre, but created some of its best work within it. Oh, and bonus points for instigating this.

Orgy’s goth-y, processed guitar crunch was often imitated (Deadsy, etc.) but has never exactly been replicated. Candyass in some ways seems like the obvious choice, but there are some awkward growing pains. And really Vapor Transmission is just as good and possibly better. The hooks are bigger, the band commits to the futuristic themes and vocalist Jay Gordon is at the top of his gender-bending industrial crooning game. Orgy remains notable in this era for poking holes in the genre’s inflated macho exterior at every turn. There’s something so transgressive about the way the band operated in nu metal.

New Killer America’s cover always caught my eye when I was a kid. Album art was and still is a big deal to me. I love how subtly gross this is. At the time it was more affecting than the over-the-top gore common on metal albums. It fits the music. Skrape wallows in heavy post-grunge sludge. As Ulrich Wild did on the Static-X albums, there’s a good balance struck between heaviness and accessibility. Skrape had a mysterious vibe that was missing from similar acts that had a tendency to over-share. Despite some awkward vocals/lyrics that come up, NKA is noteworthy.

Honorable Mention: Coal Chamber-Chamber Music, Powerman 5000-Tonight the Stars Revolt, Nothingface-Violence, Mushroomhead-XX, Sevendust-Animosity

Established Classics Ranking

1. Korn-Korn: This was the album that started the genre. Every element that other bands would copy is here. It also features some of the rawist emotion ever recorded (”Daddy”) and some great singles (”Blind,” “Clown”). Some of the lyrics are definitely dated, but there are few metal albums that are as influence and heavy (well, in terms of subject matter) as this.

2. Deftones-White Pony: This album defied every stereotype the genre had. It seamlessly incorporated trip-hop and post-rock influences without sacrificing any of the heaviness. This is the highpoint for a band that rarely has a misstep.

3. System of a Down-System of a Down: SOAD’s debut is heavy, political and completely left-field. It still sounds like nothing else. All of the band’s records are good to great, yet I love how the death metal influences poke out more on this one. That’s a personal preference I guess, I really could’ve picked any SOAD album.

4. Sepultura-Roots: This album is so unbelievably heavy. It’s such a bummer that Sepultura didn’t make a record with this lineup past this point. It’s political in a way a lot of nu metal wasn’t. It seamlessly incorporates the band’s Brazilin heritage. It up-ends any perception about the genre being light-weight.

5. Slipknot-Iowa: This is really the only album from this era that rivals Roots in terms of heaviness. The band draws from a different well than Sepultura, packing Iowa with horror movie imagery. Much of this was to no doubt channel vocalist Corey Taylor’s troubled childhood. There’s something so frantic and desperate captured on this album, which probably has to do with Ross Robinson producing it (he produced Korn’s debut, as well as a lot of other iconic records).

6. Incubus- S.C.I.E.N.C.E.: Few nu metal records are this legitimately fun. Every part of Incubus is bursting with stoned creativity here. It also channels its influences much better than its peers. Somehow metal riffs and bongos go together here. S.C.I.E.N.C.E. showed a more easygoing side of the genre that still retained all the heaviness.

7. Linkin Park- Meteora: Though Hybrid Theory has a lot of singles, I always preferred this one. I think the band forged a bit more of its identity here. It gets a bit heavier, yet retains all the pop smarts. Definitely worth revisiting if you’ve just re-listened to Hybrid Theory to celebrate its recent anniversary.

NOTE: Yeah, Limp Bizkit is not on this list. The band has some cool songs, but ultimately its albums are pretty scattered. Fred Durst is a lot for me to take. The rest of the band is amazingly talented, especially Wes Borland. If its exclusion is annoying to you, please make your own list.

[gentleoverdrive]

(30/300) "Lost in the Catacombs"

So I made the "mistake" of agreeing to (re)watch The Social Network and... y'know, I think I changed my mind. Like sure, the original intent of the movie is still dogshit and has aged worse than spoiled milk (it helps that the main subjects of the "biopic" are all well-known shitheads by now), but y'know? I think the movie actually becomes interesting/even good if you go with one thing in mind... ---- ...if you've watched any of Aaron Sorkin's output, watch the Social Network again and just take into account that pretty much every single character trait found within all the male main characters is present within Sorkin!Zuckerberg... but as opposed to how you're supposed to like Jed, Josh & Sam (West Wing), Danny & Matt (Studio 60) and Will, Jim & Don (Newsroom), rare are the instances in The Social Network where you don't want to punch the shit out of Mark. ---- And it almost feels as though dear old Aaron had a revelation; that brief moment of clarity where he realizes "Maybe they're not telling it like it is... oh my god, am I just a bitter, irony-blind asshole?" while he was writing the adaptation to The Accidental Billionaires. ---- So yeah, fuck it: Some actual (albeit probably unintentional) goodness out of Sorkin. Anyway, read you later, alligator!

[gentleoverdrive]

[12/300] The Pinnacle of Ignorance.

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools in your kit as a guitar player who plays any sort of rock music. The ability to control chaos shouldn't be taken lightly, though: It is part of your toolkit, after all, so you should know how and when to deploy it. ---- Seeing so many of my fellow guitar players choosing to excise it in favor of allowing themselves to try and clean their sound smacks me of a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes guitar playing with gain and/or distortion so fun. ---- I do understand the appeal of playing with a clean electric guitar sound, of course, but this isn't about that: The noise that comes with choosing to play an overdriven guitar sound should always be deployed as required, but choosing to pretend it isn't there will always leave you feeling like there's a gap to be filled. ---- Get out of your own way, guitar player, this ain't rocket science! The filth is offering a hand, so make sure you grab it back, if needed. Read you later, alligator!

[gentleoverdrive]

[2/300] A patsy is useful.

Have you ever wondered if looking at someone might reveal some things that person might not want revealed? People talk so much about knowing how to read body language and whatnot, but given the fact that at the end of the day, this is mostly exploited by total and complete charlatans, there is an inkling in the back of my head that it's way realer than a three dollar bill. ---- But still, when that does happen, isn't it most strange how much the actions that follow immediately after can make such huge an impact on how the relationship (whether a concrete one or non-existent-until-then has said relationship been) will unfold from then on? ---- That happened today. Still not quite sure how something like this can happen through a zoom meeting, but damn it, that was the most out there interaction I've ever have had with a co-worker since I began working from home. I could see into that person's very soul, and it terrified both them and yours truly. Just... beyond life-changing. ---- I don't think I've ever have shared that same utterly perplexed look with anyone else aside from my mom, my wife and a deceased bandmate. How do you ever go from then on? I hope I can someday have the answers. Read ya' later, alligator!

[gentleoverdrive]

[16/300] Science has failed Mother Earth

Was remembering the time the band I played in from 2000 to 2005 drove the Interstate 10 back in 2002. I remember it well because it was the first tour we did as a 7-piece. There were other factors, but as far as it pertains to our story, that's all that matters. ---- The trek was from Sarasota to West Hollywood, it lasted almost two days (42-to-43 hours), we stopped a total of 6 times, mostly for gas, to grab food & drinks and to take care of the basic physiological businesses a human needs to do... and I think we ended up getting like 16k from both gigs. I still remember that tour was one of the first ones where we ended up "in the black", financially speaking. ---- My first driving shift lasted 16 hours, then the bass player drove 4 hours, followed by the keyboard + FOH engineer doing a 6 hour shift and afterwards I drove the rest of the way myself, which I think it ended up being a little under 16 hours. Again, it was almost two days of non-stop driving. ---- I don't think we stopped for more than 5 minutes except for one time, which if memory doesn't completely fail me was in, like, El Paso... or was it Las Cruces? I just remember we stopped because our guitar tech had to throw up from something spoiled he had chowed down. so I'm thinking it was Las Cruces. ---- I drank like three big fucking cylinders of black coffee with skinny milk (don't judge) to stay awake. I recall telling Greg from DEP like a year later about our little East Coast to West Coast odyssey and him laughing his ass off. I think him and Liam did a similar drive from Baltimore to LA to record Ire Works but they ended up getting high as shit in the grand canyon or something. ---- I don't know if there's a lesson to be learned from all of this, but I do know that I don't wish that drive upon anybody. Time is money, I guess? Whatever, read ya' later, alligator!