So for this blog I wanted to talk to my dad about his background with music. After all, he is the reason that I am into the types of music that I am now. He has been a major influence on my taste in music so I wanted to get a little more information about where Dad's top notch music taste came from. Enjoy!
Me: "What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What were some of your favorite bands?
Dad: "I listened to a lot of rock music growing up. I really loved bands like AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Beastie Boys and Pink Floyd. I wasn't allowed to listen to Ozzy Osbourne but my mom listened to him which never made any sense to me."
Me: "Who had the biggest influence on your taste in music?"
Dad: "Probably my mom. She was always into the harder stuff while my dad was into Elvis and The Beatles."
Me: "Did you ever listen to any music that your parents didn't approve of?"
Dad: "Oh yeah. All the time! I started listening to Ozzy, Marylin Manson, and Slipknot when I was a teenager. They got really mad at me when the found out about Slipknot and Marylin Manson. Mom said they were Satan worshippers and that their music was of the devil yet she listened to Ozzy Osbourne."
Me: "Oh, wow. That doesn't really add up if she listened to Ozzy, he's pretty wild. Have you ever been to any concerts? I know we've been to quite a few."
Dad: "I went to see AC/DC and let me tell you, that's the best show I have ever been to. Your mom and I went when we were younger. We couldn't hear for a couple of days after. Obviously, you know that we've seen Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown multiple times, we've seen Breaking Benjamin, Jinjer, and The Browning too. I want to see Slipknot once the Rona goes away. Looks like they'd put on one heck of a show."
Me: "Yeah, we need to go see them before they get too old to run around stage. Well, I guess I'll ask my last question. What's your favorite song or artist right now?"
Dad: "Definitely something by Jinjer or Lamb Of God. I've been listening to 512 by Lamb of God lately."
I had fun talking to my dad and getting a little backstory from him in the music department. I wasn't expecting to hear about my dad being rebellious as a teenager, that's for sure. I hope you guys enjoyed this blog!
Hey y'all! I'm glad you dropped by to hear me talk about my favorite genre of music. I know I talk about heavy metal in almost every blog but today I'm here to talk about a certain type of metal. Obviously there are many subgenres of heavy metal and my favorite is called nu-metal. So buckled up because I'm about to rock your socks off ;)
How did nu-metal get started?
Nu-metal music got its start on October 27, 1995 thanks to a band called Korn. They had a gig in London with that caught the attention of the 800 metal fans in the crowd. The band from Bakersfield, California fronted by Jonathan Davis (a former mortuary assistant) released its debut album the previous year. They took influence from Rage Against the Machine and made their own style of rap-metal. The LA music scene was revived when bands began to follow in Korn's footsteps by down-tuning their guitars and diving into nu-metal. Another one of the founding bands of nu-metal is called Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst (tattoo artist) decided to take more influence from hip-hop into Limp Bizkit's music. The band wasn't quite metal but it wasn't hip-hop either. It was a perfect blend of the two genres and this attracted tons of fans. Static-X is another important nu-metal band. This Chicago band captured the outsider look of nu-metal with their lead singer sporting a hairstyle that made him look as if he had been electrocuted. One of the most unhinged bands from the genre is a nine-piece band from Iowa. Slipknot perfectly encompasses all aspects of nu-metal in all fields. The creepy mask wearing group were known to huff fumes from a dead bird in a jar before shows to get themselves in a dark mindset. Pretty crazy, right? Well, that's what nu-metal is about. These people don't fit in so they go out of their way to further push the boundaries of society with their music.
As quickly as nu-metal was born, Linkin Park came along in 2000 to put it to death. Their first album was an instant success as it sold 5 million copies in 12 months. The expectations were set far too high which took away the spotlight from other bands of the genre. As they were struggling to keep up with the demand, members of Korn, Deftones, and other bands fell into drug addiction. Limp Bizkit lost many fans and lost their place as one of nu-metal's leading bands. Many artists decided to leave the scene while bands like Slipknot and Korn stood strong. The 2013 Download festival singlehandedly save the entire genre with a killer line-up featured Slipknot, Korn, System of a Down, and Limp Bizkit. Since then, nu-metal has been pretty successful and you usually hear a few songs from the genre every time you turn on your local rock station.
Here is one of Korn's most popular songs just to give you an idea of what they sound like.
Also, here is a great song from Slipknot's first album.
What is nu-metal?
The majority of nu-metal lyrics deal with struggle and mental health. For example, Jonathan Davis of Korn writes about the abuse he endured as a child and his insecurities. Nu-metal artists use their lyrics to talk about all of the anger and sadness they feel. One of my favorite albums from Slipknot features songs that discuss the depression that overtook the band once their bassist passed away in 2010 from an accidental overdose. As you can already tell from the two songs I have included, most songs are very vulgar. It just adds to the intensity and helps the artists to really express their emotions.
Nu-metal is a mixture of grunge, alternative metal, hardcore punk, hip-hop, other genres of heavy metal (industrial, groove). It includes melodic vocals, guttural screams, shouting similar to hardcore punk music, and rapping. It is also common for songs to have rapped verses with screamed choruses.
Overall, nu-metal emphasizes mood, texture, and rhythm over melody. Nu-metal uses rhythmic and syncopated riffs on distorted electric guitars with down-tuned strings to create a dark and resonate sound. The drumming often consists of hip-hop, funk, and heavy metal. Double bass drumming is not very common but Slipknot is one of the few exceptions.
The bridge is often the climax of the song and sometimes it is just one line repeated over an over, getting louder and louder.
ICONIC lyrics
Nu-metal lyrics tend to show the vulnerability of the artist and it has always helped me connect with the music. It often makes the listener feel understood because they talk about very real and common problems that people experience.
Dull Boy- Mudvayne
"By the way just so you know
Always everyday this is how I feel
I'm not the reason
Its not my fault
Its not my problem
I'm not the cause
I'm not your scape goat (I'm not your scape goat)
I'm not your god (I'm not your god)
I'm not your martyr (I'm not your martyr)"
Down With The Sickness- Disturbed
"Get up, come on get down with the sickness
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me"
One Step Closer- Linkin Park
"I find the answers aren't so clear
I find the answers aren't so clear
Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense
I find bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over again Just like before
Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break
I need a little room to breathe
'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge And I'm about to break"
The Light- Disturbed
"When you think all is forsaken
Listen to me now (all is not forsaken)
You need never feel broken again
Sometimes darkness can show you the light"
The Heretic Anthem- Slipknot
"If you're 555, then I'm 666"
Okay, this song needs an explanation. I swear these guys aren't evil. This song is about individuality and fighting the society that we have been brainwashed into conforming with. Simply this song screams the message of "If you all are the same, then I want to be different. I want to be the one person to stand out among the crowd." This is a common theme in most nu-metal songs because this genre is the black sheep of the entire metal genre.
Suggestions
Dig- Mudvayne
(get ready for a strange video)
My Own Summer- Deftones
A Different World- Korn (ft. Corey Taylor)
I hope you all learned a lot from my blog! Let me know if you liked any of these songs!
Peace out!
Sources
Everley, Dave. “Revenge of the Freaks: the Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Nu Metal.” Metal Hammer Magazine, Louder, 19 Mar. 2020, www.loudersound.com/features/revenge-of-the-freaks-how-nu-metal-took-over-the-world.
“Nu Metal.” Metal Wiki, Fandom, metal.fandom.com/wiki/Nu_metal.
Pereira, Ansel. “100 Best Nu Metal Bands - Spinditty - Music.” Spinditty, 5 Feb. 2020, spinditty.com/genres/100-Best-Nu-Metal-Bands.
Hey guys! So for this blog I'm gonna be educating y'all on African music and culture. Go ahead and prepare for a brief section on heavy metal as usual! :)
I was really interested to see all of the different instruments used in Africa. Out of all of the different instruments I found, I thought the mbira was the coolest. It's an instrument used by the people of Zimbabwe and it consists of 22-28 keys on a soundboard usually made out of wood of mubvamaropa tree. The keys were originally made of smelted iron ore and now they are made of recycled metal from other objects such as bed springs or bicycle spokes. The mbira is usually put in a calabash resonator to amplify the sound. When the mbira is played, it has a unique buzz that adds depth and volume to its sound.
Below is cover of "Africa" by Toto on the mbira.
Also, I just wanted to include this video of "Avatar's Love" on the kalimba. The mbira and the kalimba are not the same by the way as you can tell lol.
Next, I researched the Gumboot dance. The Gumboot dance originated from South African gold mine workers. Flooding became a major problem so their employers decided to give the workers rubber gumboots to protect them from getting ill instead of draining the flood water. In order to communicate in the mines, the workers made rhythms and by stomping their feet or slapping their boots. It was a way of expressing their ethnic identities and communicating with each other. The dance began to spread outside of the gold mines into the city as a form of entertainment. The employers took their workers and formed groups to represent their companies. The workers preformed and were able to mock their employers without them knowing with their dances. Now, the Gumboot dance has evolved into Step Dancing. It involves similar moves and instruments as Gumboot dancing but it has been made more modern. The performers are more dramatic and they use their voices in their performances.
Now for my favorite subject... heavy metal! Africa was had a turbulent political history. Music is how they expressed their opinions and emotions. One band that I came across is named Terminatryx. This is a female-fronted band from Cape Town. One track on each of their albums is in their own language. They use their music as a way to protest and express their beliefs about what is currently going on in the world around them which is very common in metal music. Unfortunately, I was unable to find much information on this band. The lyrics are a little strange but here is one of their songs! (This was the only video I was able to embed into the blog lol.)
