Tyranny has, bizarrely, featured quite highly in my listening this week. xTYRANTx on Eulogy Records have a hardcore/metal crossover sound that's pretty raw and incredibly meaty. Then there's Greek symphonic metallers Nightfall's latest offering Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants. It's a bit of a chugger and has some epic atmospheric moments that combine heavy heavy guitar and vocals with soft orchestral breaks. Decent stuff.
Something else that's been resonating in the ol' ear this week is Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory. When I was in my teens, nu metal was a big deal. Sitting round my mate's house smoking weed and listening to Korn's debut album whilst watching Teletubbies was a staple of the week. Slipknot's self-titled belter, Disturbed's The Sickness, Papa Roach's Infest; I loved them all and still do. And of course you can't ignore Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish... which, whilst indisputably hilarious, is a monster album from the era.
Hybrid Theory was fantastic when it came out. Listening to One Step Closer makes me feel like I've just got my driving licence and I'm gunning around Norfolk in a 1.3 Toyota Starlet (colour: Tropicana) all over again. Every track on the album is quality. But rather than becoming one of my favourite bands (a la Disturbed), Linkin Park decided to release virtually every song on Hybrid Theory as a single, then re-release it as a horrific electro-remix, and it all went downhill. It was all signs that they were lazy; they knew they had a winner and milked the living cock out of it.
I respect what Linkin Park has achieved. They've toured arenas, released four major albums (aside from the bastard remix album) and have got top-billing at some of the world's biggest rock music festivals. But for me they'll always be the band who peaked right at the beginning, got lazy, and ultimately got shit.
And on that note, I'm off to buy some massive jeans, a backwards baseball cap and have a beer with Shifty Shellshock.
M
\m/
2 comments:
You know what, I totally get that. Nu-metal was in when I was in my mid-20's and was "rediscovering" myself with a newly regained ability to listen to whatever the fuck I wanted without someone else complaining (i.e. I ditched a whiny long-term bad-music-taste bf).
Linkin Park sounded innovative to start with but quickly proved their talents were pretty shallow. I still ADORE the first two Slipknot albums. And while Disturbed don't really do it for me I STILL have a strange closet obsession with Hed PE. Don't tell anyone :)
I think my boner for Disturbed comes from the fact that my first ever experience of them was seeing them live, supporting Marilyn Manson, in 2000. Say what you will about David Draiman but he's got a helluva set of lungs.
I think most people in their late-20s and 30s have a bit of a soft spot for at least one archetypal nu metal band but are embarrassed to say!
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