Nu metal

Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip-hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists often use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip-hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, bands like Pantera, Helmet, and Faith No More were influential in the development of nu metal with their groove metal and alternative metal styles. Korn is often credited as pioneering the subgenre in the mid-1990s with their self-titled debut album. Nu metal became popular in the late 1990s, with bands and artists such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot all releasing albums that sold millions of copies. Its popularity continued through the early 2000s, with bands such as Papa Roach, Staind, and P.O.D. all selling multi-platinum albums. The popularity of nu metal came to a peak in 2001 with Linkin Park's diamond-selling debut album, Hybrid Theory. By the mid-2000s, however, the oversaturation of bands, combined with the underperformance of several high-profile releases, signaled the subgenre's decline. Many nu metal bands disbanded or changed their sound in favor of other genres. Genres such as metalcore and emo overtook nu metal in popularity. The 2010s brought a nu metal revival; many bands that combined it with other genres (for example, metalcore and deathcore) emerged,...