Nu metal is back — now bring back the nu metal vampires

polygon.com:

Whether it’s the surprisingly frequent Evanescence covers on TikTok, the return of ’90s staple JNCO jeans, or the fact that Netflix’s hit show Beeffeatured Limp Bizkit music, the cultural signs are all pointing toward a shocking truth: Nu metal is back, baby.

If you grew up in the ’90s and had a penchant for rock music, you likely got swept up in the angsty nu metal trend that revolved around bands like Korn, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Static-X, and Papa Roach. The hallmarks of the furious genre include atonal chord changes, embracing dissonance, and guttural bass. One of the most memorable elements is the way nu metal vocals blend inspirations from traditional metal and hardcore music while bringing a hip-hop sensibility to the chaotic sound. All of that made it the alternative music of choice for angry teens — like ’00s baby goth me — to the horror of parents everywhere.

Pulling inspiration from ’90s hip-hop production and even occasionally including rapping — to the chagrin of many hip-hop fans — the “nu” in nu metal symbolized the fact that this was metal taking cues from rap just as hip-hop was becoming the predominant force in popular music. Nu metal’s growing popularity and perceived edginess soon led to genre film soundtracks following the lead of proto-nu metal compilations like The Crow in 1994, which featured Helmet, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Rage Against the Machine, Pantera, and Nine Inch Nails.

By the end of the ’90s, two horror-drenched comic book films would prove instrumental in setting the stage for a monumental nu metal event: the vampire nu metal soundtrack. 1997’s Spawn soundtrack and the 1998 OST for Blade laid the foundation for the arrival of the nu metal vampires. Though the latter didn’t