This is the second release from the band after Wayne Static's death. The first I have decided to check out as it features everyone but Wayne, and this seems to be the current state of things with the band. From the first three songs, I can say it captures the mood of the band close enough. What is not in play is the spastic vocal phrasing Static was known for. Edsel captures his spirit in other ways, but the jerky staccato phrasing that marked their classic sound is not present as this is a more straightforward industrial metal. In places his delivery has more in common with Rob Zombie than Wayne, I love the "Wisconsin Death Trip" album and think it only makes sense that it is the standard this album is held against if they are truly trying to be the same band.
The atmosphere has smoothed things over here in a manner that is different than their original legacy. Is it better than the bulk of what Dope does? Yes. "No Hope" is the first song that songs more like Static X. Though the vocals at times follow more the status quo for industrial, which Wayne brought more of a jagged edge to. Six songs in and I am starting to hear this as a decent album for what it is. since it's well done, however, I am not sold on this being called Static X. Since vocals aside you could have another singer come in and this could sound like a White Zombie album, Marilyn Manson album, or a Stabbing Westward album. A great deal of this lies in the guitar not dominating the mix.
"Tone" finds Edsel making more of an attempt to follow Static's style, but with only half the balls. The guitars are once again the issue as they need to be more in your face. "Run For Your Life' finds the guitars coming closer to how they should sound, but in the juggling act, the vocals are less focused on their mission statement, despite being produced in a manner more like their older sound. The sad fact about a song like "Dark Place' is the sad boi act is closer to Korn's latter-day emo leanings than anything that might make you grab your shovel. "Disco Otsego" has some familiar sounds and phrases, I can't believe they are letting them do this to them. The Korn comparison might be useful for "From Heaven" but feels like it was left off the "Queen of the Damned " soundtrack. The cover of "Terrible Lie" works pretty well, and makes for a hateful enough machine. The last bonus track also chugs by with a familiar enough feeling to sound fine. I will give this one an 8, if this was not supposed to be Static X and was some new nu-metal revival band I would not hold it to such a high standard.
We have reached the top 10 of our Top 40 Nu-Metal albums, harder choices were made as the sense of nostalgia carried for certain albums from this era was shed. These are the forty albums from the genre that have best stood the test of time. We have not leaned too heavily on any one band, These are not the album with singles that got the most plays from Carson Daily or sold the most units back in the day when bands sold albums, but the ones with the best songs. Popularity means nothing, as sheep will just follow the leader. I am also not just limiting it to the mid to late 90s. There are plenty of nu-metal albums released recently that got right what bands before them did not catch onto, as well as a few that preceded the label of nu-metal.
Don’t be quick to break out the cardboard just yet, as album that relied solely on rapping are in the minority, as they all ended up sounding like what the Beastie Boys did on “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun”, and if your entire career can not exceed the dynamic range of a single Beastie Boys album, then chances are you are not the best of any genre. I also am standing fast by the metal part, this meant excluding a few great albums by bands who were more post-hardcore or even just intense rock albums that were not metal. Don’t expect to see the Beastie Boys on here either, if you can’t understand they don’t belong on a metal list, then it’s time to drown yourself in the next convenient body of water you can find. With that let’s dig into our Top 40 nu-metal albums.
10--Mudvayne- "LD 50"
These mutants took everything that worked with nu-metal and infused it with actual metal, then dropped a bunch of acid and the result was this. The first time I heard this band was right when this album came out and they were opening up for Kittie. They blew Kittie off the stage, total annihilation so rather than put Kittie on this list it makes more sense to put the band who destroyed them.
9-Glassjaw- "Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence" 2000
This band fell closer to post -hardcore and had enough hooky emotional catharsis to cross over into nu-metal. The often spastic songs are sharpened by witty lyrics that might have gotten the band cancelled if they came out even five or six years ago.
8- Slipknot -"All Hope is Gone" 2008
You might be surprised these guys are not higher on the list, as well as surprised that it is not the album from this band that made it here, we can safely assume you thought it was going to be one of the first two albums here. I coming to my conclusion which album it should be I went back and reviewed all their earlier albums, and by clicking around you can find those reviews that will tell you why this is the album that belongs here, and it comes down to best songwriting.
7- Code Orange- "Underneath"
These guys did not come out and say they wanted to bring nu-metal back when they wrote this album. Instead they took industrial influence and wrote dark grooving heavy music which belongs in the same sonic zip-code as nu-metal but without any preconceived notions aside from catharsis which is what makes the album so great as well as belonging on this list.
6-Static X- "Wisconsin Death Trip" 1999
This album was original ranked lower on this list in earlier drafts, but when taking a hard look at what albums I find myself returning to consistently over the years this is one of them thanks to songs like "I'm With Stupid" and "Love Dump". It is just infectious writing which is why they are still dragging the remains of this band about on the road long after Wayne Static's death, because the music lives on.
5-Marilyn Manson - "the Golden Age of Grotesque" 2003
You might wonder why "Anti-Christ Superstar" is not the album on this list. To tell the truth it really did not do much for me, if felt like he leaned to heavily on Trent Reznor. This one has more explosive dynamics and thicker grooves, with lyrics that feel like the show who he is as a person rather than a role he is playing, I can respect that as I want my rock stars to be like post - apocalyptic pirates with nothing but pain and hedonism to give.
4-System of a Down-"Toxicity" 2001
Yeah, I know "Sugar" is not on this album. Moving on, One of the few bands who transcended the confines of the genre to become something more lasting than trend involving big pants and eye liner. This album set that in motion, with grooves that stand shoulder to shoulder with any other metal album, no matter the sub-genre.
3-Korn- "S/T" 1994
The album that set most of this in motion. They took the angst of grunge and gave it Freudian issues. When this album came out the low tuned thump of the guitar felt like if Primus was as angry as a hard core band, but with severe depression that was causing them to lash out like this. At the end of the day when you listen to the songs they hold up, and take me back to when this album came out which was a darker place as well.
2- deftones - "Around the Fur"1997
This is the album where Chino really found his voice, that would go on to propel the rest of their career. "Adrenaline" played it closer to what Korn did and this album abandons the hip-hop influence, so that factors in when it comes to making it stand the test of time and sound less dated than their debut.
1- Faith No More -"Angel Dust" 1992
If you posed the question of what is the best nu-metal album to any of the bands on this list, after the finished explaining that they were not nu-metal they would tell you it was "Angel Dust" , though this album came out before the label of nu-metal was a thing. It very clear where bands like Deftones , Slipknot, System of a Down and Korn all pulled inspiration from this if it is not clear by the second song "Caffeine" then you don't want to hear it .
