In a recent interview with Matt Pinfield on 95.5 KLOS's New & Approved, System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian opened up about the "nu-metal" label that defined an era of heavy music in the late '90s and early 2000s. Speaking on the genre's broad stylistic scope, Odadjian shared his evolving perspective.
"Someone asked me recently about being a 'nü-metal' band," Odadjian explained, "And I have a different outlook on nü-metal. It's not a style. It was an era where bands played heavy music but did it in another way. They didn't do the basic '80s heavy. They mixed rock-metal with something different, whether it be hip-hop, punk rock, eclectic stuff, complicated, progressive stuff, psychedelic prog. People did different things. For example, Deftones had that Portishead vibe that they brought into metal. It's so freaking cool. There's a whole style now — there's a whole Deftones-style music right now popping off on TikTok."
Odadjian acknowledged the genre's fluctuating reputation over time, adding, "If you think about it, bro, even though we got villainized a little bit — the nu-metal thing was cheesy for a while because every era comes out and it's cool. Then some bands came up that ruined that cool vibe… Heavy metal was great in the '80s. Then these bands came out that kind of ruined it, the cheesier glam metal bands came out. I don't wanna name 'em, but some cheesy bands came out."
Although Odadjian initially resisted being grouped with bands like Korn, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit, he told Metal Hammer last month that age and perspective have softened his stance. "I never liked being compared to anyone," he admitted. "When they put us in a group, I would always be, like, 'We're not nü-metal. We're our own thing.' Now I'm older and wiser."
Reflecting on his friendships within the nu-metal scene, Odadjian said: "Those are my bros, man. I made great friends in that community. Touring with these guys and hanging out with them every night, it created some special bonds and I'm proud of that. We're still in that group and that era. You can't compare System or Korn to Static-X. It was an era of doing metal a different way. It was bringing in other elements to metal as a whole and not giving a [expletive]. That's what the kids of today are attracted to and bonding within that genre."
Odadjian likened the diversity within nu-metal to the pioneering spirit of '70s punk rock. "Our era was like that in a different way: we didn't care we were mixing Arabic and Armenian elements with death metal, Korn didn't care that they were mixing in hip-hop, Deftones didn't care they sang like Sade. Static-X added disco… There was such a cool melting pot. You can't deny that it was cool and special, right?"
Nu-metal, with its experimental roots and bold disregard for convention, continues to inspire a new generation of listeners, proving that its legacy is far from fading.
