The 8 moments that made nu metal

Korn in South Park
Korn in South Park

Nu metal had a multitude of iconic moments that often left the wider world scratching their heads, baffled. We look back at some of the most memorable events of the era.

Metal Hammer line break

David Draiman Makes A Monkey Noise

Don’t even bother rolling your eyes. We’ve all stood there, having drunk 18 pints of snakebite, and given it a full-on “ROOOO AH-AH AH-AH!” on a Friday night. Draiman’s monkey noise is simultaneously one of nu metal’s finest and most ludicrous moments. We bet you’re even reading this now and thinking, “OORAH! OORAH!”

Slipknot Invade TFI Friday

Metallica were great, Faith No More were fantastic but Slipknot’s TFI Friday performance was the stuff of legend. The chaos from the nine masked psychos onstage was only outdone by the 150-odd maniacs in the audience. Two cameramen were dragged from the stage and into the rabid throng. Bet they didn’t get that with Supergrass.

Kid Rock Marries Pamela Anderson

You know the way that Manchester United and Dagenham & Redbridge are more than a couple of leagues away from one another? Yeah. That. The man born Bob Ritchie marrying the ultimate ‘90s pin-up was like seeing a tramp driving a Rolls Royce. It was like watching Dracula sharing a glass of blood with the Twilight vamps. Like… like… like Ronald McDonald getting to eat at Claridge’s. You get the picture.

Sepultura Make A Nu Metal Album

Enough to make a thrash metaller launch his hi-tops off a cliff, Brazilian noise terrorists Sepultura released one of the greatest nu metal albums of all time with 1996’s Roots. Heavy enough to make a Hare Krishna mosh, and with more groove than the cast of That ’70s Show listening to Rick James, Sepultura’s nu metal moment remains one of the best albums of the 90s.

Linkin Park Hook Up With Jay-Z

Some collaborations are doomed to fail – Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson, for example. But when they come off like this star-studded hook-up, it’s a thing of pure awesomeness. The biggest-selling rock band of the 21st century teaming up with one of the biggest-selling rappers of all time? It could only have been more perfect if they’d have called it ‘Mosh The Throne’.

Head Finds Jesus

Drugs are bad, mmkay? After years of burning the candle at both ends with a flamethrower took its toll, Korn man Head traded being the guitarist in one of the most influential metal bands of all time for being baptised by a dude who looked like Billy Gould. Seriously. Check the pictures.

Korn On South Park

Barbra Streisand and Elton John is one thing, but nu metal arrived in Colorado when Korn appeared with Kenny and co. on South Park in 1999. Korn’s Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery depicted the band as Scooby Doo-styled ghost hunters. Rumour has it that Cartman’s Faith +1 were the inspiration for Head finding Jesus…

Crazy Town Sell 200,000 UK Singles

Let this mental fact sink in. Nearly a quarter of a million people in the United Kingdom have paid actual money for music made by Crazy Town. That’s Anfield sold out five times. 200,000 people worked hard for their income, only to spend it on Shifty Shellshock. Our grandparents didn’t fight in the war for this.