In a new interview with 95.5 KLOS’s ‘New & Approved’ show, System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian talked about the rise of nu-metal and why glam metal ‘ruined’ the metal music scene.
“Someone asked me recently about being a ‘nu metal’ band. And I have a different outlook on nu metal. It’s not a style. It was an era where bands played heavy music, but did it in another way,” he explained. “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.”
The bassist continued: “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 come 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.”
System Of A Down has been considered a nu-metal band for years. However, Odadjian told Metal Hammer last month that at first, he didn’t like being put in the same group as Korn, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and others, but now he has accepted it. “I never liked being compared to anyone. When they put us in a group, I would always be, like, ‘We’re not nu metal. We’re our own thing.’ Now I’m older and wiser.”
Similar to what bassist thinks about some bands ‘ruining’ the genre, Daron Malakian also suggested that nu-metal was the last great movement to come out of the Los Angeles rock scene. He also noted that it ‘started to lose respect’ once too many bands with similar sounds joined the trend.
