Creepy Crawl, Cow Killer Wasp [1998, Slam Records]
Just got started on this one but already feel good enough about it to issue a recommendation. One because it’s a solid bit of early-Korn worship by a Japanese band removed enough from the American hype zone to pull it off with sincerity and because you can only get it from Archive.org. How often does that happen? But maybe more than that is it’s a glimpse into another nu-metal scene with zero connection to ours. That’s always fascinating. A whole world of stories, connections and music that we know nothing about. Hopefully I get to track down one of these bands someday to get it down on record.
Epidemic, Epidemic [2002, Elektra]
Clenched fist anthems for prospective divorces is a blight amongst the post-grunge/nu-metal intersection but I also have a soft spot for songs about grown men going through it thus Epidemic’s better tracks have been doing a number on me since I first picked up the album. Plus, it helps when it comes in the context of an album that absolutely tanked. When your vocalist becomes a huge grifter jackass later in life your back catalogue suffers but when the band simply vanishes into the ether the music left behind can take on a certain resonance. I still can’t endorse this whole thing even though I’d really like to, singer Boris Bouma’s proclamations about losing his name on “Make No Mistake” are way over dramatic, but “Walk Away,” “Individual,” and “The Slightest Trace” have hooks deep enough to overcome some of the ugliest FM-radio mixing I’ve ever heard. So, not life changing but maybe just the tonic your sad bus ride to her house needs.
Psiheya, Герой поколения бархат [2001, Kapkan Records]
While maybe not my favorite nu-metal song discovered in 2022, “W.W.W. (Wой Wаленький Wир)” might be the one that blew my mind the most. A mix of gabber kicks and vicious nu-metal breakdowns sounds so obvious it should be everywhere yet I’ve never heard another song like it. The very next song, “Смола,” is nearly its complete opposite, a wanly sung ballad. I suspect this frustration is the entire point but when I don’t speak the language I can’t grasp the subtleties so it just frustrates. That said there are some absolutely great ideas here and I’m certain I just need to spend some more time with it and you should check it out too.