Time goes by and people grow up and change. It’s not a secret that it’s impossible to remain unchanged and do the same things during the whole lifetime. That’s what I was thinking about when felt nostalgic the other day and fished my old nu metal recordings out of the closet. If you are a kid of 80s, you should doubtlessly remember them: Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Deftones and many other bands that were the only fellows to understand your fragile teenage soul. Taking a look at what these bands are today, you can easily find lots of differences.
1.Linkin Park: From The Face Beneath The Skin To Global Problems
They say that if someone is concerned about the whole world, he/she doesn’t actually care about anyone except himself/herself. We all remember junky Chester and crazy Mike singing about their inner demons, anger, pain and searches of meaning. Today, they seem to be concerned about hungry kids in Zimbabwe more than about their personal issues. That’s very good, but somehow I don’t believe them anymore, although their unique sound remains a model to follow. Nonetheless, their polished sound scares me a little bit.
2. Korn: From Psycho ‘Fag**t’ To Dubstep Daddy
It’s not a secret that Jonathan Davis’ tough teenage years had a significant impact on the image of a band. Depression, hang-ups, fear and anger – that’s what made their music so close to me back these days. But Jonathan & Co have grown up and realized that these things are not actual for them any longer and started searching for a new sound. It resulted in Jonathan’s playing dubstep tracks in the clubs. Although dubstep is not really a type of music I listen in the car, I see that this guy is really passionate about it. So, let it be I guess…
3. P.O.D – Goodbye Dreadlocks, Hello Jah
So, with Sony’s all-time visit card, the band has lost its habitual sound. The last album sounds perfectly reggae, and I’m actually okay with that as long as the themes of God and faith were typical for them before. Thus, they sound pretty organic, but to be honest, their last album made me a bit…sleepy.
4. Papa Roach: From Fatty Guy Next Door To Glam, Studs, And Eyeliner
Jackoby Shaddix was my hero when I was a teenager, that’s why it was so painful to watch him metamorphosing into some sort of Thai transsexual. I loved good old Coby: overweight, messy and wearing his usual black clothes and Originals by Adidas. He was real. He was sincere. He was like me. Today, I see a poor parody of glam rock of 60s and hear a perfectly polished songs that bear a little bit more meaning that those performed by Justin Bieber. Come back to us, Coby! Pleeease!
Well, sometimes I ask myself a question: ‘When is a proper time for a band to leave?’ And where’s the line between ‘losing myself’ and ‘searching for myself’? Hopefully, these guys’ metamorphoses are the results of searching for their new selves and not the fear of losing the prime source of income.
