System of a Down’s Shavo Odadjian Blames “Cheesy Bands” for Ruining Nu Metal
Nu metal’s had a bit of a resurgence in recent years, as bands that were real big in the late 90s and early 2000s have gone on massive nostalgia-fueled tours that draw in young and old fans alike. And while it’s great that we’re getting to see things like Sick New World grow that revitalization, it also sometimes highlights the… lesser known acts that probably should have stayed in the trash heap of history.
One person that’s got opinions on the state of nu metal, both during its heyday and now, is System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian. During a recent appearance on 95.5 KLOS’s “New & Approved” show, he said things were good until certain bands came up to sort of spoil things for everyone.
“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.”
I can certainly name a couple cheesy nu metal bands if Shavo doesn’t want to: Deadsy, Crazy Town, Methods of Mayhem… The list can be long if you want it to be.
Still, Shavo said he looks back on the peak of nu metal with fondness, saying it was more than just music to a lot of people.
“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. 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.”
Just goes to show, man. What’s old can always be new again. You can check out the full interview below.
