{"id":606348,"date":"2026-04-25T22:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/606348\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T22:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:07:12","slug":"the-10-craziest-ass-nu-metal-moments-in-pitchfork-media-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/606348\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Craziest Ass Nu Metal Moments in Pitchfork Media History"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is any one thing about me even lamer than loving nu metal it\u2019s this: being a completely sincere, unabashed, lifelong devotee of hipster indie bible Pitchfork<\/a>, so sincere that I attempted to throw a party dedicated to it mere months ago<\/a> (bombed). My high school years were built around the site. I had an ever expanding playlist of songs that were given positive write ups (some of which I\u2019m pretty sure I and I alone still<\/a> remember<\/a>) and a Lala.com account (that one\u2019s for the really real heads) to download them from. My entire social group discussed and dissected the weekday reviews as if we were war correspondents while spending the year looking forward to that summer\u2019s Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park from our suburb of Chicago. We were so dedicated that my best friend was front and center in the header image<\/a> for their longform about the 2011 edition (unsure where I am at the time, possibly getting my ass kicked at Odd Future). Nearly every single incredible life changing band, album, song and genre has come to me via the hard work and dedication of Pitchfork Media. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I first saw the scores for Thank Me Later, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and good kid, m.A.A.d city the way normal people remember watching the towers fall on 9\/11. I even lost a close friend during my Junior year in part because he thought \u201cI just liked whatever Pitchfork told me to,\u201d singling out my sudden appreciation for the works of one Lady Gaga (fuck you Miguel, \u201cBad Romance\u201d is a classic they were right<\/a>) as an example.<\/p>\n

So of course I\u2019m a diehard. Of course I check it every single day. I am still finding awesome<\/a> music<\/a> by doing so. And if you clicked those hyperlinks you may have noticed that the former review mentions a particular genre by name quite a few times. And what if I told you the latter was pitched<\/a> with an email invoking a certain<\/a> X: The Everything App account?<\/p>\n

It is truly surreal to watch the one time genre indifferent (but, apologies to One Minute Silence, not as hostile<\/a> as I thought) Pitchfork come<\/a> around<\/a> on the septic taint<\/a> of nu-metal. After a lifetime of following the website I was actually ahead of the curve for once. There were tremors<\/a>, there were warnings<\/a>, but it actually happened. Nu metal isn\u2019t just back, it\u2019s Pitchfork certified<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Certified to such an extent that I can now come up with a list of The 10 Craziest Ass Nu Metal Moments in Pitchfork History. Will it bolster my chances to one Sunday<\/a> award The War of Art<\/a> with a perfect 10.0 review? I am always reachable by email guys. If nothing else I finally get to unload<\/a> every<\/a> single<\/a> positive<\/a> reference<\/a> to nu<\/a> metal<\/a> they\u2019ve ever<\/a> made from my brain, freeing up space for things like simple addition and subtraction again. If you\u2019re anything like me you may have picked up on this not-so-secret obsession a long time ago. Our 100 Greatest Nu Metal Songs<\/a> list is formatted exactly like their original 200 Greatest Songs of the 1990s<\/a>, right down to the swapping of single art with artist portraits for the top 20 entries. The penultimate sentence<\/a> in my declaration that Slipknot is the greatest nu metal album of all time was inspired by something Brent DiCrescenzo wrote<\/a> about Sigur Ros\u2019 Agaetis Byrjun in June of 1999, the same month Slipknot was originally released (and, I assure you, that is not the first or last time I have paraphrased<\/a> something<\/a> from a Pitchfork review). There is more to this than simple fandom, I set out to format our nu metal coverage the way Pitchfork covers more respectable genres in order to siphon some of that prestige. If they wouldn\u2019t give us the time of day then I\u2019d take it from them. Now that they actually are giving us the time of day, now is the time to give some back. So, here you go. Gauge that ear, grow that mustache<\/a>, and brace yourself for The 10 Craziest Ass Nu Metal Moments in Pitchfork Media History:<\/p>\n

\"\"Tweet by Crazy Ass Moments in Nu Metal History Cited in Review of We\u2019re Not Here to Be Loved by Fleshwater<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t take long to jam my ass in here, did it?? This isn\u2019t even the first time I\u2019ve been referenced in Pitchfork, I\u2019m credited by name<\/a> as the photographer for a 2015 \u2018Rising\u2019 profile on Chicago bop rappers Sicko Mobb (I\u2019ll figure out how to dump that lore<\/a> someday), but when yours truly got to bolster the theory that Bjork could have been the queen of nu metal<\/a> in 2022 you better believe I hit the ceiling. The author of that review, by the way? Still on the beat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jayson Green Tries to Make Sense Of Our Most Lamentable Plague<\/p>\n

Jayson Greene, a brilliant writer, is responsible for both my single all time favorite piece of music analysis<\/a> and an incredible book<\/a> that has at least four passages that will live with me for the rest of my life. He also, in 2017<\/a>, did his best to come to terms with how nu-metal was suddenly back in vogue and spared no mercy for our genre in the process; calling it \u201ca white-hot nexus of male ugliness and danger,\u201d \u201ca lamentable plague that overtook the earth,\u201d and that fans either \u201cdistance [themselves] vigorously from such efforts now or have learned to adjust to life as a walking joke.\u201d (Ow…) Somehow the great minds at Gamefaq forums figured this to be an article “praising<\/a>” nu metal? I just read the whole thing for the first time since it was published and suddenly feel the need to go lie down for an hour. Or call some kind of hotline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All this in service of a supposed rap rock revival then spearheaded by the likes of Lil Peep and Xxxtentacion and which seemed to have expired once they did. If he thought that was going to be the end of it I shudder to imagine his take on what\u2019s happening now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Korn Declared \u2018Underrated\u2019 by 100 gecs<\/p>\n

Laura Les of 100 gecs doesn\u2019t just agree with Dylan Brady that Korn is underrated, she also asserts it \u201cneeds no explanation\u201d (news to me!). \u201cGo in with an open heart and an open mind and accept Korn into your life,\u201d Les proclaims. Amen to that.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cheem Mentioned<\/p>\n

This was a huge deal. Not only did Pitchfork review Cheem\u2019s 2022 joynuke Guilty Pleasure, they liked it<\/a>. Theirs was the first new nu metal band I fell in love with, I hadn\u2019t even been formally laid off from my job yet, I was still posting about them from the office, so when this interview hit it felt like everything might turn out okay after all. Yes, author Nina Corcoran did refer to the album\u2019s turntable breaks as \u201cdated squeaks<\/a>\u201d but better to be fighting in the arena than observing from the stands. <\/p>\n

You didn\u2019t ask; nobody asked; nobody will ever ask; but Guilty Pleasure is an 8.4, possessing the same breakout enthusiasm as other<\/a> albums<\/a> that have achieved such a number. What\u2019s bittersweet is if Pitchfork had dared to assign this rating Cheem might have been able to become instant contenders<\/a>, freeing them from their own day jobs overnight. But the days of p4k eagerly championing young guitar bands straight out of the gate are long gone (you gotta earn<\/a> it<\/a> now) and a nonetheless flattering score of 6.9 (ah-ha-ha) was granted instead. It still gifted them enough clout to diss fans on wax<\/a> that only got hip after they did. Did I mention the band believes<\/a> my Twitter endorsement<\/a> might be what made this possible? I\u2019m far from being god but I work god damn hard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Original Review for Deftones Self Titled Replaced by Inscrutable Collection of Hatemail<\/p>\n

I miss the gimmick<\/a> review<\/a>. Before everything this website published would be matters of life or death<\/a> for vulnerable artists, the writing staff felt more empowered to get weird on occasion. This produced some eternal bangers<\/a> and some serious(ly funny) misfires<\/a>. One of those misfires was their review of Deftones<\/a>\u2019 2003 self-titled release, which would be the site\u2019s only notice of the legendary group until Ian Cohen (Ian if you’re reading this quit while you’re ahead) would rescue them with a surprisingly positive take on 2016\u2019s Gore<\/a>. Slapping Deftones a withering 4.7, the review as it stands today is a collection of actual emails the site received after their original review was published. That original review<\/a> is no longer online and I cannot find it. As such, I have no way of knowing what exactly compelled these readers to such anger<\/a> but it is maybe the only time Deftones, Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Staind, The Smiths and Single Frame (thanks for the tip<\/a>) have ever been on the same page. (p.s. Tomas Jurgen, I may not respect how you said<\/a> it but I respect you for saying it regardless).\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cFreak On A Leash\u201d Declared 234th Greatest Song of the 1990s<\/p>\n

If you had told 12th grade me, the same me that was in the process of having my entire musical database reprogrammed by their original<\/a> list, one day Pitchfork would assert that \u201cFreak on a Leash\u201d could be better<\/a> than songs by Jay-Z, The Dismemberment Plan and Fugazi I wouldn\u2019t have believed you. If you had followed that by informing me the very same website would also declare \u201cBelieve\u201d by Cher to be just a touch superior<\/a> to \u201cParanoid Android\u201d I might have renounced indie and evolved into my nu metal final form right then, reviving the genre ten years ahead of schedule. You would only know what you hath wrought when, upon returning to the present day and checking Twitter you are alerted to President Fred Durst\u2019s latest attempt to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

\"\"Brent DiCrenzo Enjoys Korn, Writes Concept Review About The Shame of Enjoying Korn<\/p>\n

I remember originally seeing this before it was wiped from the website during my freshman year high school computer class where I was first having my brain pitched and forked. It was the kind of \u2018huh, wuh?\u2019 moment that one may have misremembered – like for years I was convinced \u201cBeautiful Day\u201d by U2 had made their 500 Greatest Songs of the 2000s list when it very much had not – but no, this one is real<\/a>. They reviewed a Korn album, when it was released, and enjoyed it. The sheer trauma of that realization forced the esteemed<\/a>(-ish<\/a>) Brent DiCrescenzo to write an entire review built around seeing a priest to confess to the sin of enjoying Korn. Whatever nu metal affections DiCrescenzo had would be understandably obliterated a few years later when he was assigned the workers-comp worthy task of reviewing Metallica\u2019s St Anger. I know I\u2019m the CEO of Nu Metal but if you got anything wrong about that one, Brent, you may have overrated<\/a> it a little.<\/p>\n

\"\"Thundercat Declares Slipknot to be His Favorite Album of the Last 25 Years<\/p>\n

In 2021, renowned jazz bassist Thundercat declared that his favorite album<\/a> of the last two and half decades was the \u201cbury yo\u2019 ass with the chrome straight to the dome<\/a>\u201d one. You heard me right. I didn’t stutter. This was somebody who had recently collaborated with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins<\/a>, not to mention contributed to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s universally acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly. Surrounded on all sides by far more dignified selections, there was nothing to suggest Slipknot would have resonated so sincerely for him. Thundercat, if you\u2019re reading this, I know Korn could use<\/a> a permanent bassist right now. Can you even imagine what kind of transcendental nu metal magic may ensue? Just think about it<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"\"Ian Cohen Reviews Deftones\u2019 White Pony\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the same way Ross Robinson is the godfather of nu metal, Ian Cohen is the godfather of The Nu Metal Agenda. He first inspired me to give Around the Fur a shot (didn\u2019t take) way back in 2013 when he reviewed Balance and Composure’s \u201cReflection,\u201d comparing it positively<\/a> (!) to songs like \u201cBe Quiet and Drive (Far Away)\u201d and \u201cCrawling\u201d by Linkin Park, calling it, \u201ca total irony-free zone, four cathartic minutes of gorgeous, weapons-grade embarrassment rock.\u201d In my heart of hearts I know now that by \u2018embarrassment rock\u2019 he meant nu metal. When he circled back<\/a> on the genre four years later I will never forget where I was (Los Angeles), how I felt (miserable) and what I was doing (reading Pitchfork). The score loaded up on my laptop, an astounding 8.4, and I thought that pathetic pathetic thought that I have thought far too many times in my life: \u201cOh my god<\/a>, I\u2019m allowed to like this now.\u201d <\/p>\n

Look, if the music gets to you it gets to you. Yes, I had to wait for my lord and savior Ryan Schriber to grant me permission to love Deftones but he did. And I did. And here we are. Suddenly, it all made sense. \u201c[DJ Frank] Delgado was instrumental in the world-building of White Pony\u201d Cohen imparted and I simply had to agree. \u201cFor all of the legitimate criticism of nu-metal […] there was always a rather blatant, though underlying classism that often came with it.\u201d Yes of course, of course there was I knew it, I always knew it. This album which slid right off of me years earlier now sounded like I had picked a copy up on release day. Even if he didn\u2019t spare such kind words<\/a> for the rest of the genre I was too intoxicated to stop now, I quickly added Life is Peachy to my Apple Music library. It didn\u2019t last, my still beating indie heart rejected the transplant, though I remember being absolutely blown away by second track \u201cChi.\u201d I had no idea nu metal, a nu metal deep cut even, could be that. Be so vicious, so annihilating, so good. It would take a few more years but, after spending those years punching 10 to 12 hour shifts in a hipster friendly office that had bands like Grizzly Bear and LCD Soundsystem looping on the office stereo all day, I\u2019d eventually add it back along with a torrent of other nu-metal albums that no version of Pitchfork would<\/a> ever<\/a> cosign. I was finally free.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

I wish it ended there, I really do. Once The Agenda proper got in motion and my work began on a list of The 100 Greatest Nu Metal Songs of All Time<\/a> I knew I had to get it to him somehow. I could have edited it decently enough on my own but this young writer had been publishing these incredible essays on emo and those essays<\/a> had been picking up attention from certain higher level music journalists\u2026 so I hired them to edit it<\/a> and banked on their involvement getting it onto more prestigious timelines. Is this the only reason I hired them? Absolutely not, fantastic writer, did a great job. Did I correctly ascertain it would be a covert way to start sneaking nu metal sympathies into the more influential members of emo twitter\u2019s bloodstream? Oh hell yes<\/a>. Does that make it less creepy and more straightforwardly machiavellian? God, please<\/a>. <\/p>\n

When we first had Cohen on our podcast in March of 2023<\/a> I was starstruck. And drunk, a calendar mixup had me thinking the interview was the following night so I was getting wrecked with my girlfriend at the time. I will never forget watching his eyebrows creep all the way up his worried forehead as I proceeded to spill my guts with the enthusiasm only four glasses of Moscato can imbue, damning him with the knowledge that his White Pony review was the big bang of The Nu Metal Agenda for all eternity. The rest of the conversation was a blast, boisterous and funny, he even hung in there while I coined \u2018The Cohen Curse,\u2019 rattling off all the emo<\/a> bands<\/a> he would positively<\/a> review<\/a> that would then<\/a> go<\/a> on<\/a> to be canceled<\/a> shortly there<\/a>–after<\/a>. This whole circus comes so full circle that when he reviewed Slipknot for (if this is a horror movie here comes the twist) Pitchfork in 2025 and claimed it was<\/a> \u201chate with no beginning and no end in a style of metal with no nostalgia for the past, no hope for the future\u201d he might have been paraphrasing me<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t caught up in a while outside of the occasional Twitter skirmish<\/a> but I hope he\u2019s proud of us. Couldn\u2019t have done it without him. I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pitchfork Awards Incubus\u2019 S.C.I.E.N.C.E. an 8.7 out of 10<\/p>\n

This happened. This actually happened<\/a>. They scrubbed it from their website as soon as they possibly could but it happened. There was a very real moment there, in the twilight years of those 1990s when it seemed like anything was possible, when Pitchfork Media believed S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus to be exactly<\/a> as good as In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. And you know what Pitchfork? You were\u2026 wrong. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is quite a bit better sorry old indie habits die hard but you were not wrong about S.C.I.E.N.C.E. being a damn fine album in its own right and you should assign someone (DMs always open) to reaffirm that one of these Sundays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If there is any one thing about me even lamer than loving nu metal it\u2019s this: being a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,216],"class_list":["post-606348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}