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Is Buckcherry nu-metal? No. Are they even nu-metal-adjacent? Not really. Lead singer Josh Todd was really close to being in Velvet Revolver and that's a lot of what this album feels like: slightly elevated "bar band" music that got popular because hey, sometimes crazy bitches just want to hear songs about themselves (according to the band, anyway). This album reaches massive heights but we are more fascinated with Todd, who appears to be a really good guy, who doesn't appear to take himself too seriously, and who decided to go all in on rock 'n' roll without really having too many interesting ideas about exactly how to do it. And weirdly, Bryan kinda likes it. If you want to hear some other stuff Bryan liked (and lots he did not), why not join our Patreon? You'll get three new bonus episodes every single month AND immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 300 episodes. Last month, our pal Myles Anderson joined us to break down Filter's "Title of Record", where we get introduced to a much worse character than Josh Todd (Richard Patrick) and Myles tells us about doing comedy on emo cruises. It's just $4/month and you can join today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

Papa Roach make it very clear that they were not interested in riding the nu-metal wave after the massive success that was their previous album, "Infest". Unfortunately for them, it was only 2002. Nu-metal wasn't completely dead yet, and the problem with predicting the death knell of a genre is that even if you're right and you pivot, you have to have something to pivot TO. It's probably not this, a collection of songs that plays more like a sampler platter of directions Papa Roach COULD go, but they're reluctant to pick one, and none of them are a winner. It's one of the more pointed sophomore slumps in a genre full of them, and the putrid album cover didn't really help anyone want to pick it up and listen to it either. That said, the articles are a fascinating look into P-Roach's mind state at the time, and later, and a few of the songs still bang. One of the more fascinating albums we've ever covered. If you want to hear us cover more fascinating albums, why not donate to the Patreon? For the low price of $4/month, you'll get access to three brand-new bonus episodes every month, including last month where we had our friend Cran on to discuss Lamb of God's live effort, "Killadelphia". You also get immediate access to our back catalogue of over 200 bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and you can tell us what to cover for an episode! Check it out today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

Yes, there were more bald-faced attempts made by hip-hop artists to join the nu-metal wave, whether it was on the soundtrack that arguably started nu-metal (Judgment Night), whether it was guesting on a track with a nu-metal artist (Ice Cube) or whether it was doing a full nu-metal EP as an add-on to your regular album (Cypress Hill). But SPIRITUALLY, no one tried harder to tap into the nu-metal zeitgeist than Eminem on this, his second record and major label debut, The Slim Shady LP. From the monster hits to the threats of violence and drug use, this thing was laser-aimed at the same audience that liked nu-metal: suburban white kids whose problems weren't that big, but it felt like they were. Eminem creates a mythos on the record, in interviews, and the album feels like a true tentpole of an era, which we get into here. If you want to hear more about tentpoles of the era, why not donate to our Patreon? For just $4/month, you'll get 3 brand-new bonus episodes every month, immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes, access to our Discord, and MORE! Last month, Tegan Verheul returned to review the "House of Wax" OST and a great time was had. Don't miss out, support the show today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

John finally snares his white whale as he promised not to listen to this full album despite loving "Downfall" for two decades until it won a Poll. It won a Poll, and surprise surprise, he loves it. Bryan, however, does not. Ultimately we settle somewhere in the middle overall, as the album is extremely competent but came out at a time where all the heavy stuff was flattened a bit, and it may be to the album's detriment. We also discover through interviews that these guys didn't have a ton to say, which probably informs some of the lyrics, which also don't say a lot. All that is to say, nu-metal was in a weird place in 2002 and this episode covers an awful lot of it. You know where else we cover an awful lot of nu-metal? Our Patreon! We do three brand-new bonus episodes every single month including last month when Branson Reese joined the show for the first time to discuss Liquid Gang's "Sunshine"! It was a blast. You'll also get access to our entire back catalogue of bonus episodes that totals over 200, you'll get access to our Discord, and MORE! Check it out today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

How do you follow up selling roughly 16m copies of each of your last two records while dealing with your guitarist leaving the band and nu-metal collapsing? You release whatever this is, Limp Bizkit's 4th studio album and easily their worst, as Fred Durst is allowed to act on all of his worst instincts and the results, indeed, vary wildly. He runs a nationwide "contest" to hire a guitarist then hires his buddy from Snot who he then fires and tries to play most of the guitar parts himself. He sings WAY more than he should. He does his laziest rap song ever. He covers The Who, badly. There's an awful lot going on here, and we dig into all of it. At least if nothing else, it made both Fred and Wes realize they need each other, for better or for worse. If you want your life to get better, why not donate to our Patreon? For just $4/month, you'll get 3 bonus episodes every single month, including last month, where comedian Adam Christie rejoined us to discuss Disciple's "Disciple", a Christian nu-metal album 7 years too late. You'll also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes, you'll get access to our Discord, and you can tell us what to do for an episode. It's the best deal in podcasting and it's available only at patreon.com/thepodkast.

Is Creed nu-metal? Probably not. But it didn't stop them from putting out what is either a post-grunge album three years too late or a buttrock album about five years too early. Yes, this album somehow came out in 1997 (a fact so improbable Bryan says it came out in the 2000s multiple times during the episode), and it somehow sold six million American copies! That despite being largely devoid of hooks and hits, Scott Stapp doing a poor man's Eddie Vedder for 60 straight minutes, and the production sounding like garbage. But hey, at least Creed were awesome dudes everyone loved! Just kidding. The Spin profile we read in this episode has to be heard to be believed. In the immortal words of Arizona Cardinals' head coach Dennis Green, "they are who we thought they were". And yes, our bonus content is exactly what you think it is: more unbelievably honest reviews of nu-metal music from your two favorite dudes. For just $4/month, you'll get access to THREE new reviews every month, plus access to our entire back catalogue of bonuses, which totals over 200 episodes. You also get access to our Discord and at certain tiers, you can tell us what to cover for a bonus episode. It's the best deal in podcasting, and it's available now at patreon.com/thepodkast.

We've covered four of Korn's "Big Five" album run from 1994-2002, and only one remained, the one that might arguably be their best: "Issues". Jonathan Davis gets sober and decides that Korn should be the new Led Zeppelin, and by that he means release an album every year. That lasted for one album ("Untouchables" would take 3 years and 4 million dollars), and it's this one, where they release "Follow the Leader", tour hardcore for a year, and then immediately his the studio for this one. It results in another slew of insanely good singles, a super tight album we both love, and a press cycle that was almost non-existent, as the press had decided they were done with them. No high profile features, poor album reviews, but one great, great album. If you want to hear us talk about more great albums (and let's be honest, lots of bad ones), support our Patreon! It's just $4/month and you'll get three new bonus episodes every month including last month, where Graham Wright from Tokyo Police Club joined us to discuss Reveille's debut album, "Laced". John and Graham grew up in the same Toronto suburb and we have a blast discussing that and the very B-Tier Reveille album. For all of that plus immediate access to our entire back catalogue (over 200 episodes!), join today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

We think the story goes thusly: Kid Rock has some success in circles he did not expect (like Adult Pop radio) with "Only God Knows Why". He also has a lot of success with more nu-metal offerings like "Bawitdaba" and "Cowboy". He knows he cannot release an entire album of "Only God Knows Why"'s. But you know who can? Enter Uncle Kracker, Kid Rock's unassuming and reluctant DJ who has a decent singing voice and can, in fact, release an entire album of country-adjacent and hip-hop-adjacent songs that all hit exactly one note, but that one note leads to "Follow Me", yet another massive crossover hit. Was this album ahead of its time? Did Uncle Kracker even care to make it? We dig into that and much, much more. Also, Bryan got his eyebrow pierced. Twice. If you want to listen to some more episodes that might make YOU want to get your eyebrow pierced, head on over to our Patreon and support the show! For just $4/month, you'll get immediate access to our back catalogue of over 200 bonus episodes, you'll get access to our Discord, and you'll get THREE brand-new bonus episodes every month. Like last month, as Bryan's wrestling podcast cohost Josh Custodio joined us to dissect the short-lived MTV: Icon series and their episode on Metallica. It's a wild ride, and you won't wanna get off of it. Join today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

We dive into Fear Factory for the first time ever on the pod, and this is a concept album: just ask the band members. Or maybe only ask one of them, because if you compare all of their answers, no one is *really* sure what this album is about. What we DO know is that Police 2000 are involved. An album that flirts with nu-metal but never quite gets there, we both agree that Fear Factory would've been better off doing a full Nu turn, because that's when they're at their best. "Edgecrusher" is an all-time Nu song and every song has moments where the band sounds amazing. In between that, it's Burton C. Bell singing pretty badly, some pretty boring guitar parts, a whack of 6-minute songs, and a WHOLE lot of lore that imagines a dystopian world not unlike every dystopia you've ever heard of before, one where...get this...machine begins to rule man. I know, crazy, right? If you wanna get even more crazy, why not donate to the show? For just $4/month you'll get access to THREE brand-new bonus episodes every damn month. Last month, Bryan and John dug into Lil Wayne's rock epic "Rebirth", which is one of the most interesting curios we've ever covered on the show. You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue of bonuses (over 200 episodes), immediate access to our Discord, and at certain Tiers, you can even tell us what to cover for an episode! It's tons of fun and you won't wanna miss out. Join today at patreon.com/thepodkast.

After literal years of trying, one of Bryan's most beloved nu-metal albums, "Strictly Diesel", gets the P.O.D. Kast treatment, and it's probably no surprise that he still loves it...but John loves it too. A true testament of the era, it has all the production quality and heaviness of a late-90s nu-metal album from one of the rare bands that wasn't afraid to say they really liked Korn, Deftones, and Fear Factory, and tried to make an album that borrowed from all of them. We do bemoan the lack of a single on the album in a nu-metal era that demanded singles, and felt like that could've been the one piece the band was missing to truly catapult them to stardom. That and maybe that they admit they were drunk almost all of the time and they certainly were not smart, as Jonny Santos gives us one of the funniest quotes in the show's history. But hey, we love them and we love this album. If you want some more funny stuff, why not head on over to our Patreon? For just $4/month, you'll get 3 new bonus episodes every single month, access to our entire back catalogue of almost 200 episodes, and access to our Discord. It's a great deal! Last month our pal James Hartnett from the Evil Men podcast joined us to discuss a nu-metal soundtrack giant, "End of Days". It was incredible, with exclusive tracks from Korn, Limp Bizkit, Everlast, and uhh, Guns n' Roses for some reason. You won't wanna miss it! Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast to join.

Bryan goes all the way back to 1997 and relives a lot of his friends and himself grappling with the fact that this dance music was hitting very hard but at the end of the day, was still dance music. John, on the other hand, only knew The Prodigy as a band with 100% bangers and a premium place on the absolutely iconic Canadian compilation album, "Big Shiny Tunes 2". It's a lot to unpack for what is ultimately one of the biggest albums we've ever covered that sold multiple millions of copies, went to #1 in an absurd number of countries, and sent two songs to the top of the UK Singles Charts. It was a moment in time, and The Prodigy captured it perfectly, and we try to capture that all here. Plus, we dive in on the 2026 Sonic Temple lineup and poster. If you want to capture more of our content perfectly, why not support the show on Patreon? Head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE brand-new bonus episodes every month. Last month, our good friend Kevin Banner joined us to discuss the very strange album from Swedish proto-Nu band Clawfinger, their 1992 debut "Deaf Dumb Blind". It was WILD, to say the least. Plus, you'll get immediate access to our entire back catalogue, our Discord, and much, much more. Join today!

Last time we covered a Hoobastank album, we learned of the conspiracy theory that they might be the feds. This time, we're wondering if they're Canadian because they seem like very nice, normal, well-adjusted guys, and the lead singer's name is "Doug Robb", which is possibly the most Canadian name of all-time. Regardless, we find ourselves bowing down to the power that is the song "The Reason", one of the all-time great nu-metal-adjacent ballads, and the rest of the album actually isn't half-bad either. We also do our annual peek at the Sick New World lineup which is expanded to two shows this year, and we pay our respects to the departed Sam Rivers. If you want to expand your POD Kast consumption, you can do so by supporting the show at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, we had our friend Jarrett Campbell on to review the "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" soundtrack, and it was an absolute blast. You also get immediate access to our entire back catalogue (over 200 episodes!) and access to our Discord. Why wait?

Dope has titled this album "Felons and Revolutionaries" because they really want you to be invested in the idea they sold drugs to fund the making of it. And I guess because they think they have revolutionary ideas about politics, most of which boil down to "America is bad" and "society is bad and/or crazy". Whether or not they actually sold drugs is up for debate, but we dig into their debut that borrows a lot from Marilyn Manson and would ride the wave of industrial-tinged nu-metal that bands like Static-X, Powerman 5000 and Fear Factory would also surf on. The album isn't bad but the lyrics certainly are as we try to make sense of where they fit then and where they fit now in the overall history of nu-metal. Plus, John finally sees Korn for the first time as Bryan preps to take his co-host of Guys, Chris, to do the same. If you want to donate to the show for the first time, it's very easy! Just head on over to patreon.com/thepodkast and for just $4/month, you'll get access to THREE BRAND NEW bonus episodes every month, plus our entire back catalogue, PLUS access to our Discord, PLUS merch discounts. How neat! Last month, Bryan and John rode solo as we covered Bring Me the Horizon for the first time and we both enjoyed it. Don't miss it!

It's the debut album that leads us to asking the question "are you sure about that?" perhaps more than any other, as we tackle (hed)pe's first record, where they insist they were influenced by G-funk (you sure about that?), use the N-word in their lyrics (you sure about that?), use rampant misogyny in their lyrics to inflame the public because they didn't grow up in the hood (you sure about that?), and Bryan tells us just how often he was having sex to this album back in the day (you sure about that?). That said, we both enjoy this album that finds its way to a nu-metal sound in a way that others don't: by being heavily influenced by skate punk and Sublime. Sure, the lyrics are highly questionable and yes, the production heavily rips off Korn, but it's a true nu-metal artifact in a way that not a lot of albums we cover on this show are. And it's our longest episode ever as we deal with a crazy news month: Aaron Lewis finally learns what "Born in the USA" is about, we do a mini-review of the new Deftones album "Private Music", and a guy jacks off at a Korn show. If you wanna jack off to more nu-metal content (weird segue but honestly we can't stop you), head on over to our Patreon and support the show! It's just $4/month at patreon.com/thepodkast and you'll get THREE bonus episodes every single month! Last month, we had our friend Libby Watson on to review a mix of $UICIDEBOY$ songs that left us shaking our heads for many different reasons. You'll also get access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes and access to our Discord, which is a ton of fun. Join today!

As we know, nu-metal is not exactly a genre filled with smart guys. But as far as dumb guys in the scene go, Jared Leto might take the cake. A man who sure has a lot of ideas about space, life, and the human struggle, this debut album has potentially the most insane lyrics we've ever heard and the interviews back up all the insanity. We aren't sure if Jared Leto has ever had a cohesive thought in his life, but he sure believes he has, and ultimately, that's what counts. The music surprises us by being not that terrible, but that was probably inevitable given it was produced by Bob Ezrin and given a ton of major label backing. But don't worry, the guys in the band actually started this whole thing with slow and steady growth, and it's the only reason they got popular. Their movie star lead singer had no impact on their first tour being in arenas. Nope, not at all. It's an album tailor-made for the show. We cover a lot of other albums tailor-made for the show too over on our Patreon at patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. Last month, we had our friend Riviera from the Nu-Metal Agenda on to discuss 12 Stones' debut album "12 Stones", which is a Christian Rock album that absolutely sounds like a Christian Rock album. It's a lot of fun. You also get instant access to our entire back catalogue of over 200 episodes, and access to our Discord. So help support the show and join today!