The golden age of nu metal happened to coincide with the CD-era apex of the movie soundtrack album, when the 80-minute playback capacities and a ravenous, 90s-economy consumer base had record companies and film studios shaking hands over deals that would see wild tracklists hitting the shelves that were of a breed that, short of a Black Panther here or a Twilightthere, have rarely been seen again.
Thanks to nu metal’s hand-in-glove relationship to horror aesthetics, most of the great nu metal soundtracks naturally come from horror films; unfortunately, given the creative trough that mainstream horror was wallowing in during nu metal’s imperial phase, most of these movies are duck piss. Not that it matters—it’s Halloweentime, so, fuck it, we embrace. Put on your favorite clown mask and find a keg to torture however you see fit—here’s a little guide to the best nu metal horror movie soundtracks you can almost certainly find on CD for $2 at a thrift store near you.
Queen Of The Damned (2002) – Producer Jonathan Davis
This is the central text of this little corner of the nu metal world. With Jonathan Davis tapped to produce the soundtrack (as well as briefly appearing in the movie as a ticket scalper), the soundtrack features five original songs by the Korn frontman, as well as a nu metal all-stars tracklist featuring Deftones, Disturbed, Static-X, and Papa Roach. Due to contract issues, Davis was not able to perform vocals on the soundtrack versions of his songs (ironic, given that he provides the singing voice for Lestat in the film proper), so he instead recruited Wayne Static, Chester Bennington, Jay Gordon of Orgy, Disturbed’s David Draiman, and Marilyn Manson, who all do variations on JD along a backing band that included Munky, Head, and Limp Bizkit’s Sam Rivers, as well as Indian classical vocalist Shenkar and a couple of drummers who once toured with a dude named Frank Zappa.
Aside from a handful of well-known hits (Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness”, Deftones’“Change (In the House of Flies)”, Static-X’s “Deep Freeze” mix of “Cold”), as a listening experience the soundtrack manages to capture perfectly the icy, mechanistic, rave-comedown vibe of both the film itself and aughties Hollywood horror in general, and Davis’ tracks are highlights that show a different side of his writing, backgrounding the groove and grind in favor of unsettling millennial vampire vibes. As far as successful vocal stand-ins for the singular Davis, Static gets the best song, Manson just Mansons, and Bennington convinces that vampirism was his problem all along. If you only listen to one nu metal soundtrack, it should be Spawn—but if you only listen to one nu metal horror soundtrack, make it an appointment with the Queen.
- Josh Rioux
End of Days (1999) – Music Supervisor G. Marq Roswell
If you don't remember the late 90's Schwarzenegger film, "End of Days," you're one of the lucky ones. "End of Days" is a plodding mess of a supernatural thriller that tries to blend religious horror with explosive action but ends up feeling like a bloated, overwrought fever dream. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a tortured ex-cop facing off against the literal devil sounds like it should be campy fun, but instead, it drags along with a dull, incoherent plot, cheesy dialogue, and murky, washed-out visuals that make the movie feel cheap despite its initial, intriguing premise. Schwarzenegger’s attempts at emotional depth fall flat, and Gabriel Byrne's Satan is more of a sleazy caricature than a genuinely terrifying antagonist. With a muddled tone and cringe-worthy attempts at gravitas, "End of Days" was less a battle against evil and more a test of any watcher's patience. It was, however, in the era of filling movie soundtracks with Nu Metal bangers, and for that there's a bit of a silver lining. Featuring tracks such as Camel Song from KoRn, Crushed by Limp Bizkit, Superbeast by Rob Zombie, Nobody's Real by Powerman 5000, Wrong Way by Creed, and Sugar Kane by Sonic Youth (yeah I know they're not nu metal, but I'll take any chance I can to include Sonic Youth), the movie and official soundtrack is dripping with nu metal angst. Often times, the movie adds in original score and the nu metal tracks in tense moments where other thrillers would have silence for greater dramatic impact and tension, but hey, what's more tense than a battle of heaven and hell over some 7 string bounce riffs? Nothing. that's the answer.
- Brandon Durden
Scream 3 (2000) – Music Supervisor Ed Gerrard
Although maybe best-known for using the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds classic “Red Right Hand” as a sort of series-spanning leitmotif, the Scream film series features one of the more consistent runs of soundtrack albums of any horror franchise. While this is maybe the weakest film of the still-running series, the soundtrack is a veritable first wave nu metal jukebox, featuring Creed, Slipknot, Finger Eleven, System of a Down, Sevendust, Godsmack, Coal Chamber, Static-X, Incubus, Powerman 5000, Orgy, and Staind, among others. The downside is that most of these are off-the-shelf hits, leaving the soundtrack little sense of thematic stickiness--and nary a custom remix and only a handful of non-album tracks to be found. Of these, Incubus’ “Crowded Elevator, from their 2000 EP Pardon Me is a highlight, achieving a slinky, almost druggy vibe that feels like they had a night hanging out in Deftones’ hot tub getting second-hand high until their moms came and picked them up. Cave apparently recorded a “Red Right Hand” sequel that plays over the credits, but for some reason they left it off the record. Grab this for the mix-tape quality if you see it, but make a playlist ahead of any Discogs orders.
- Josh Rioux
Freddy Vs. Jason (2003) – Music Consultant Michelle Van Arendonk
The horror heavyweight clash that is Freddy vs. Jason needs a fitting soundtrack, and partnering with the then-white-hot Roadrunner Records is definitely a great way to go. The label provided their own crop of standouts such as Spineshank, Slipknot, and Killswitch Engage, while bringing in contemporaries like Powerman 5000, Mushroomhead, and In Flames to make for a playlist worthy of the two most infamous slashers of our time. Aggressive, confrontational, and ready to pop off in an instant, these songs are heavier than the pit in one's stomach after remembering Brandy calling Freddy a f****t in a sweater.
Some things age like wine, others like Nineties CGI.
On the subject of products of their times, such is the case for this soundtrack as a whole, capturing acts like Stone Sour and Lamb of God in their relative infancies, while veterans such as Type O Negative and Sepultura have their chance to shine and show the kids how it's done. While the film itself endured a decade of development hell, nearly all of the bands here are still going strong, demonstrating the eternal link between horror cinema and heavy music. As the great Morgan McMichaels once said, you can't kill evil that easily.
- Lucia Z. Liner
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) – Music Supervisor Liz Gallacher
I’m not going to pretend I saw any of these after the first, but I will acknowledge that the endurance of this film series, in all its Playstation-overheating, sleepover-ass glory, is very spiritually nu. You gotta hold on to something in this world, and for Milla Jovovich and Paul WS Anderson it’s clearly this shit. Anyway, to the soundtrack.
The first Resident Evil film is a nu metal soundtrack classic of a kind, with Marilyn Manson providing the theme song as well as a handful of originals as something like the Jonathan Davis of that film, and guests like Fear Factory, Static-X, Slipknot, Prodigy, and Coal Chamber (as well as Depeche Mode covering the Stooges!), but it’s worth giving Apocalypsesome shine as well, if only for not inviting Manson back. Slipknot are back with “Vermillion”, but the highlights are rarities like Deftones’ cover of Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur”, and Nine Inch Nails’ Danny Lohner (whose remixes as “Resident Renholdër” pop up across several Resident Evil and Underworld soundtracks, establishing Lohner as a sort of Pennywise figure to these worlds, creeping things up in the background right where you most expect him). Here, he gives Rob Zombie’s “Girl On Fire” a grime-up that takes it from corny stripper-pop to a moody, oily slow-burner. Rounding things out are the Cure, Lacuna Coil, A Perfect Circle, and Massive Attack, which indicates the sleeker, gothier direction this second set takes from the original. This is an overlooked collection, and does a great job of bringing together some reminders of how nu metal was more than just some compressed seven-string bounces and a lineup of the usual suspects, but a dark, moist place where genres went to fester and mutate.
