Part X
While the hype around Seattle was continually growing, a unique musician named Trent Reznor, the brains behind Nine Inch Nails, took the spotlight increasingly as he revolutionized industrial metal through his angry, hateful lyrics. Impelled heavily by tracks like "Head Like A Hole," "Broken," and "Closer," alongside a memorable performance at the unmemorable second Woodstock Festival, Reznor achieved quite a household name through the years. Meanwhile, far away from the fickle support of MTV and the music media and embedded in the underground, a band called Fear Factory was meshing the mechanical sounds of industrial metal with the roughness of death metal and creating a bleak and intense vein of industrial metal that would later gain considerable momentum. Thus the seeds for the incoming waves of industrial-influenced artists were sown and would later prove to be quite influential.
Also amidst the reigning alternative scene, Primus and Ugly Kid Joe had quite important stints of brilliance. Primus, which's lineup included Larry LaLonde, formerly a member of Possessed, was perhaps the most eccentric of the alternative metal roster. Les Claypool's nasal whines and often funky and catchy bass runs, coupled with Tim Alexander's manic rhythms, were sometimes called the "parallel universe" version of Rush. Musical excellence is still quite fluent within the unit, and the group's songs are quirky and extremely unique. Ugly Kid Joe, meanwhile, enjoyed two short flashes of fame, only to have its popularity fall afterwards like a bomb. On albums like As Ugly as They Wanna Be and America's Least Wanted, the band's members provided the world with energetic funk metal outings. Additionally, previous to and during Ugly Kid Joe's efforts, the relatively unknown Kingofthehill, 24-7 Spyz, Infectious Grooves (derived from the Suicidal Tendencies line-up), and White Trash would constitute the underground backbone of the scene, while Mordred created interesting and groundbreaking mixtures of thrash and funk. Meanwhile, the funky pop metal of Extreme garnered the genre, which had begun its growth during the Seventies with bands like Deep Purple during David Coverdale's stint, considerable repute. The roadworthy veterans Red Hot Chili Peppers were also vital in the popularization of the trend, especially after their hit song "Under the Bridge" played on every radio station imaginable to mankind, and still enjoy a stellar status as, arguably, the strongest exponent of funk metal ever.
