In some metalhead circles it is a grave sin to like nu metal. The opponents of this genre claim that it is simplistic and betrays the metal’s inherent complexity (have they ever heard Black Sabbath’s "Iron Man"?). But metal does not always have to be complex to be good and nu metal is proof positive. Good music is good music no matter the genre. The same is true for bad music. Nu metal may have spawned such inconsistent acts as Limp Bizkit or Disturbed but I always enjoyed most of Korn’s discography (particularly their first 4 releases) and Staind’s "Break The Cycle" or Incubus’ "Make Yourself" I count among some of my favorite albums of the genre’s peak. It is when non-nu metal bands such as Sepultura, Machine Head or Fear Factory went nu-metal where they started to decline in quality. But the genre itself not only produced great music, it continues to do so long after nu metal faded from the charts and minds.

Such is the case with Huntington Beach quintet consisting of Rich Nguyen (vocals), Joe Taback (Guitars), Mike Martin (Guitars), Chris Dorame (bass) and ex-Korn drummer David Silveria. Presented for your consideration are 2 songs which are nu metal, per excellence, that is to say they are both excellent. The 2nd single from their upcoming 2020 debut EP, "Hesitation" may, essentially, be a recalling of Fear Factory’s "Descent" with equal nods to Incubus and Staind, but you can’t deny the quality of construction or its groove dynamics. It is no wonder the video, too, checks all the usual nu metal video marks, but so what and who cares when the music is this good? Less original still, "Pity" has much more of a Korn vibe to it, with Rich, who channeled Brandon Charles Boyd (Incubus) on "Hesitation", here unhasitatingly croons and roars like Jonathan Davis, but, again, the music is too good for me to give a rat’s rear end and Jon Asher and Asher Media Relations have something great on their hands to promote.

BI·AS may not be the most original band out there but they make up for it with superior songwriting and production. I can’t wait for the EP, Jon!

http://www.biasband.com/