It's 2003. The USA have just invaded Iraq, Boybands are still depressingly relevant and Dewey, the world's first cloned Deer, is born in a Texas University.
Culturally, the world is still yet to embrace Social Media, defining the early part of the 21st Century as a modern time, but still holding onto the quaint restraints of the 90's, huge mobile phones and home PC's, probably named as such because of their size.
Underpinning all of this, like a cockroach to a floorboard was a odd sounding type of rock music, combining heavy, groove centred rifforama type sequences with borrowed techniques from modern hip hop and rap music, from "MC" style deliveries to the noticeable use of DJ Decks and "sratchy" sounds.
This music, known as "Nu Metal" landed in 1994 when Korn brought out their self titled first album, an opus filled with a combination of the aforementioned music topped off with an insight into singer Jonathan Davis's mind, a desolate place filled with paranoia and self loathing.
Anyway, this movement snowballed throughout the late 90's penetrating the minds of kids everywhere already infatuated with Pokemon and WWF, but still harboured enough self respect to avoid S Club 7.
Which is where this leads to me. I was a 10 year old kid fresh from discovering AC/DC and School Of Rock(A film that consolodated my adoration for all the Rock 'N Roll cliche's, including wearing top hats and rolling around the floor like Angus Young) I stumbled upon "Numb" on Kerrang Radio and immediately fell in love with the melodic, deep chorus against the sound of a gut wrenchingly heavy guitar.
I loved the simplicity of it. From the 30 second intro that leads to fist pumping "Don't Stay", to the soul searching sounds of "Somewhere I Belong" and "From The Inside", I was hooked.
For me, a naive and budding Rock fan, it molded the deliciously easy-to-hum riffs of AC/DC with the age old concept of a repeatable and relatable chorus. It connected to my soon-to-be teenage angst and gave me a t-shirt to wear, an album to stand by and a love to pursue.
The one song that hit me hard apart from the introductory "Numb" was percussion powered rock-club anthem "Faint". The almost Superman style synths, the air drumming awesomeness of the beats, and the powerful chorus making an appearance once again, it was a combination of the things I wanted to hear, I just hadn't heard them before.
It was the first album I bought, and had a profound effect on my tastes, and still to certain extent colours my perspective.
Everytime Kerrang TV put on a "Nu Metal" countdown, or someone mentions Lnkin Park, Korn or Limp Bizkit in conversation, or I'm flicking through my ipod, and those synths hit; the 10 year old inside me smiles.
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