ADEMA's TIM FLUCKEY On 'Nu Metal' Tag: 'I Could See Why People Would Put It On Us'

In a recent interview with Flying The Metal Flag, ADEMA guitarist/vocalist Tim Fluckey reflected on some of the challenges his band had faced in the past, particularly as it relates to nu-metal's popularity decline and eventual resurgence. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We always kind of knew, especially with metal history or rock history, some bands can continue on, like the KORNs and the METALLICAs of the world and all that stuff, and have that awesome success, and it's well earned. But then a lot of bands sometimes will have some trials, and sometimes that style of music goes out of favor a little bit for a little while. And we just always kept going, which we love doing it anyway, but we knew if we were still around in 20, 25 years, it'd come back around again, just like everything else."

Asked if he felt, during ADEMA's early years, that the "nu metal" tag was not a fair description of the band's sound, Tim said: "Not really. I could see why people would put it on us. I mean, our lead singer [original ADEMA frontman Marky Chavez] was the half brother of [KORN vocalist Jonathan Davis, from] the biggest band around in that world, and even they [KORN] weren't happy about the 'nu metal' tag. And that was such a weird thing too, because it's like anything else, and we talk about all the time, there was a five-year period where we'd do interviews and people would be, like, 'You're a 'nu metal' band,' and we'd be, like, 'No, we're not. We're just a rock band.' And nobody in 'nu metal' would go near that term. And now we're playing like 'Nu Metal Revival' festivals and 'Nu Metal Revolution'. And so I think people have come around, so that's fine. Call us nu metal. I'm sure the hair metal guys didn't like being called hair metal at the time, but now they're just, like, 'Yeah, we're hair metal, dude. Whatever.'"

Reflecting on why ADEMA was lumped into the "nu metal" movement when the band's sound was different from some of the other groups who were also considered to be part of the genre, Tim said: "It's always about the time period. So there's a lot of bands that were lumped in that, nu metal, that you're just, like, 'I don't know if that's what nu metal is.' Nu metal, to me — I don't wanna get in trouble — but nu metal, to me, is, there's a lot more rap elements to it, to me, if you're nu metal. And LIMP BIZKIT is, to me, quintessential nu metal. So, we weren't doing that. We had some, a little bit of that stuff in there, but we were more kind of like… Our band has always been made up of — I was a thrash metal guy growing up, so that's what I brought to the table. And then Mike [Ransom, rhythm guitar] was kind of a grunge guy and Dave [DeRoo, bass] was also… And we all were GUNS N' ROSES guys, and he was like that, but he also liked U2 and DEPECHE MODE, all that stuff. So it was all, to me, an amalgamation of like all those things we liked."

Earlier this month, Tim spoke about the fact that he is now handling vocals for ADEMA after the 2024 departure of Ryan Shuck, who joined the group in 2019. Asked if he always wanted to be the singer in ADEMA or if that's just how it worked out, Fluckey told Australia's Heavy: " No. I did not always wanna do that. I didn't mind doing backup vocals. That was cool. I liked just being over in my guitar world, and doing that and being able to jump around and move around and interact with the crowd that way. And then it just came by necessity. One tour, our singer, we had already… we couldn't find him for days. We already missed a couple of shows and we were, like, 'Are are we gonna get sued?' And so they were, like, 'Can you do it?' I go, 'I'll try.' So literally on the way out to the first show — we never rehearsed with me singing. I was just sitting there playing my guitar and trying to sing along to this stuff. And we went out there… We were, like, 'Let's play three songs without saying a word and see what happens. We'll see how the crowd reacts.' And the first song people were like confused. And the second song they were kind of, like, 'Eh, it's okay.' And then the third song, they were, like, 'Oh, this is fine. This works.' And so never once did anybody say they wanted their money back or said it sucked it our faces. And so it just kind of grew from that. And then Marky did come back for a little while, but then he kind of essentially retired. And then we got offered a tour in 2019 and I was, like, 'Well, let's bring somebody in from our genre.' And then Ryan came in from ORGY and JULIEN-K. But he had another band, so it was always gonna be temporary. So then when it came down to making a decision about moving on, and we were getting offered record deals at the time, so they were, like, 'Do you wanna sing again?' I go, 'Yeah, let's do it. We don't need to bring anybody else in here.'"

Tim continued: "The four of us have been around each other for 25 years, so we can deal with each other. I'm sure it's hard for somebody new to come into that situation. We're not normal dudes. Our band would be boring if it was. I know it's probably hard for people to come in and join that and just be around guys who've been around each other for 25 years."

Asked if he is "fully settled into" the ADEMA frontman role by now, Tim said: "I think so. I think the difference between me back then and me doing it now is I'm a little more confident with the crowd. I just pretty much went to the James Hetfield school of the crowd, and not copying him, but just being like… Some singers get the tendency of saying the same thing in the same spots every night and then kind of maybe homogenizing it a little bit, but I one day just said, 'I'm just gonna say whatever the hell comes to my mind. Who cares what the repercussions are.' I feel a lot more comfortable on stage doing that, and I think people react to that. I think when you're just who you are, people react to that. They don't have to agree with what you're saying, and I'm not political, but I'm just saying that they don't have to like or agree with it, but they can appreciate that you're being yourself."

Fluckey also talked in more detail about the new ADEMA music, which is tentatively due in early 2026 via Cleopatra, saying: "This new stuff, it sounds like ADEMA. It's the original band. It's everybody from the band. And so just through kind of, I'm sure, osmosis, there's gonna be parts where I sound like Marky, our original singer, and then I have my own thing too. But it just sounds like ADEMA now. And so I'm excited about it. The songs are cool, and, like I said, I have a little more confidence probably with what my sound is and what kind of singer I wanna be."

Asked if the new ADEMA material is musically what the band's fans expect at this point or if it's going off in new directions, Tim said: "Yeah. I think it is [what the fans expect]. Obviously it's gonna evolve a little bit, but it's not far from our first two or three records. So, I think ADEMA fans will be into it. Everybody kind of brings their own kind of special thing to the band that made it sound like ADEMA back then, and I think that's back in the band now. I had to change the way I kind of wrote music when Mikey was out of the band. And so now to go back to how I originally wanted to do it and how I'm doing it now, knowing that when I write a part, I can think about, 'Okay, what's he gonna do over it?' 'What's Dave gonna do on bass?' That stuff. 'What's Kris [Kohls] gonna do on drums?' So, that's exciting for us, and hopefully it's exciting for our fans."

In February 2024, ADEMA "abruptly" parted ways with Shuck. A short time later, the remaining members of ADEMA — Fluckey, DeRoo, Kohls and Ransom — posted a message on social media in which they said: "ADEMA has made the decision to move forward without Ryan Shuck. Our plan is to continue on indefinitely as a four-piece, and we sincerely wish Ryan all the best in the future."

In June 2022, ADEMA released a new song, "Violent Principles". It was the follow-up to ADEMA's first single in nearly a decade, "Ready To Die", which came out in August 2021. Both tracks were planned for inclusion on ADEMA's upcoming album, which was tentatively titled "360 Degrees Of Separation".

Chavez first
left ADEMA in 2004 due to "creative differences" after two successful albums, "Adema" and "Unstable". The singer — who is the half brother of KORN frontman Jonathan Davis — quit ADEMA again in January 2011 in order to pursue his "solo project." He rejoined the group again six years later and played his first comeback show with ADEMA in May 2017 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

After Chavez's original exit from ADEMA, the other members of the band found their way with new lead singers Luke Caraccioli and later Bobby Reeves, while Mark founded MIDNIGHT PANIC with his cousin Peter Shubert. He also produced fellow artists.

ADEMA's last official release was 2013's "Topple The Giants" EP. The group's first CD since 2007's "Kill The Headlights" contained brand new tracks plus re-worked versions of ADEMA's chart-topping hits "Giving In" and "Unstable". A three-song EP, "The Cerberus", was sold exclusively on ADEMA's 2023 "Nu Metal Madness 2" tour.