Skip to content
Modern WisdomModern Wisdom

How TikTok Hijacked the Future of Music - Nik Nocturnal

Nik Nocturnal is a musician, YouTuber, and content creator. What is happening in modern metal music? The days of thrash and hair metal dominating culture are long gone, and something entirely new has taken their place. So what defines modern metal, why does it sound so different, and how has the internet changed the music industry forever? Expect to learn how big of an impact TikTok plays in shaping the way modern metal songs are written, which songs are the most influential in modern metal, what Nik thinks of AI-generated music, the most overused trends in metal right now, the tension between making art and making “content” in music, the worst thing about being a YouTube musician and much more… - 0:00 How is TikTok Reshaping Metal Music? 8:24 Is Metal Music Better Than Ever? 17:36 Are We Living in a Golden Age of Metal? 25:39 How Pop Culture Is Reviving Metal 28:28 The Best Metal Songs for Nostalgia 34:55 Is Originality Dead in Music? 41:29 Is There Beef in the Metal Genre? 47:02 Who is Slipknot’s New Drummer? 50:22 How Long Have Kilswitch Engage Been Around? 51:05 Why is Metal Becoming Self-Aware? 54:04 How Hit Songs Are Really Made 58:52 Are Bands Being Engineered for Virality? 01:06:49 The Building Blocks of Nik’s Fast Songwriting 01:16:52 The Hidden Costs of Taking a Break 01:27:06 Why Creators Burn Out So Fast 01:35:51 The Power of the “F*ck You” Pivot 01:40:34 Are Streaming Platforms Exploiting Artists? 01:53:44 How Song DNA is Improving Credits 01:56:16 What’s Next For the Alt Music Scene? 02:08:59 Metal Bands You Shouldn’t Miss 02:16:23 Where to Find Nik - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostNik Nocturnalguest
May 9, 20262h 18mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

TikTok, nostalgia, and virality are rewriting modern metal’s rules

  1. TikTok rewards instant “clip moments” (breakdowns, vocal stunts, drops), pushing bands to write around highlight segments rather than full-song replayability.
  2. Modern metal’s rise is fueled by better production and genre fusion (metal with pop/R&B/shoegaze/electronics), but that same success risks formulaic “Octane-core” sameness.
  3. Nostalgia cycles are accelerating as 2000s-era metalcore/deathcore aesthetics return, with legacy bands (e.g., Bring Me The Horizon) and new acts modernizing old sounds.
  4. The conversation highlights how virality can be engineered via coordinated clip distribution and “trend simulation,” blurring the line between organic discovery and manufactured hype.
  5. Nik details creator burnout and the identity-cost of always-on content, arguing for balance, diversification beyond single platforms, and a “pivot” toward making music with meaning.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Short-form platforms are changing song structure in heavy music.

Nik argues TikTok incentivizes immediate payoff—bands increasingly foreground breakdowns, vocal “gymnastics,” and shock moments so a listener gets the punchline instantly.

Viral moments can boost metal’s reach but weaken timeless songwriting.

Chasing a clip can create hype without replayability; they emphasize the difference between “a moment” and “a great song” that survives outside the meme cycle.

Modern metal’s sound is increasingly production-led, not just riff-led.

They describe today’s workflows as laptop-based, segmented, and sound-design heavy—synth layers on guitars, highly processed drums, and wide mixes are now default expectations.

Genre boundaries are dissolving, raising the ceiling for creativity.

Nik is optimistic about “genreless” alt music where the goal is simply “make a good song,” enabling pop choruses, R&B cadences, shoegaze textures, and extreme breakdowns in one track.

Success also increases incentives for formula and copycat bands.

As heavy music becomes “cool,” labels and marketers can mass-produce similar acts for radio/playlist slots (their shorthand: Octane-core), diluting distinctiveness.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

TikTok, I think, really enforces that, where people will be scrolling, and they'll just hear, like, this crazy noise or breakdown or some dude screaming and doing goblin noises. And it'll be like, "Oh, I want more of this," you know? You instantly get hit with the, the punchline. It's like watching a horror movie and only getting hit with the jump scares.

— Nik Nocturnal

You won't get replayability. You won't get a timelessness of a song, and then it's again, because that becomes more of the focus. The focus is let's create a moment of a, of a song instead of let's make a good song.

— Nik Nocturnal

This is the l- ... This is gonna kill the fucking retention, and I do not care. I do not care at all-

— Chris Williamson

I think it has to do with a lot of things we actually talked about so far... You're kind of parodying yourself.

— Nik Nocturnal

I just wanna write music with you. Why the fuck am I doing this?

— Nik Nocturnal

TikTok and short-form “clip farming”Writing songs from the breakdown backwardReplayability vs meme-moment songs2000s metal nostalgia and revivalsGenre fusion and “baddiecore” aestheticsEngineered virality and “industry plant” discourseCreator burnout, breaks, and identityStreaming economics, label deals, and royaltiesMetadata/credits and Spotify “Song DNA”Octane-core radio formulas vs underground extremesModern production: sound design, synth layering, quad-trackingEmerging micro-genres: thall and hybrid extremes

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.

Add to Chrome