5 metal débuts you never knew existed... ~ INTRAVENOUS MAGAZINE: Your daily dose of darkness...

....or maybe you do!

If you are anything like me, you'll love a number of bands to an extent that you will try and find everything they have made. Some of these artists may have had some pretty big releases in their career, but the humble beginnings can surprise you.

1) Nine Inch Nails - 'Purest Feeling'
Back in the 80's a young Micheal Trent Reznor was making a sturdy living as a backing musician for forgettable bands and working as a technician at the Right Track studio in Cleveland. In November of 1988 he recorded this first record as NIN 'Purest Feeling'. With the 80's style and synth still in place, 'Purest Feeling' is a great demo for any level of fan. Showing lighter original versions of 'Sanctified', 'Thats what I get' and 'The Only Time' (as well was the original and superior version of 'Ringerfinger' known as 'Twist') the album also features tracks 'Maybe just once' and 'Purest feeling'.The album was released in 1994 and has been flowing through the web ever since.

2) Slipknot - 'Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat.'

Starting out in 1995, Slipknot were a far cry to the masquerade misfits you see today. Original singer Anders Colsefni inspired the idea of wearing masks by wrapping black tape around his face while on stage, and when plans came to make their first album they worked their socks off for seven months. More experimental than the bands' 1999 classic, 'M.F.K.R' features a darker less crowd pleasing set of songs, although featuring a demo version of 'Tattered and Torn'. It was given a 1,000 copy issue and has been bootlegged and downloaded throughout the fanbase. According to sources, in 2003 it was announced that no members of the band own the album!

3) Hybrid Theory - 'Linkin Park EP'

Released when Chester and the crew went by 'Hybrid Theory', the EP was originally funded by Zomba recordings, the band plugged the hell out of it when sales were low. Showering chat rooms with the release and giving it to anyone who expressed interest, a street team soon developed online. With tracks like 'High Voltage' and 'Carousel' it is pretty clear that from the start the band had talent (even if they seem to have lost their way in later years) and 'Step up' is by far the stand out track.

The street team expanded and in 2001 the band released the EP as the first ever 'LP Underground' fan CD. It included two bonus tracks and a remastered piece. Some of the songs were re-recorded as b-sides for the singles off their first album 'Hybrid Theory'.

4) Papa Roach - 'Potatoes for Christmas'

Papa Roach have become rather big since their album 'Infest' back in 2000, but by the time it came out they had been fighting for success for 7 years. Starting as a high school band back in 93' the group named themselves after Coby Dicks step-grandfather and released 'Potatoes for Christmas' in 94'. The EP itself is very rough, with a punk edge mixed with a little grunge (as was the style at the time), with songs like 'Coffee thoughts' and 'Cheese-z-fux' are nothing like the nu-metal of the 21st century, but still keeps it's charm. They produced their first album in 1997, all the while supporting the likes of Static X and Snot. The EP was re-released much to the bands' distaste as they were getting nothing from the sales.

5) Korn - 'Neidermayer's Mind'

Helmed as one of the first nu-metal bands, Korn started out in the early 90's and pretty soon got interest from their début album, but before that a cassette EP surfaced with four4 demo tracks, all of which would end up turning up in later releases. Shorter versions of 'Daddy' and 'Blind' appear on this EP, as well as 'Alive', which would later be scrapped and re-worked into 'Need To', although 'Alive' would then re-appear a decade later on 'Take a look in the mirror'. For old school fans missing the original sound of the band, 'Neidermayer's Mind' is a must have.