It’s no exaggeration thatmetalhas one of the most notoriously difficult-to-impress fanbases across all ofmusic’s fandom. The metal masses ensure that any post about the genre has a comments section that’s a melee of hot takes and provocative opinions. As such, there is no second chance for an artist to make a first impression.
Fortunately, metal is blessed with dozens of sensational debut albums. Picked for their impact, originality, and long-lasting impact,these are 10 debut metal albums that show off heavy music’s diversity and quality. From extreme metal provocateurs from the modern day and the ’90s, to some of metal’s biggest-ever artists' first creative steps, each of these albums are flawless examples of hard-hitting heaviness.
10Machine Head
Burn My Eyes (1994)
Metal found itself in a weird place after Kurt Cobain and his Seattle cohorts altered the trajectory of guitar music forever. Nirvana and the grunge movement made it their mission to obliterate the concept of the “rock star,” as the alternative movement eviscerated the reputation of pretty much every metal band not called Metallica and Pantera in one fell swoop.Metal desperately needed new heroes by the mid ’90s,and it found them in the shape of a band willing to blend the new trend for unpolished guitars with the traditional sonic power of heavy metal.
Lead by Bay Area upstart Robb Flynn,Machine Head’sBurn My Eyescaptured the zeitgeist perfectlywith a blistering combination of obtuse, downtuned riffing and streetwise, guttural vocals. Written in the aftermath of the Californian police’s brutal treatment of Rodney King and capturing the paranoid, uneasy feeling of the time period, the likes of “Block,” “A Thousand Lies,” and the rhythmic assault of “Old” were an instant hit with headbangers all over the world. Leading with their timeless “Davidian” single and the album’s instantly iconic album art, it is one of the most revolutionary metal records of the ’90s.
9Zeal And Ardor
Devil Is Fine (2017)
If the opening notes of Black Sabbath’s debut album in 1969 are considered the starting point of heavy music, the genre is now over 50 years into its existence. To do something completely original and of real quality at this point is borderline miraculous, butZeal And Ardor’s debut album is unlike anything metal has seenbefore or since.
The brainchild of Swiss mastermind Manuel Gagneux,Devil Is Finetakes the horrors of real-world slavery and delivers retribution on the slaves' behalf in the form of white-hot heavy metal. Started as an online experiment in which Gagneux would ask 4chan members to suggest two diametrically opposed genres for him to mash together,Manuel confronted online racial abuse and weaponized it into something beautiful.
Taking the suggestion of mashing black metal with a genre described by using racial slurs, Zeal And Ardor took chain gang chanting and extreme metal and asked the question “what if slaves turned to Satan to save them instead of God?” The result is a startlingly catchy and original album that scratches the itch of world music and metal in a way that legends such as Sepultura and Gojira did before them.
8Metallica
Kill ‘Em All (1983)
It’s bizarre to think of a time when Metallica were one of the hardest and heaviest bands on planet earth, butKill ‘Em Allarrived in the early ’80s like a banshee from hell. Burgeoning guitarist James Hetfield and Danish drummer Lars Ulrich met in LA Classifieds newspaperThe Recyclerthrough a shared love of all things heavy metal. After the additions of guitarist Dave Mustaine and, eventually, convincing Trauma’s Cliff Burton to join their ranks,Metallica kickstarted thrash metal in the most spectacular way possible.
While the juvenile charm of “Metal Militia” and “Phantom Lord” have all the hallmarks of a debut album, the fact that “Seek & Destroy” and “No Remorse” were written and recorded by an unsigned band is remarkable. “Hit The Lights” and “The Four Horsemen” sew the seeds of the epic heavy metal thatMetallica would perfect on future albums. It makes perfect sense thatthe biggest metal band of all time started with perfection.
7Undeath
Lesions Of A Different Kind (2020)
It is jaw-dropping that New York’s Undeath arrived so perfectly formed. Their debut album,Lesions Of A Different Kind, is a guided tour of everything great that death metal has to offer. It is a sensational mix of technical proficiency, unflinching lyrical brutality, andone of the most dazzling collections of riffs the genre has ever assembledon one disc.
Undeath are among the leaders of the new school of death metal. Championed by the late, great Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, this album is the perfect starting point for a new listener to try death metal. Songs like “Kicked In The Protruding Guts” and “Chained To A Reeking Rotting Body” are mating calls for Cannibal Corpse fans everywhere, asUndeath perfectly bridges the gap between old and new school death metal.
6System Of A Down
System Of A Down (1998)
Arriving at one of the hottest periods for new bands and mainstream success in the history of heavy music,System Of A Down instantly changed the landscape of metal. Armed with instant classics in the shape of “Sugar” and “Suite-Pee”, the Los Angelenos were undeniable on every level. More importantly, they felt vital and brought a whole new approach to nu metal at just the right time.
With new bands like Limp Bizkit and Coal Chamber making nu metal appear like a novelty with a cuddlier sound and more cartoony aesthetic than the genre’s forefathers in Deftones and Korn,System Of A Down’s fierce politicism and fearless creativity felt like an antidote to corny bandswho were holding the genre hostage. Taking influence from the psychotic delivery of Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra, an entirely new approach to down-tuned riffing, and incorporating rhythms, melodies and percussive ideas from their Armenian roots,System Of A Downwas to the late ’90s whatRage Against the Machinewas to the beginning of the decade.
5Mastodon
Remission (2002)
It isn’t unfair to suggest that metal needed something a little more intellectually stimulating at the turn of the millennium. Fred Durst was gurning in music videos and on magazine covers worldwide, and metalcore’s creatively limited “shouted verse, melodic chorus” formula wore thin almost immediately, but Mastodon’sRemissionarrived at just the right time. It’s not an exaggeration to say this album felt necessary on every level in the early 2000s.
As a combo, Mastodon delivered a discombobulating and complex punch. Sharing the progressive leanings of Tool, the feel of Neurosis, and a superhuman riffing ability that nods to everyone from Thin Lizzy and Metallica to Death and Crowbar,Remission’s complexity should not be possible on a debut album. It is impressive for a band to speak in a musical language this complex and cohesive at any point, but it is superhuman for Mastodon to do it from their very first album.
4Slipknot
Slipknot (1999)
Coming from the backwaters of Des Moines, Iowa,Slipknot were a truly terrifying outfit when they first explodedonto the metal scene at the turn of the millenium. With nine members and a “take no prisoners” gang mentality, the 18-legged wrecking crew became the hottest new band in heavy music overnight with their self-titled Roadrunner Records debut album. All this came in spite of the band’s naysayers, who tried in vain to dismiss Slipknot as nothing more than a gimmick.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say thatSlipknot’s debut album became legendary almost immediately. The artwork featured a simple distorted pic of the band, and yet it felt iconic. Their reputation as an explosive live band grew in reputation by the day, but at the heart of all the hype was a collection of songs that spoke to disenfranchised people in every corner of planet earth. It feels a long way from the band that exists today, but the impact of Slipknot’s phenomenal debut album will last forever.
3Emperor
In The Nightside Eclipse (1994)
Bringing layers of icy atmosphere and cinematic vision to proceedings,Emperor’sIn The Nightside Eclipseexpanded the boundaries of extreme metal forever. The Norwegian metallers, led by visionary vocalist Ihsahn, had an approach to songwriting that transcended the primitive black metal of the time. Emperor brought a cinematic vision of horror to the genre’s straightforward heaviness, with symphonic flourishes used in black metal for the first time to devastating effect.
In The Nightside Eclipseis so vital to the visual aesthetic and sonic tapestry of the genre, thatblack metal would be literally unrecognisable today without this album. Lovecraftian literature, Clive Barker-esque horror, and ghostly nastiness are conjured with aplomb in the likes of the epic “I Am The Black Wizards.” Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, and bands that are today considered legends are open about how the visual aesthetic, midi-driven synths and overdriven guitars opened new possibilities for extreme bands everywhere to add layers of spookiness to their art.
2Korn
Korn (1994)
Before Korn’s emergence in the mid 90’s, heavy metal found itself a victim of its own tiresome clichés. Skulls, fire, Jack Daniel’s, and Harley-Davidsons felt a million miles away from the zeitgeist, as Nirvana and Gangsta Rap altered the trajectory of the cutting edge of pop culture. With bagpipes, dreadlocks, Adidas tracksuits, and a hard-hitting new approach to heaviness,Korn made sure metal still mattered in the ’90s.
The power groove of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul had drawn up the blueprint for metal’s change in direction, but it was Korn’s thunderous beats, unflinchingly raw lyrics, and their peerless ability to make a track swell and burst like a weapon that turned them into legends. With the exception of Black Sabbath inventing the genre and because of the reputation of the genre at the time,Kornmight be the most significant metal debut of all time.
1Type O Negative
Bloody Kisses (1993)
Type O Negative are one of the most unique bands to ever grace metal. Their self-deprecating humor, irrepressible sexuality, and dedication to melancholic melody came at one of metal’s most interesting crossroads. Representing all bands who didn’t fit in with the old-school machismo of Metallica and Pantera, nor the seriousness of Cobain and Vedder’s legions, the immense success ofBloody Kissesopened doors for one of metal’s most varied and prolific eras.
Fronted by a once-in-a-generation heartthrob frontman in Peter Steele, the luxurious “Christian Women” and “Black Number One” had a slinky and seductive quality that saw Type O Negative take the bluesy, bedroom sleaze of Danzig, the weight of Black Sabbath, and the more adult leanings of Depeche Mode to make something undeniable. It is bittersweet to see Steele’s birthday and date of death celebrated far and wide, asType O Negative continues to gather legions of new fansand their legacy continues to age like a fine wine.
