 Korn rented a studio from Jeff Creath , called Underground Chicken Sound , in Huntington Beach , California . While they were recording at Underground Chicken Sound , a crowd had been loitering outside the studio . The band began playing a prelude to a later song , " Clown " , resulting in a larger crowd gathering . Arvizu said the crowd gathered because it sounded so " different . " Korn started performing at gigs in the summer of 1993 , with members saying that touring was a " pain @-@ in @-@ the @-@ ass . " While in Huntington Beach , the band was spotted by Epic Records A & R employee Paul Pontius . Pontius would describe Korn 's sound as " the new genre of rock . " In 1993 , Korn released their first demo album , Neidermayer 's Mind . The album had very limited printing , and was not well received by critics or the public . It was released to record companies and to people who filled out a flyer given out at gigs they played for free with Biohazard and House of Pain . With this demo , Korn pioneered the nu metal sound . 
