Intrinsic

This power metal quintet from California, USA, was formed in 1983 with guitarists Mike Mellinger and Ron Crawford settling on the rhythm section of Joel Stern (bass) and Chris Binns (drums) in late 1984, with vocalist Garrett Graupner joining the following year. The band refined their fast, Iron Maiden -influenced style on the club scene, playing support slots to the likes of Megadeth and Armored Saint in San Francisco while conversely opening for glam bands in Los Angeles, before releasing Intrinsic to enormous critical acclaim. However, the band were held back while they searched for a new vocalist, with Graupner having departed by mutual consent, as both parties felt that his bluesy tones were unsuited to Intrinsic’s more aggressive material. David Wayne (ex-Metal Church) stepped in as the band signed a contract with Important Records, who re-released the debut, but was ousted after only five live shows, and the band’s continuing search for a vocalist prevented them capitalizing on their good press. A self-financed EP followed, demonstrating again the band’s sophisticated guitar work, but failing to reach the heights of the debut; no new contract ensued, and Intrinsic continued to haul their power demos around record labels.