Nu metal is a subgenre that blends heavy metal elements with other styles, including hip hop and grunge. Some nu metal bands use seven-string guitars, which are sometimes down-tuned to increase heaviness, resulting in bass guitarists using five and six-string instruments. Turntables, sequencers and samplers are sometimes included. In 1994, Korn became the first band to be labeled as “nu metal”. Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot are prominent bands in this genre.