Firstborne â Lucky Review
By Angry Metal Guy
Written By: Nameless_n00b_604
What does it mean to be Firstborne? What does it mean to be carried or transmittedâborneâby First? This is a question likely left unpondered by the band Firstborne, who are too busy carrying the hard rockinâ glories of the past into the present and transmitting rollicking good times to the masses to care for such trifles. Comprised of ex-Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler, Girish and The Chronicles singer Girish Pradhan, and guitar journeyman Myrone, Firstborneâs sophomore album, Lucky, is the product of decadesâ worth of collective experience and professional toil. They have the know-how. They have the chops. They have an awful name. But do they have the songs?
Firstborne is here for a good time, not for a long one. Across ten tracks and thirty-seven minutes, Firstborne provides high-energy, blues-infused hard rock that dabbles in thrash and punk. Songs like âAgain (Lucky)â and âPrometheus (Nicotine Chris)â showcase Firstborne at their most meat-nâ-taters as they brandish big riffs, slithering basslines, and huge, gravelly vocals that fit the rock radio mold. âShineâ and âOnly a Foolâ ooze greasy, bluesy rock while thrashers âWake Up (Itâs a God Damn F_cking Scam)â and âHuman Interruptedâ feel like takes on Anthrax and Testament, respectively. The biggest standouts on Lucky, âRescue Meâ and âMinefield (Ohhh Face),â are easily its highlights, the former adorning its Thin Lizzy-meets-Guns Nâ Roses country rock with the most addicting chorus Iâve heard all year and the latter machine-gunning through Iced Earth triplets, Pennywise punk âwoahâs and a surprise interpolation of Iron Maidenâs âThe Trooper.â Brief and easy-listening, Lucky wonât open your mind to new artistic horizons, but it will open some pits on tour.
When Lucky works, it works because Firstborne knows how to let loose. Adlerâs drumming, while not as rhythmically intense as on his Lamb of God material, is still tight and precise, and some of his signature double kicks do make appearances on âAgainâ and âOnly a Fool.â Girish is a powerhouse belter, and his grunge grizzle and layered harmonies on âShineâ and âPrometheusâ evoke Alice in Chains. But Myroneâs guitar soloing is the star of the show, navigating between uninhibited shredding (âMinefield,â) Slash-like bends (âRescue Me,â) somber acoustics (âHeavens Returnâ), and southern blues on âShineâ so dank he doesnât make it talk so much as make that shit drawl. Sometimes the band can get too loose, veering into plain goofiness on the upper-class-bashing âOnly a Foolâ when they espouse that âSushi dinners are hotdogs at night.â1 Nonetheless, Firstborne can be a lot of fun when they break out and just let it rip.
But too often, the lads in Firstborne box themselves in with unimaginative songwriting. Frequently, they will sink into a groove, riff, or melody and rigidly stick to it well past its prime. This leads to real snoozers like âNormandy (The Crime Mind Anthem)â and âPrometheus,â which both plod through their runtimes with cheerless riffs and stock vocal melodies. Similarly, âShineâ and âHeavens Returnâ both aim for quiet-verse-loud-chorus formats but end up just boring, where the formerâs âLose Yourselfâ soundalike riff becomes irritating with overexposure and the latterâs sluggish chorus lands with a wet thud. These issues are further boxed in by Luckyâs brick-walled mix and sterile production. Not only does its short runtime feel much longer due to listening fatigue, but a lack of dynamics undermines any power or punch that songs like âShineâ and âHeavens Returnâ aspired to. Hard rock thrives on warm tones and breathable mixes,2 which this package just doesnât allow for. Firstborne should dig deeper for more on album number three, both from their songwriting and their production.
Even though Lucky can be a frustrating listen, it still offers glimpses of what Firstborne can be. Iâll be humming âRescue Meâ all year, and even some of the songs I didnât like have gotten stuck in my head throughout my time with Lucky. If Firstborne bequeaths every song on their next album the dynamite they brought to the highlights of Lucky, itâll be a rager of an album indeed. But as is, Lucky is a fun, yet flawed, collection of throwback tunes worthy of any carefree highway cruise or rowdy house party. Itâs not a sushi dinner, but a hot dog at nightâs not so bad either.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 5 | Review Format: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: M-Theory Audio
Website: thefirstborne.com | firstborne.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/firstborneofficial | instagram.com/firstborneofficial
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025
#2025 #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #Anthrax #Aug25 #Firstborne #GirishAndTheChronicles #GunsNRoses #HardRock #IcedEarth #IronMaiden #LambOfGod #Lucky #Pennywise #Review #Reviews #Testament #ThinLizzy