Listen up, you long-haired freaks, crank your busted tape deck to 11, ‘cause FIRSTBORNE’s debut Lucky is here to bash your skull and ruin your day. This ain’t no half-assed rehearsal tape from some poser’s garage - this is a slab of gnarly, rip-your-teeth-out metal. You got Chris Adler (ex-Lamb of God, Megadeth) smashing the drums like he’s settling a bar tab, Myrone hacking out riffs and solos like a maniac with a blowtorch, and Girish Pradhan screaming like he’s got a demon in his throat. These dudes hooked up in 2019, slung some killer EPs, and now they’ve dropped Lucky - ten tracks of pure chaos cooked up in Machine’s Texas barn. No pre-planned crap, just raw jams bashed out in a month. That’s the real shit.
This thing’s a street fight between old-school heavy metal, hard rock grit, and some wild-ass shred insanity. Think Priest duking it out with Van Halen, with a bit of Lamb of God’s groove and a shitload of guitar worship. Myrone’s “soft shred” deal - who cares what it’s called - tears through this record, with riffs that grind like a busted transmission and solos that wail like a siren in a riot. Adler’s drumming is tighter than a cheap leather vest, pounding out gut-punching beats that’ll make you wanna trash your mom’s basement. Girish’s vocals are a total kick in the nuts - dude’s got a voice that roars like a souped-up hot rod and snarls like a junkyard dog. James LoMenzo’s bass keeps it locked down like a padlock on a biker’s chain.
Killer tracks? “Wake Up” smashes like a tire iron to the face with its galloping riff and chorus that’ll have you pumping your fist like a drunk at a Maiden show. “Rescue Me” is a mid-tempo bruiser with a hook that sticks like puke on your boots. “Human Interrupted” lets Myrone go full guitar lunatic, with a solo that’ll make you flail like an idiot ‘til you hit the floor. Not everything’s a winner, though. “Shine” sounds like it’s chasing radio play, and the old-days sounding “Normandy” crawls like a hangover on Sunday morning. Needs more scum, less sheen.
Machine’s production is loud as hell, maybe too clean for us old-school dirtbags who want our metal sounding like it was recorded in a sewer. It’s got punch, but when Lucky rips, it rips like a switchblade. Ain’t rewriting the metal bible, but it’s a damn fine brawl for fans of Priest, Maiden, or early Metallica with some shred thrown in the mix. Snag the vinyl or CD at https://lnk.to/firstborne and blast it ‘til your landlord calls the cops.
Verdict: Lucky is a badass debut that brings the riffs, hooks, and guts to keep the pit raging. Could use more filth, but it’s worth your last crumpled bills.
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Thanks to Grand Sounds PR.
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