FIRST

"First" is the debut release by US sludge metal act Baroness. Baroness was founded by former members of punk/metal act Johnny Welfare and the Paychecks in 2003. Released in 2003, "First" is an EP with a total playing time of 16:57 minutes. There are 3 tracks on the EP and it was released through Hyperrealist Records. The band was signed to Relapse Records for their 2007 debut album "Red Album" but released both "First" and "Second (2005)" (their second EP release) on a single CD through Hyperrealist Records in 2008. It´s note worthy that lead vocalist/guitarist John Baizley is responsible for the cover artwork (as well as the cover artwork on many other rock and metal releases by other artists).

The music on "First" is both sludgy, heavy and melodic. The vocals by frontman John Baizley are harsh. I´d say bands like Isis (early) and Mastodon have influenced Baroness greatly. Especially the latter mentioned band. The music is generally of a decent quality but the tracks are generally not that remarkable or catchy for that matter. Pretty solid but also pretty standard for the genre.

The musicianship are solid and the sound production is decent. There´s little to put a finger on but then again nothing here are above average in quality for the genre. So while "First" is a relatively enjoyable debut release by Baroness it´s obvious that the band still needed a bit more time to create an identity and to write some stronger compositions to make their presence count on the sludge metal scene. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.