''First'' is the debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
by American
heavy metal band
Baroness. The artwork was done by Baroness frontman
John Baizley.
Background
Before Baroness was formed, much of the material that would appear on ''First'' was written by John Baizley and Pete Adams at a music store and later a small apartment in Savannah, Georgia. The band wrote ''First'' and ''
Second
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
'' over the course of a month and a half in the summer of 2003.
"Tower Falls" was the first Baroness song written. Early recordings of "Tower Falls" and "Coeur" appeared on Baroness' self-released
demo. The group started touring in the fall and gained the attention of Hyperrealist Records, who became interested in releasing the band's debut.
''First'' was recorded in November 2003 at The Jam Room Studio in Columbia, South Carolina, and produced by
Kylesa
Kylesa is an American sludge metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, Down-tuned guitar, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by ...
's Phillip Cope. Pete Adams did not perform on the EP but became a member of the band in 2008.
Release
''First'' was released in 2004 on
CD and on
12" vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
by Hyperrealist Records. In 2008, the EP was remixed and remastered, and Hyperrealist reissued it along with ''Second'' as a compilation album titled ''First & Second''.
Reception
In a review of ''First & Second'' for ''
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'', Eduardo Rivadavia named "Tower Falls" and "Rise" among the tracks he found "particularly inventive and infectious," saying they "often excel during their softer passages..."
In his review of ''Second'' for ''Scene Point Blank'', staff writer Shane mentioned that "With the release of their first record, an EP titled ''First''... some ears began to perk up and some eyes were opened." He went on to say, "If
aroness'first two records are any indication to what a full length might be, expect nothing but great things."
Track listing
All music is composed by Baroness; lyrics by John Baizley.
Personnel
;Baroness
*
John Baizley – vocals, guitar
* Tim Loose – guitar
* Summer Welch – bass, vocals
* Allen Blickle – drums
;Technical personnel
* Phillip Cope – production, engineering
* Jay Matheson – engineering
* Steve Slavich – engineering
References
External links
''First''at
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
(list of releases)
{{Authority control
2004 debut EPs
Baroness (band) EPs
Hyperrealist Records albums
Albums with cover art by John Dyer Baizley