Prepare yourself for an explosive journey as we delve into the riveting world of The First To Fight. Originating from the depths of Salem, South Carolina, this band's early inception hit like a pipe bomb, bursting with raw attitude and a gritty vendetta, wrapped tightly within two minutes of electrifying shouts and rugged guitar riffs. But as time swept by, The First To Fight experienced a metamorphosis, finding their new home at the heart of Greenville. In this rebirth, they emerged with a matured outlook, centering on the core essence of their music - integrity and authenticity. With Doc Figh leading the charge as the charismatic singer and rhythm guitarist, joined by the enigmatic Cameron "Spaceman" Price on lead guitar (formerly from State Of Illusion and Solarist) and the groove-master Joel "Chopper" Green on bass (known from Emery, DysFUNKshun, and Remedy 58), The First To Fight took on a new form, unleashed a fresh sound, and ignited their spirits with renewed energy on their release The Saddest Champion.
The album begins with “Limes” and I thoroughly enjoyed this song. It sounded somewhere between The MIcrophones and Bright Eyes at least in terms of the aesthetics. The opening riff is subtle but quickly starts to build. It ends up being an explosive song in all the right ways and certainly garnered my attention. The vocals are cathartic and sounds like Figh’s purging pain and suffering when he’s on the verge of screaming.
“Just Sorry” felt a little more pop punk influenced. It’s a very explosive song and there’s a ton of energy from beginning to end. I thought the vocal performance was exceptional.
The band continues to impress with songs like “Passion In Blue” and “Fine” with “Shakespeare In White” being the most intense song yet.
There are some other songs which stuck out to me like “1926,” “Almost A Win” and “Littlehorn.” Arguably the best song on the album is “Pure” which is melodic and melancholy. The sound reminded me of some of the best indie rock coming out in 2005 like Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes. The song builds and builds to an epic crescendo.
What a gem of an album. There's a lot of great songs here and they boil over with emotion. Great stuff.
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