Firstborn, often styled as xFIRSTBORNx, was a hardcore straight-edge band formed in Wilmette, Illinois in 1994 out of a previous band, Justice Coming. Firstborn consisted of an almost identical lineup and musical style to Justice Coming, but at the time of Firstborn’s “formation”, it was considered a new band by the members.[1] The band at inception consisted of lead vocalist Adeet Deshmukh, Pete Wentz on bass, Ryan Moya on guitar, and Tim Miller on drums.[1] Additional players occasionally filled in when one of the members was absent, but are not considered true members of the band.[5] In 1995, Firstborn recorded a cassette demo and an LP, which went unreleased, and experienced decent success for a band of their size in the niche Chicago straight-edge scene.[7] After breaking up in 1998, a few of the former members went on to form the metalcore band Arma Angelus, which saw even greater success in the local scene.
Beyond its influence on Fall Out Boy through Pete, Firstborn itself is a good window into the straight-edge bands of the late-90s greater Chicago area. Firstborn’s history is integral to understanding its direct lead into Arma Angelus, as well as Pete Wentz’ relationship with straight-edge hardcore.
| xFIRSTBORNx | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Band Name | Firstborn, xFIRSTBORNx, xfirstbornx, Justice Coming, xJustice Comingx |
| City of Origin | Wilmette, IL Glenview, IL |
| Years Active | 1994-1998 |
| Current Members | N/A |
| Past Members | Adeet Deshmukh Ryan Moya Pete Wentz Tim Miller Jeff Kalmikoff Robert Beiser Devin Champlin Jermaine Gibson |
| Genre(s) | Straight-edge hardcore |
| Label(s) | N/A |
| Associated Acts | Arma Angelus Frontline Everlast Stifle Luke Skawalker Grinding Process New Jacks |
| Website | N/A |
Formation & Justice Coming
Though Justice Coming and Firstborn have similar lineups, the exit of Jermaine Gibson, Justice Coming’s vocalist, and the introduction of Adeet on vocals means they are technically separate entities.
Justice Coming was formed in 1994.[2] The name is a reference to Framework’s song/record “Justice Coming”. Framework was, in essence, a pre-Earth Crisis band.[9]
Justice Coming played original songs as well as covers of Earth Crisis, Chokehold, and Everlast songs.[1][2] Band members would at times switch instruments each song, e.g. Tim would sing while someone else would drum.[2] The band was an important avenue for the boys to develop their skills as musicians and creatives as friends in a low-pressure environment.
“We were just discovering ourselves as musicians and figuring it all out. These were the best times. No pressure and all fun.”[2]
Justice Coming mostly played shows in garages including in Pete’s childhood home.[2]
Similar to other bands Pete was in, they got shows thanks to Pete’s connection in the hardcore scene. The band’s first professional show was at The Thirsty Whale. The band failed to sell tickets as it was a pay-to-play situation, and the owner of the club yelled at them. They were still allowed to play but were never asked back.[2]
Eventually, Jermaine left the band. He did not have a car and couldn’t drive at the time, as opposed to Adeet who could. He eventually moved to Little Rock, AK.[10] This was a loss for the band because according to Tim Miller, he was an extremely talented hardcore singer and performer.[2]
However, they soon found Adeet to replace Jermaine on vocals, thus establishing Firstborn. Their first rehearsal was in Pete’s garage.[2]
Active Years
After the departure of Jermaine, Adeet Deshmukh was brought in as a replacement vocalist. Adeet’s first appearance during practice in Pete’s garage signifies the end of Justice Coming and the beginning of Firstborn.[2]
Subsequent rehearsals were at Tim’s childhood home in Glenview.[2]
One-Thousand Burning Suns Demo
There are not many details of note about the recording of this demo, but around the same time, Pete was making a zine for both Justice Coming and Firstborn. He never finished this zine.[2]
Although there are subtle differences in the track names, all tracks on this demo are present on the following release. “Flames” is renamed to “Burn in the Flames”, while “Solstice” is renamed to “One-Thousand Burning Suns”.[5]
XFIRSTBORNX LP
Although this LP was fully recorded, it never saw a true release. The reason for this is unknown, but it can be assumed that it was likely due to the band splitting up shortly after recording.
Glenview Hardcore 1998 Compilation LP
At this point, Firstborn was mostly broken up. Pete was quitting the band around this time, and Firstborn would only go on to play a couple of shows after his absence before completely disbanding.[1] It is likely that before they had considered quitting, they had agreed to appear in some form on the Glenview Hardcore 1998 Compilation, hence their odd inclusion. Firstborn, the band, does not exactly appear on this compilation, but rather a solo track by a very brief ex-Firstborn member, Devin Champlin. Devin filled in for a few shows, although it is unknown what part he played in the band.[1] The included zine humorously mentions that Firstborn was unable to participate due to the compilation being a “get-rich quick scheme”.[6]
Firstborn also expresses pride for specifically being a Glenview band in the included zine, which is significant because they were not exclusive to Glenview.[1][3] Pete and Tim were in Wilmette, and the band flipped back and forth on flyers of what town they would advertise under. One flyer even, quite oddly, claims the band is from Evanston.
Breakup/Hiatus
Pete quit the band sometime in 1998. Soon after, the band dissolved, although they did play at least a few shows without him before disbanding. Pete was considered the “heartbeat of the band”. Tim Miller followed Pete into the lineup of Arma Angelus after this.[2]
Musical Style
Firstborn was a vegan straight-edge hardcore band. Pete wrote a large amount of the music, and he and Adeet would tag-team the lyrics.[1] They penned lyrics with prominent political themes supporting animal rights and anti-drug sentiments. Earth Crisis was an important influence on Pete’s lyrics and musical style.[2][3]
Discography
One-Thousand Burning Suns Demo
- Solstice
- Checkmate
- Harvest
- Flames
XFIRSTBORNX LP
- Eyes on Fire
- Checkmate
- Untitled #1
- Struggle of Cain
- Harvest
- Untitled #2
- I Dream of a Day
- A World Once So Lovely
- Untitled #3
- Burn in the Flames
- One Thousand Burning Suns
Glenview Hardcore 1998 Compilation LP
- SK8TRASHDEVIL
Touring
Confirmed show dates as Justice Coming:
01/28/95
The Thirsty Whale – Chicago, IL
W/ Wretch
[SOURCE]
Confirmed show dates as Firstborn:
03/23/??
Fireside Bowl – Chicago, IL
W/ Birthright, Insurrection, Stifle, Crosscheck
[SOURCE]
04/06/??
Northlake U. M. Church – Northlake, IL
W/ Abnegation, Halfmast, Birthright
[SOURCE]
05/25/96
Congressional Church – Winnetka, IL
W/ Stifle, The Train, Cibaphones
[SOURCE]
01/04/98
Fireside Bowl – Chicago, IL
W/ Pretentious Assholes, Fate of Icarus, Social Coma, Catburglar
[SOURCE]
06/15/98
Fireside Bowl – Chicago, IL
W/ Resignation, Kelton DMD, Funbox, Logan’s Loss
[SOURCE]
[SOURCE]
Trivia
- The boys enjoyed skateboarding together and going out tagging.[2] You can see Pete’s tag in his senior yearbook.[4]
- Adeet once was riding in Pete’s van with him, when Pete purposefully drove in the wrong direction on a one-way street, seemingly for fun.[3]
- Tim and Pete got their first piercings together at Wizards of Ink in Chicago.[1]
- Everyone in Firstborn got matching three “X” tattoos in Wisconsin before a show. You only had to be 17-years-old in Wisconsin compared to 21-years-old in Chicago.[1]
- Adeet is credited for photography on Evening Out With Your Girlfriend.[8]
- Adeet went to college in Syracuse. Pete would often crash in his dorm and go to hardcore shows in the area, such as Earth Crisis shows.[3]
- Firstborn had informational flyers about donating to organizations involved with women’s rights, animal rights like the Animal Defense League, and other countries.[3]
- Pete came up with the name Firstborn.[3]
- At one point, Pete quit Firstborn (quite overdramatically) and then returned to the band the next day.[3]
- Adeet and Dave from Luke Skawalker have matching tattoos.[3]
References
- Miller, T., personal communication, 2024.
- Miller, T., personal email communication, 2024.
- Deshmukh, A., personal communication, 2024.
- “The Mirror – 1997.” Internet Archive, 1997, archive.org/details/TheMirror1997/page/n155/mode/2up.
- “XFIRSTBORNX – LP (Unreleased) 1997.” Bandcamp, 31 May 2012, xfirstbornx.bandcamp.com/album/xfirstbornx-lp-unreleased-1997.
- “Xfirstborn Discography & Songs.” Discogs. discogs.com/artist/3948165-Xfirstborn.
- Stump, P., personal communication, 2024.
- “Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out With Your Girlfriend.” Discogs. discogs.com/master/513362-Fall-Out-Boy-Fall-Out-Boys-Evening-Out-With-Your-Girlfriend.
- “Framework – Justice Coming.” Discogs. discogs.com/master/366775-Framework-Justice-Coming.
- Gibson, J., personal communication, 2025.