Possible gear issue

[Slappy]

Hi everyone, Firstly i dont know much about mechanics so im really writing this just to identify a possible problem.
Simply my 1999 volvo s40 is very loud and rough in first gear. it also sounds pretty horrible in reverse (almost sounds a bit like metal on metal). Iv'e only had the car a month and i cant tell if it the sound was there when i got it ( i was sorta pre-occupied with feeling good in my volvo) i think the sound may have been there but ive gotten a feeling that it's getting louder. I havent had it looked by Volvo (might be my next step) but the mileage is only 35k and with a full service history. Any advise would be much appreciated, thanks in advance