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Album Review: 1000mods, Youth of Dissent

Posted in Reviews on April 8th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

1000mods Youth of DissentIt seems to be the mark of generational shifts that one invariably criticizes the one after. Baby Boomers and Generation X. Generation X and Millennials. Millennials and Gen-Z and whatever they call the proverbial “kids nowadays” nowadays. Coming from Greece, which is a nation that has seen arguably more than its fair share of turmoil even before the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak — from economic upheaval to being an epicenter of Europe’s greatest refugee crisis in over half a century, to the all-encompassing apocalyptic linger that is climate change currently in progress — 1000mods appear to depart from this “when I was your age we walked uphill both ways” norm with Youth of Dissent, their fourth album and second to be self-released through their own Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings imprint.

The cover art and the general theme of the engrossing 11-track/55-minute long-player seems to be framed not around calling the youth lazy, but standing in admiration and being inspired by the likes of the school-walkout climate protests and other youth movements happening worldwide, and fair enough. Bassist/vocalist Dani G., guitarists Giannis S. and George T., and drummer Labros G. return accordingly with an energetic and powerful collection of songs, perhaps less directly politically oriented than one might think, but from the careening opener “Lucid” onward as the salvo continues into the crunch-riff/open-verse-combo “So Many Days” and start-stop shover “Warped” ahead of the slower roll of the seven-minute “Dear Herculine,” 1000mods offer the best summary of their purpose right there in the name of their first track. They are lucid. Strikingly so.

The Chiliomodi four-piece have never exactly been shy about their purposes. Their 2016 full-length, Repeated Exposure To… (review here), back through 2014’s Vultures (review here), 2012’s Valley of Sand EP (discussed here), 2011’s breakthrough debut, Super Van Vacation (review here; discussed here), 2009’s Liquid Sleep EP (review here), and 2006’s Blank Reality EP all one way or another have made heavy rock and roll the root of what they do. From an early fascination with desert vibes in Super Van Vacation and Valley of Sand, they’ve shifted toward a more straight-ahead approach to weighted tones and riff-led fare, with Vultures capturing the transition in action ahead of further realization on Repeated Exposure To…, which before Youth of Dissent, was their most mature release to-date. That title has been usurped, and in somewhat ironic fashion given Youth of Dissent‘s homage to upstart-ism.

Still, it is the clarity of their intention and the feeling of purpose in their songwriting that comes through so much in the material on Youth of Dissent, with “Dear Herculine” displaying a more patient take, which the duly wistful “Young” and the slow progressive build of closer “Mirrors” will bear out later, and while that’s a consistent theme across the 1000mods‘ work from their earliest days of Kyuss worship, the sense of just how much they’ve adopted and adapted their own approach is hard to ignore in these songs, and the effectiveness of their work has yet to sound so broad in its reach. That is to say, Youth of Dissent feels worldlier, speaking not just to a heavy underground, but a wider audience of anyone who might hear it. It is an album with a message it hopes to convey to as many ears as possible.

1000mods

In making it, 1000mods traveled to Washington to record with producer/engineer Matt Bayles, who’s best known in heavy circles for his work with MastodonIsis, Sandrider and multitudes of others in the Pacific Northwest noise sphere. And to be sure, Youth of Dissent accordingly lacking nothing for volume. It comes out in the stage-ready drive of “Warped” and the later pair of “Pearl” and the well-we’re-in-Seattle-so-let’s-make-a-Nirvana-song “Blister” ahead of “Young,” but as can be heard in the comfortably floating melody of “Less is More,” the centerpiece interlude “21st Space Century” and even the gallop of the penultimate “Dissent” — which also brings about some of the record’s most physically dense riffing — it wasn’t simply volume so much as dynamic that the band wanted to hone in the recording.

Bayles brings a keen ear for performance, which is unsurprising given his pedigree, but through that, Youth of Dissent also highlights how much 1000mods‘ approach to  has to offer at this stage in their now-15-year tenure. There is an overarching professionalism to pieces like “So Many Days” and the recent speedy single “Pearl” that offer a vision of heavy rock intended for a mass audience. They are not just preaching to the converted here, as they otherwise might. They’re trying to win new converts. And there is a sizable distinction between the two in terms of boldness and, again, lucidity.

While not cloying in the way of commercial hard rock, stripping away personality in search of a universal lowest common pop denominator of dumbed-down (usually white) male aggression, Youth of Dissent makes its own willful rebellion in its refusal to isolate itself. It’s true the dominant social narrative of the day may have shifted out from under the record’s feet to some degree — plagues happen, apparently — but that doesn’t make 1000mods‘ message any less relevant. Their pointed admiration and you-inspire-us point of view comes through as surely as any of the guitar, bass, drums or vocals, and gives an impression that lasts right alongside the strongest of hooks in “So Many Days,” or “Pearl” or “Young” or “Dissent,” etc., and invariably, they’re speaking to an audience beyond the bounds of the heavy rock norm. Maybe even a younger one.

Their worldlier perspective and veteran status are both remarkably well earned. Even in the last five years, the band have toured extensively through Europe as well as hitting North America and Australia, and their audience has only continued to grow, making them not only ambassadors and spearheads of the vibrant Greek heavy underground, but one of the foremost acts of the European live circuit. They translate that experience into the tracks of Youth of Dissent, and if what they’re drawing in terms of inspiration is the energy of the young itself and the fervency of belief in what they’re doing, then the success of the album is writ large across its near-hour runtime. There seems also to be an undercurrent of hope throughout the proceedings, and along with their craft generally, that too feels more crucial now than ever.

1000mods, “Pearl” official video

1000mods on Facebook

1000mods on Instagram

1000mods on Bandcamp

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1000mods Post Video for “Pearl” from Youth of Dissent LP

Posted in Bootleg Theater on March 9th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

1000mods

Preorders are up now for Youth of Dissent, the upcoming and much anticipated full-length from Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods, who through hard touring over the last few years and the general quality of their work over the course of the last decade-plus, have appointed themselves ambassadors of the increasingly crowded national underground from whence they hail, both to the rest of Europe and well beyond. To wit, the photo above was taken on their 2019 Australian tour, and to record Youth of Dissent, the Chiliomodi natives braved US Customs and Border Patrol in order work with producer/engineer Matt Bayles (MastodonIsis, etc.) in Seattle. Set to return to the road in May to support the April 24 release of Youth of Dissent, they are nothing if not an international presence.

Their video for the track “Pearl” from the new album serves as a first introduction to the straight-ahead approach that seems to define a lot of what I’ve heard of the album. In following-up 2016’s Repeated Exposure To… (review here), the band have moved further beyond the desert rock infatuations that drove their 2011 debut, Super Van Vacation (review here; discussed here) or its 2014 follow-up, Vultures (review here), and are continuing to forge their own creative path, tightening their songwriting and sharpening their impact overall. At three and a half minutes, “Pearl” doesn’t necessarily speak to some of the more flowing aspects of Youth of Dissent, but it gives listeners a chance to get a glimpse of what’s on offer with the record and is certainly a welcome blast of energy from a band who are at this point well experienced in the delivery of such things.

One might find a distinct J-horror influence in the clip itself. I’m not sure for what the pearls in “Pearl” are serving as metaphor, but in posting the clip through their social media, the band included the statement “no human being is illegal” and expressed solidarity with refugees and migrants worldwide, so perhaps some connection there. So be it.

Video, info and tour dates follow.

Please enjoy:

1000mods, “Pearl” official video

This is “Pearl”! The first single from our upcoming album “Youth of Dissent”, to be released on the 24th of April!

Preorder “Youth of Dissent”: https://www.1000mods.com/yod

Directed by Nasos Gatzoulis

No human being is illegal – Solidarity to all the refugees/migrants!

1000MODS “Youth of Dissent European Tour 2020”
01.05.20 – Berlin | DesertFest Berlin
02.05.20 – Nijmegen | Sonic Whip Festival
03.05.20 – London | Desertfest London
04.05.20 – Amsterdam | Melkweg Amsterdam
05.05.20 – Strasbourg | La Laiterie Artefact
06.05.20 – Pratteln | Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln
07.05.20 – Brussels | Botanique
08.05.20 – Cologne | Live Music Hall
09.05.20 – Paris | La Machine du Moulin Rouge
11.05.20 – Stuttgart | Universum
12.05.20 – Leipzig | WERK2-Kulturfabrik
13.05.20 – Hamburg | Markthalle-Hamburg
14.05.20 – Copenhagen | VEGA
15.05.20 – Oslo | Youngs Oslo
16.05.20 – Göteborg | Valand Nattklubb
17.05.20 – Rostock | M.A.U. Club Rostock
19.05.20 – Vienna | ARENA WIEN
20.05.20 – Salzburg | Rockhouse Salzburg
21.05.20 – Graz | p.p.c.
22.05.20 – Budapest | A38 Hajó
23.05.20 – Zagreb | Klub Mo?vara

1000mods on Thee Facebooks

1000mods on Instagram

1000mods on Bandcamp

1000mods website

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1000mods Announce ‘Youth of Dissent’ Spring European Tour

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 17th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

1000mods

So what do we learn here? 1000mods are gonna tour. Not really a surprise there, right? They tour hard, and often. Their new album is called Youth of Dissent, and you might recall they traveled to America to record in Seattle with Matt Bayles (Mastodon, etc.). I’m not saying I’ve heard it or anything, but it brings a new level of clarity to their sound while remaining very much a heavy rock album. Their songs continue to resonate and their performance, as one has come to expect, shows no lack of passion for all its accumulated professionalism.

They’re on their game, in other words. I don’t have an exact release date, but sometime around May doesn’t seem unreasonable considering the timing of the tour below, and while we’re speculating, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they made it back to the US sometime before the end of 2020. They were here in 2018 and did a quick run of gigs when they recorded, because why not, so yeah. I’ll keep my fingers crossed they get snagged for a slot at Desertfest New York and do my best to show up wherever whenever, be it this year or sometime in 2021.

Sound of Liberation announced the tour as follows:

1000mods youth of dissent tour

1000MODS / YOUTH OF DISSENT EUROPEAN TOUR 2020

We are extremely excited to finally announce that 1000mods will hit the road this spring to promote their upcoming album “Youth of Dissent”!

While we can’t wait to listen to some new music after more than 3 years, we suggest you get your tickets fast, as 1000mods are well known for selling out venues no matter the size!

For our German friends, we will offer some LIMITED edition hardtickets and we’ll add a tour poster on top of it! Just go through http://www.sol-tickets.com/ and simply choose the shipping option during the checkout-process.

Ladies and gentlemen Sound of Liberation and Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug proudly present:

1000MODS “Youth of Dissent European Tour 2020”
01.05.20 – Berlin | DesertFest Berlin
02.05.20 – Nijmegen | Sonic Whip Festival
03.05.20 – London | Desertfest London
04.05.20 – Amsterdam | Melkweg Amsterdam
05.05.20 – Strasbourg | La Laiterie Artefact
06.05.20 – Pratteln | Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln
07.05.20 – Brussels | Botanique
08.05.20 – Cologne | Live Music Hall
09.05.20 – Paris | La Machine du Moulin Rouge
11.05.20 – Stuttgart | Universum
12.05.20 – Leipzig | WERK2-Kulturfabrik
13.05.20 – Hamburg | Markthalle-Hamburg
14.05.20 – Copenhagen | VEGA
15.05.20 – Oslo | Youngs Oslo
16.05.20 – Göteborg | Valand Nattklubb
17.05.20 – Rostock | M.A.U. Club Rostock
19.05.20 – Vienna | ARENA WIEN
20.05.20 – Salzburg | Rockhouse Salzburg
21.05.20 – Graz | p.p.c.
22.05.20 – Budapest | A38 Hajó
23.05.20 – Zagreb | Klub Mo?vara

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods
www.soundofliberation.com/id-1000mods

1000mods, Live at Kenton Club, Portland, Oregon, Nov. 17, 2019

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1000mods Finish Recording Drums; Announce Shows Around Album Sessions in Seattle

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 4th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

1000mods

Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods have announced a quick stint of four shows from Nov. 16-20 with Fatso Jetson and Ape Machine. The band have just finished tracking drums for their next album in Seattle and they’re headed to Litho Studio to continue work with Matt Bayles on the record, which is as yet untitled but will follow behind the 2016 highlight Repeated Exposure To… (review here) and presumably get a release sometime next year through their Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings imprint as the next stage in their ambassadorship of Greece’s fertile underground and the general ass-kickery that’s already taken them around the world, including to the US.

I don’t know the timing on these shows, if the album will be done by then or not, but given that it’s almost two weeks from now, I have to think at least there will be significant progress on it, if it’s not actually finished. Maybe some new material live? I certainly wouldn’t mind, so long as some kind soul was on hand to film it. Either way, 1000mods keep excellent company for the trip, as one could hardly ask for more suitable accompaniment than Pacific Northwest denizens Ape Machine and desert rock legends Fatso Jetson. There are only a few of them, but those are going to be some excellent shows.

Dig dig dig:

1000mods west coast shows

So, after some days recording drums at the historical London Bridge Studio, the time has come to leave, unfortunately, this wonderful and legendary place! We have to move on to continue this crazy sonic race, for our upcoming album, at Litho Studio (over)driven by the mighty Matt Bayles, doing his magic and getting this incredible huge sound! Stay tuned! Cheers!

1000mods live:
11.16 El Corazon Funhouse Seattle WA w/ Fatso Jetson & Ape Machine
11.17 Kenton Club Portland OR w/ Fatso Jetson & Ape Machine
11.19 Elbo Room Jack London Oakland CA w/ Fatso Jetson & Ape Machine
11.20 Count’s Vamp’d Las Vegas NV w/ Fatso Jetson & Ape Machine

1000mods is:
Dani G. / Bass & Vox
Giannis S. / Guitars
George T. / Guitars
Labros G. / Drums

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods
www.soundofliberation.com/id-1000mods

1000mods, Repeated Exposure To… (2016)

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1000mods to Record New Album with Matt Bayles This Fall

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 4th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

If you’re in Europe and you’ve been waiting to see on which Fall festivals 1000mods‘ name inevitably popped up, they’re headed in a different direction. The foremost ambassadors of Greek heavy rock will travel to the US to record in Seattle with Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis, etc.) at the helm as producer. The band’s 2016 album, Repeated Exposure To… (review here), was one that allowed them to greatly expand their reach in terms of touring, coming to America for the first time in 2017 and touring Australia also for the first time just this past Spring, so clearly they’re looking to rise to the occasion of a follow-up and where it might take them. Antarctica, I guess? Do they have shows there? Probably.

Let’s assume an early-ish 2020 release depending on their label situation and tour schedule — February or March doesn’t seem unreasonable — and just start looking forward to it now in order to save time later. No substitute for efficiency.

Here’s what they had to say:

1000mods (Photo by Cristina Alossi)

It’s been almost 3 years since “Repeated Exposure to…” was released! We’ve spent those 3 years on the road playing gigs and performing at festivals around Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico and Australia, including our last show in Athens, Greece last week at Release Festival with Alice In Chains, Fu Manchu, Puta Volcano and Monovine. It has been a hell of a ride and now with a few shows left till the end of the summer, we are ready to try and make something way different than we are used to!

So, from October 21st until November 14th we will be at Seattle, Washington state, USA to record our 4th album with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Pearl Jam, Isis, Minus the Bear, Soundgarden, etc). The recordings will take place at London Bridge Studio and Studio Litho, two of the most legendary and iconic studios of the world, where lots of bands and artists we look up to, have recorded over the years.

This is gonna be so much fun and we are all so grateful that we will live that experience!

Stay tuned!

Peace,
1000mods

1000mods is:
Dani G. / Bass & Vox
Giannis S. / Guitars
George T. / Guitars
Labros G. / Drums

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods
www.soundofliberation.com/id-1000mods

1000mods, Repeated Exposure To… (2016)

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The Obelisk Presents: 1000mods First-Ever Australian Tour

Posted in The Obelisk Presents on January 17th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

1000mods (Photo by Cristina Alossi)

Last year, I was fortunate enough to be asked to stand among the presenters for Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods‘ first US tour, and no joke, it was an absolute honor. Over the last decade-plus, the four-piece have become an essential piece of the European heavy underground, and their 2016 album, Repeated Exposure To… (review here), only worked to increase their profile, it was the best-case-scenario to watch that manifest in their conquering new territory and places they hadn’t been before. Had nothing to do with me, but on a watching-hard-work-pay-off level, it was a joy to see.

The trend continues in 2019 as 1000mods come closer to wrapping the cycle for Repeated Exposure To… by hitting Australia for the first time. They’ll head that way in April to appear at the Mojo Burning Festival on April 6 in Brisbane, and with dates slotted for before and after, they’ll cover a good amount of ground on the 10-day run. The Obelisk isn’t the only presenter, of course, but to even have a logo on the bottom of the poster for this one is humbling, and I thank Beats Cartel for the opportunity.

Listen to 1000mods. Go see 1000mods. It’s as simple as that.

I wanted to include the full tour announcement here for posterity, so you’ll find that below, but specifically note that tickets are on sale now. Links are provided with the dates.

Go go go:

1000MODS

GREECE’S 1000MODS ANNOUNCE FIRST EVER AUSTRALIAN TOUR

TIX ON SALE NOW

Greece’s 1000mods bring their psychedelic onslaught to Australia this April, touring nationally on the back of a Mojo Burning festival appearance.

Having risen from smokey basements to packed arenas, leaders of the now-legendary Greek heavy rock scene 1000mods offer inspired, powerful and uniquely fresh tunes having shared the stage with some of the world’s largest acts including The Black Keys, Mastodon, The Black Angels and Graveyard. The last few years have included a slew of sold out venues across Central Europe, Scandinavia, Britain, the US, Canada and Mexico on the back of their thick and heavy analogue sound and relentless touring schedule.

Described as having live ‘flawless flow’ (Soundgaze), the Greek Stoner lords have become known for remarkably passionate stage performances and soccer stadium-like crowd sing-a-longs amidst international festival appearances at Hellfest Open Air, Desertfest (Athens, Belgium, London and Berlin), Up in Smoke, Riff Ritual and many others including a recent sold out home show (3500 capacity) at renowned Athens venue Theatro Vrachon (PIC). This is a Rock band on the verge of international stardom who are widely considered to be the new-found power of the European (some say “worldwide”) heavy rock scene.

Album releases Super Van Vacation, Vultures (2014) and Repeated Exposure To… (2016) have netted the band one hundred thousand fans and kudos world wide, chalking up over 30 million track views on YouTube.

The 2019 Australian Tour, covering shows in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Geelong, Adelaide, Perth and Scarborough, marks the first time the band have ventured onto Australian shores, a task not taken lightly by the band or promoter Christian Tryhorn of Beats Cartel who says of the upcoming tour “We’re long term fans of 1000mods and are excited to now be in the position of bringing them into the country for the first time. Their raw power and riffage is some of the best in the world, each album gets better with every listen! Can’t wait to show the people of Australia one of the best live acts in Europe”.

1000mods will also be a part of an upcoming feature length documentary entitled ‘Greek Rock Revolution’, a tale of the rising Rock scene in Greece amidst nation-wide economic turmoil. The documentary will be released in March and also features Tuber, Naxatras, Puta Volcano, Planet of Zeus and more.

Heavier than life, psychedelic, trippy, hauntingly melodic and dangerously addictive, catch 1000mods live in Australia for the first time ever, travelling East to West for Beats Cartel and HEAVY Mag. With tour help from Young Henrys, Maric Media, Orange Amplifiers, The Obelisk and Tuff Cuff Records.

1000MODS 2019 AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Wednesday April 03 CANBERRA The Basement  PURCHASE

Thursday April 04 SYDNEY Factory Floor  PURCHASE

Friday Apr 05 MELBOURNE Stay Gold  PURCHASE

Saturday April 06 BRISBANE Mojo Burning Festival  PURCHASE
Feat. Tumbleweed, The Vasco Era, Lachy Doley, King of the North and more

Sunday April 07 GEELONG The Barwon Club PURCHASE

Thursday April 11 ADELAIDE Crown and Anchor  PURCHASE

Friday April 12 PERTH Lucy’s Love Shack  PURCHASE

Saturday April 13 SCARBOROUGH Indi Bar  PURCHASE

*All show details and on-sale tickets at www.beatscartel.com/tickets

1000mods is:
Dani G. / Bass & Vox
Giannis S. / Guitars
George T. / Guitars
Labros G. / Drums

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods

1000mods, Repeated Exposure To… (2016)

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Friday Full-Length: 1000mods, Super Van Vacation

Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 21st, 2018 by JJ Koczan

 

At the time Greek heavy rockers 1000mods released their debut album, it would’ve been difficult to understand what it was working to engage. Listen to songs like “7 Flies” or “El Rollito” and “Set You Free.” Listen to “Alice in Navy” and “Johny’s.” Then listen again. Then listen to the five crucial longer pieces: opener “Road to Burn,” “Vidage,” “Track Me,” and the closing duo of “Abell 1835” and the title-cut. Then listen again. On its surface, Super Van Vacation (review here) is a kickass rock record. But as we move inexorably nearer to the end of this decade, I can’t help but think of the impact this record has had.

Super Van Vacation was issued as 10 songs and an overwhelming 65 minutes by Kozmik Artifactz and CTS Productions, and its influences speak for themselves — a strong dose of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, a little bit of Colour Haze thrown into the start of “Track Me,” some earlier Dozer and Lowrider to go around — but more than seven years on from its release, think about the generation of heavy rock that’s come forward. This decade has seen an entirely new league of bands from around Europe and the world at large. It has been a generational shift, fostered in no small part by social media (and yes, I include Bandcamp in that), and as the genre has found a new audience, that audience has proven more receptive to acts from just about everywhere. Not that Greece doesn’t have a history of heavy rock and roll — there’s been Greek psych for as long as there’s been psych, and plenty of Greek metal and rock as well — and Greece has one of the strongest histories of folk music to be found anywhere in Europe. But in thinking specifically about heavy rock, about international desert rock, especially at the start of this decade, Greece could hardly hold a candle to, say, Sweden, or Germany, or the UK when it came to the overall vibrancy of its riff-loving underground. 1000mods seem to have represented a moment of change taking place.

What I mean to say is that Super Van Vacation worked on different terms than a lot of what was happening at the time, and by manifesting inspiration from acts abroad, it entered a conversation that was immediately international in its scope. This wouldn’t have mattered if the quality of the material was lacking, but digging into “Vidage” or “Abell 1835” or the ultra-groove of “El Rollito” — which seems to have been titled for precisely what its rhythm was doing vis a vis roll; it’s more than the little one its name might suggest — 1000mods showed that not only was this new generation happening at that moment, but that it was capable of introducing the burgeoning audience for heavy rock with a grade of craft worthy of what had come before it. Almost inevitably, then, bassist/vocalist Dani G., guitarists Giannis S.and George T., and drummer Labros G. became torchbearers of the Greek underground, which over the next few years would undergo a renaissance of its own, and they’ve lived up to that position with touring and subsequent releases. I won’t say they put Greece on the heavy rock map, because nobody’s ever “first” at anything if you dig deep enough and it would just be too convenient a narrative, but they were the right band from the right place at the right time, and that in itself is a significant accomplishment, before you even get down to hearing any of the songs.

Furthering this multinational engagement was the fact that Super Van Vacation was recorded by Billy Anderson, whose legacy as a producer is unmatched in heavy with a CV 1000mods super van vacationthat includes classic records for Sleep, Neurosis, Acid King and the Melvins, among many, many others. Given the geographical disparity — Anderson on the US West Coast, 1000mods in Chiliomodi, about an hour and a half (depending on traffic) west of Athens — the choice could only have been purposeful, and that too speaks to a conscious decision on the band’s part to broaden their reach. Super Van Vacation wasn’t just about being Chiliomodi’s own Truckfighters. It was about bringing 1000mods to the attention of an multinational heavy underground that, as it turned out, was ready and waiting to receive them. Right record, right time. The fact that they tour their asses off in the years following didn’t hurt them either, certainly. But a Greek band with an American producer and a German label pressing their debut album as a 2LP? This is not a group of minor ambition, and Super Van Vacation realized their goals of positioning them as more than just a local or national act while also showing their potential staying power on that grander stage.

Again, this wouldn’t have been possible at all if the songs weren’t there. But thinking about its double-vinyl structure now, the way it functioned so that sides A, B and C all feature a track north of eight minutes long — “Road to Burn,” “Vidage” and “Track Me,” respectively — and the way the album culminated with “Abell 1835” and “Super Van Vacation,” it’s all the more masterful a construction. I won’t take away from the tightness of the songwriting on the shorter tracks and particularly in the album’s earlier going with “7 Flies,” “El Rollito” and “Set You Free,” but with the longer tracks spaced out as they were, 1000mods were never too far from offering their listeners a real chance at immersion into what they were doing, and they had the tonal depth, the hooks and, in reserve, the spaciousness to make sure they got there. It was almost deceptively multifaceted.

Having already by then toured through Europe and the UK, 1000mods released their second long-player, Vultures (review here), in 2014 and followed that with Repeated Exposure To… (review here) in 2016, the latter through their own label, Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings — a name that, while cumbersome, speaks to their taking what’s been done before and making it their own; the reference being to Kyuss “Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop” — which also oversaw a reissue of Super Van Vacation that same year. The debut was also previously reissued on vinyl through CTS in 2014, and has sold through multiple pressings. Rightfully so, frankly, as clearly it’s a record to which time has been kind and for which the context has only become richer over the course of the years since it first arrived.

1000mods toured ridiculously hard for Repeated Exposure To…, but if one takes a every-two-or-three-years pace for them and new material, they’d be due for a full-length sometime probably later in 2019. We’ll see if we get there, but either way, it’s worth considering how far they’ve come since their start in 2006 and how much they’ve contributed to the sphere of modern European heavy rock. Seems to be plenty at this point, and there’s no indication they’re stopping anytime soon.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

I was pleased with the response to the Top 30 of 2018 list that went up yesterday, which if I’m honest is probably a first. Usually I break my ass putting those things together — keeping track of records in a list all year, fretting for weeks about the order, spending days on the actual writing and the inevitably adjusting the list even after it’s published — and then the first thing I see is someone being like, “Hey you stupid bastard you didn’t include Band X.” I got one comment about a lack of Latin American releases included. Okay. And people have picked out individual things that didn’t get make it for one reason or another — some of which I’ve added to honorable mentions — but by and large the tone has been civil. That’s all I could really ask.

But that’s been nice. So thank you for that.

Next week is Xmas. I’ve been dreading it, honestly. The Patient Mrs., The Pecan and I will spend Xmas Eve here in MA, watching Die Hard and Die Hard 2 at home in our traditional Xmas Eve fashion. Then Xmas Day we head south to Connecticut for family dinner, and then the next day it’s on to New Jersey, where we’ll stay the remainder of winter break until her Spring semester starts — I guess that’s three-plus weeks until about Jan. 17 or so. I’m trying to set up getting a tattoo in that time — it’ll be my first — and beyond that, looking forward to being back there, but I feel like Xmas is the hurdle I have to jump to make it happen. Least favorite holiday? Maybe. There’s some stiff competition there.

For whatever it’s worth, I hope you make the most of yours and enjoy it as much as possible.

Because of holiday and travel, posts will be somewhat sporadic, but I’m hoping to get at least something up every day except perhaps Xmas Day itself since I anticipate being busy with Pecan whatnot and travel. I’ve got a bunch of news catchup happening Monday, and nothing slated for Tuesday, though I’m sure something will come along, but Wednesday is the next review. It’s Horehound. Next week reviews are Horehound, T.G. Olson and Øresund Space Collective. Happy Xmas to me.

But yeah, I hope the holiday anxiety isn’t too much for you as it will invariably consume the entirety of my being pretty much from now until early January.

I have some other writing to do this weekend — a bio for a vinyl release, an update to the PostWax liner notes that I turned in last weekend — so I’ll be around. If we don’t talk before, though, have a good holiday and get through it the best you can. Tell your family you love them. That’s what matters. And if you can, listen to some decent music. The rest is extraneous bullshit.

Gonna punch out for a bit as I expect The Pecan up momentarily. Quick plug that if you haven’t yet, please add your list to the Year-End Poll, and if you can’t remember what came out this year, there are more than 100 records talked about in my own list, so that might be a place to start.

Thanks again for reading and have a great and safe weekend. Forum, radio and merch.

The Obelisk Forum

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1000mods Set to Kick Off European Tour June 18

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 11th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

1000mods

After making their first of hopefully multiple runs of the US earlier this year on a tour presented in part by this very site — and yes, that is 100 percent me bragging on it; let there be no confusion — Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods will be back out in Europe to follow up their April tour with a healthy dose of festival dates and more. They’re hitting Hellfest, Rock im Wald, SonicBlast Moledo and more besides, as their profile continues to grow and their 2016 album, Repeated Exposure To… (review here), continues to justify the fervent support it’s received. All the same, one has to wonder if maybe they’re starting to eye the process of their next full-length, if maybe there’s work being done behind the scenes to but a new collection of songs together. One imagines they’ll have plenty to draw from with all that time on the road, and their future prospects seem brighter than ever as they win more and more hearts and minds to their riffy cause.

Dudes know how to rock and roll. I guess that’s what I’m saying.

Shows are presented by Sound of Liberation. Dates are from the PR wire:

1000mods poster

1000MODS ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN SUMMER TOUR 2018!

THE hottest band of the current heavy rock scene, 1000mods, have just announced to return back on stage in Europe this summer! Following up to their successful April 2018 tour, with numerous sold-out shows all over Europe, their latest Into the Spell tour featured 16 dates in Scandinavia, Baltic countries and Eastern Europe and took the band to a next level. But 1000mods never stand still, and will be heavily touring again this summer! Says the band:”We are really stoked to get back on the road this summer, playing some of the best european festival and some headline shows as well. See you on the road!”

Known for their commitment to vintage equipment, thick and heavy analog sound and remarkably passionate stage performances, make sure to catch 1000mods live on the following dates, including festival and selected club shows presented by Sound of Liberation:

18.06 Hellios 37, Cologne (DE)
20.06 The Underworld, London (UK)
21.06 Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL)
23.06 Hellfest, Clisson (FR)
30.06 Under The Sun, Shinos (GR)
25.07 Metaldays, Tolmin (SI)
26.07 P.M.K, Innsbruck (AT)
27.07 Rock im Wald, Neuensee (DE)
28.07 Beatpol, Dresden (DE)
29.07 Free & Easy Festival, Munich (DE)
30.07 Rockhouse, Salzburg (AT)
04.08 Rapido Molino Music Fest, Preveza (GR)
11.08 Sonic Blast, Moledo (PT)
13.08 Rocklette Palp, Bagnes (CH)
25.08 Bucovina Rock Castle, Suceava (RO)
30.08 Street Mode Festival, Thessaloniki (GR)
01.09 Black Bass Festival, Aquitaine (FR)
21.09 Theatro Vrachon, Athens (GR)

1000mods is:
Dani G. / Bass & Vox
Giannis S. / Guitars
George T. / Guitars
Labros G. / Drums

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods
www.soundofliberation.com/id-1000mods

1000mods, Repeated Exposure To… (2016)

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