The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Labros G. from 1000mods (Chiliomodi, Greece)

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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

First of all, thanks for doing this and thanks a lot for caring! The band is healthy and everyone is safe at home! The plan was to release our new album on the 24th of April and on the 1st of May embark on our headline European tour in order to promote the new album. The spring tour has been postponed and we are still waiting for the rest of summer dates, as we have already booked a lot of festivals and club shows for the whole summer.

The album release date was not affected.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

We are in lockdown. The majority of business have been shut down and most of employees either work from home or have been seriously affected by losing their job or are unsure about their future when this is over.

People are only allowed to get outside for getting supplies, exercise (max two persons) or to walk their dogs and they have to send an SMS to the government in order to declare personal information, time and reason of transfer.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

Since mid-March, all the gigs in Greece have been canceled, all the venues, bars, studios, merch printing companies etc. have been closed. A lot of bands from our scene are being forced to cancel/postpone their European and Greek tours. The music community is united and there have already been some online live sessions, or cover/jam challenges on social media. People try to deal with the quarantine with artistic expression, online socializing and humor.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

? think the whole Covid-19 crisis is a chance to reconsider the structure of our society, the economical system and our future as a human species in general. It’s time for people to prioritize our needs and wants and realize that we are guided by irrational leaders, who reacted really slow on taking the situation seriously, chose to mislead the public with wrong information and prefer thousands of people dying — although we have the science and the technology to prevent this — just in order to continue supporting the rotten capitalistic system and favor the chosen few.

In every crisis there is opportunity for bigger gains and this is exactly what’s happening right now. The only positive outcome is that humanity finally gave nature some time to recover from an unstoppable destroy that takes place the last century. It’s real odd to see in real-time how much, our way of living affects the planet and how nature recovers with just a little bit of human absence. Of course this is not going to bring the solution to big nature problems, like climate change and planet’s overheating, but it clearly shows that if we want to change our planet’s future, we still can.

It’s 2020, we have moved a lot forward with scientific breakthroughs, amazing technology and we have reached a point where knowledge is shared instantly across the world. So I think there are no excuses. It’s in peoples’ hands to decide if we are going to continue the same way, or gonna change our perspective to a more humanistic society powered by solidarity and respect for each other, using all our knowledge and wisdom in order to make people’s lives better.

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

It 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.

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 Mastodon, Isis, 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

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 (Mastodon, Isis, 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

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 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