1000mods – Cheat Death

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · December 9, 2024

The 1000mods are a stoner rock/ metal band from Chiliomodi, Greece. They formed in 2006 and are considered pioneers in the heavy desert/ riff rock genre. The band currently consists of Dani G on bass and vocals, Giorgos T on guitars, and Labros G on drums. Their past recordings includes: 2007’s Blank Reality EP, 2009’s The Woodrose Effect EP, 2009’s Liquid Sleep EP, 2011’s Super Van Vacation, 2014’s Vultures, 2016’s Repeated Exposure To…, and 2020’s Youth of Dissent. The band just released their latest album Cheat Death on Ripple Music. The official release date was November 8th 2024, in which the album contains nine songs in just over an hour long.

Cheat Death is the first recording for the Mods in over four years. The musical style of the band has continued to evolve since their debut album, Super Van Vacation. Not satisfied to cling to their Kyuss worship musical style that was prominent on their early albums, the 1000mods shifted their sound noticeably on 2020’s Youth Of Dissent, which is my least favorite from them. However, when I saw the band play live twice on last year’s US tour, I can appreciate Youth Of Dissent more now. They were phenomenal on those shows and I love all of their albums prior to Youth. With that stated, I was a little concerned that Cheat Death would be a flop, according to my musical tastes and interests. The band also scaled down their lineup from a quartet to a power trio with this one. Thankfully, I am happy to report, that is not the case with the album. To be fair, it did take several listens for me to be on board with the band’s most current musical direction.

“Overthrown” leads the album with an unmistakable metal sound with its chug style riffing and sporadic guitar leads. It definitely infuses more heavy metal elements than stoner rock. The simplicity of the riffing matched with Dani G’s vocals might take the old school Mod fans a bit of time to digest and appreciate. That was the case with me with this one, but it does grow on you the more you hear it. “The One Who Keeps Me Down” is more punchy with the drums and then bass starting things up. It still sounds metallic but has a faster pace and some background singing too. I must say, musically it’s pretty stellar with the excellent guitar leads and harmonies which are all throughout the record. The third track “Gotzen Hammer” is a pounder! The heavy crunchy riffing from Giorgos T accompanied by Labros G’s hard hitting drumming is a winner with this one. The vocals are catchy too with more tasteful singing. “Astral Odor” sounds akin to Youth Of Dissent style of the 1000mods, which is slightly laidback and incorporating more melodies in the music. It’s a cool song that has a nice flow about it.

The fifth track “Love” delivers more subtle heaviness and keeps on point with the melodies. There’s no question about the quality of the musicianship from the band. The end segment of the song in particular, where the leads are soaring with excellent percussive pounding to accommodate them. The next song Speedhead” is a high octane rocker! It’s one of my favorites from Cheat Death, and carries a Motörhead stampede throughout. It also envelops more background vocals and a cool bridge riffing before the leads kick in. “Misery” scales the pace back down for most of the duration until just before the 4:30 mark. The song then shifts with a cool guitar Maiden-esc NWOBHM riff, with accents and a flurry of guitar leads. “Bluebird” is a beautiful classical guitar instrumental which serves as a sort of interlude. The title track “Cheat Death” is next and boasts more traditional metal rhythms and melodies.

The ninth and final track on Cheat Death is called “Grey, Green Blues”. The ten minute monster melody is excellent. It has a chilled out vibe to it that encapsulates mesmerizing bluesy guitar leads with soothing keyboards layered on top. The vocals have an echo type flange effect that gives the song a psychedelic feel to it. The music is a cosmic jam session that fabricates the song into a sonic assembly of artistry.

The 1000mods have created a decent album in Cheat Death, one that might derail some fans expecting to hear Vultures part two or Repeated Exposure To…, again. That is not the case with this record because the band is doing what they want to do, musically speaking. They are expanding into a new and progressive style that sounds more metal than their previous albums. Even though I am more in tune with their past offerings, I can appreciate the change in style and praise the band for not settling on a formula that was comfortable for them. The goal of an artist is to create and the Mods are doing just that by expanding their musical horizons, based on their own drives and ambitions.