Review Summary: A step in the right direction and a fun stoner/psychedelic album.
Is it because metal fans in Greece are suckers for ‘70s rock? Is it because most young guys are introduced to the wonderful world of heavy metal by Black Sabbath? Or is it because the name Kyuss is perceived as legendary and mystical to the ears of 30 plus year olds who are a major part of the stoner scene? Regardless of the answer, the scene in Greece has been extremely active during the last few years and boasts bands such as Nightstalker, Planet of Zeus, Lord 13 and on this occasion 1000mods.
The Greek stoner/psychedelic band was formed in 2006 and since then has released one LP and has toured with the likes of The Grand Astoria, Samsara Blues Experiment, Radio Moscow and Colour Haze among others. Their debut
Super Van Vacation was released in 2011 and included well-played stoner rock infused with generous doses psychedelic influences. So generous, that the album consisted of 10 tracks and clocked in 65 minutes. Even though the quality of the music on
Super Van Vacation was high, the duration of its tracks made the album drag at some points which also impacted the band’s live performances.
Vultures is 1000mods’ sophomore release and those of you who are familiar with their debut will find one major difference compared to the band’s debut. The album is significantly shorter as it clocks at 38 minutes which is due to the decreased average duration of its tracks as well as having two songs less than its predecessor. In addition,
Vultures sounds somewhat darker and less feel-good than
Super Van Vacation. However, apart from those two points,
Vultures is quite consistent with what 1000mods presented us on their debut; very well performed stoner/psychedelic rock that brings to mind bands such as Nightstalker on their more catchy tunes, Monster Magnet and 35007 on their spacey/trippy moments and Kuyss on their desert influenced/heavier tracks. However, their sound is thicker than that of Nightstalker, less psychedelic than Monster Magnet and less heavy than Kyuss. Their singer’s voice resembles that of Spiritual Beggars’ on
Ad Astra and those of you who are into stoner will feel that he sounds quite similar to a lot of his contemporaries. Generally,
Vultures is quite an easy listen and certainly easier to get into than
Super Van Vacation. Those of you who seek for standout tracks will have no problem enjoying songs such as the heavy “She”, the groovy “Low”, or the Nightstalker-ish title track.
In conclusion,
Vultures seems like a step forward compared to the band’s debut as 1000mods followed a similar formula but worked on making their music a bit more fun and easier to play in front of live audiences. The album sounds organic and fuzzy and those of you who enjoyed
Super Van Vacation will definitely get a kick out of this one.
