1000mods

A throwback to a simpler time of no-frills hard rock, 1000MODS continue driving forward for devotees of slow-burning metal. Their steady climb began with the breakthrough debut Super Van Vacation (2011) and has been sustained by regular releases—among them the fan favorites Vultures (2014) and Youth of Dissent (2020)—plus repeated tours across Europe and North America.

Formed in the Greek village of Chiliomodi, the quartet drew their name from local roots: “chilia” means “1,000” in Greek, turning the band’s moniker into a playful nod to their birthplace. Childhood friends singer/bassist Dani Gaitanidis, guitarists Giannis Sotriopoulos and Georgios Tsirtsis, and drummer Labros Gerolymatos began making music together in 2006; by decade’s end they had issued the EPs Blank Reality (2007) and Liquid Sleep (2009). For their first full-length they enlisted producer Billy Anderson, whose résumé already included landmark experimental rock albums by Sleep, Swans, and Mr. Bungle. Super Van Vacation (2011) introduced the enduring fan favorites “Vidage” and “Road to Burn”—still the group’s most-streamed tracks—and was promoted through extensive European touring.

The rest of the 2010s saw 1000MODS steadily gain momentum, issuing Vultures (2014) with its standout cuts “Claws,” “Low,” and “Horses’ Green,” followed by repeated exposure to… in 2016. Each album cycle was backed by nonstop road work and festival dates that placed them alongside Karma to Burn, Colour Haze, and Brant Bjork. Their initial American tour in support of repeated exposure to… also planted the seeds for a stylistic shift. Youth of Dissent (2020) largely replaced the slower, shaggier jams of earlier work with a more streamlined modern-rock approach; the record was tracked in Seattle with producer/engineer Matt Bayles, a local figure who had assisted sessions for Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, co-founded Minus the Bear, and produced Mastodon’s first three albums.

Further expansion arrived with Cheat Death (2024), again produced by Bayles. The band explored fresh sonic territory while returning to sludge-metal-inspired tempos and lengths, resulting in what both the members and their audience consider their heaviest statement to date. The album also marked their first release as a trio after guitarist Sotriopoulos departed; several substitute players filled the second-guitar role on subsequent European and American tours.