MODE: Press

Iz Oklahoma Citya dolazi sastav MODE. Postoje od 2001. godine i krenuli su kao anarcho / punk / metal bend. U postavi su trio kojeg cine: Jody - gitara i prateci vokal, Andy - bas, te Rich- bubnjevi i glavni vokal. Tokom 2003. godine snimali su materijal za do sada jedini izasli full-length, koji se na trzistu pojavio tokom 2004. godine. Ucestvovali su, takodje, sa numerom "Revolt" i na kompilaciji "Skratch Magazine"-a Vol. 2, a to je bilo septembra 2005. godine. Njihova pesma "Anthem", takodje je bila selektovana za naj-pesmu dana u prestiznom webzineu "Garageband".

"The Deafening Momenth Of Truth" je izdanje koje trio realizuje u sopstvenoj reziji, i na albumu se naslo 10 numera. Bend u svojoj tekstualnoj poruci ima antiestablishment stav, a sama muzika predstavlja neku varijantu sirovog i neuvijenog metal / punka. Danas mali broj sastava izvodi ovakvu formu, a tesko se MODE mogu porediti sa nekim na sceni egzistirajuci slicnom bendom. Pomalo neuobicajeno, njihove songove karakterisu teski rifovi koje prate nihilisticki stavovi. Moze se reci da su interesantan bend i u dobroj meri originalan, iako se samoj tehnickoj realizaciji materijala mogu pronaci odredjene zamerke.

Mode,"The Deafening Moment of Truth" (Indie Release)
Mode is an Oklahoma trio whose punk meets metal delivery sounds like DRI jamming with Venom, as the crossover vocals found throughout this 10-track endeavor are gleefully off center and fit the chaotic motif that songs like “Stallin’ 4 Time” and “E.O.A.” quite well (not to mention that the drummer is the lead singer, a cumbersome task to say the least). Songs like the point-blank “It’s A Lie” and the rebellious “Anti” embody the group’s anarchistic tendencies, while the upbeat “Pig Stomp” takes pages from Gwar musically while retaining a hard political stance lyrically. These guys are bursting with attitude and brimming over with early hardcore and punk’s revolutionary spirit, a nuance that all but overrides the outfit’s monochromatic minimalist metal approach and gives them the leeway to growl off key, drill bludgeoningly redundant riffs in your head, and ultimately come off way more cheesy than intended.

MODE – THE DEAFENING MOMENT OF TRUTH
Mode hails from Oklahoma City and judging by the number of anarchist symbols on its demo disc is an actual anarchist band and not just stealing the symbolism. The lyrics come across as topical and angry, but the music is hardly accomplished. The entire full-length is quite simplistic and betrays a certain weakness in instrumentation and composition. Quite possibly the message is more important to the trio than the musical delivery, although the group must be aware that music is the prerequisite either way. The best track here is Anthem with its foray into structure and riffing. The demo is already two years old so the band might have improved by now. See for yourself by either emailing modetheband@yahoo.com or by visiting www.modetheband.com.

I Mode sono un gruppo che fa del punk/metal e dell'anarchia (almeno a giudicare dall'iconografia, ci sono un sacco di A cerchiate!!) una vera e propria bandiera. Provengono dall'Oklahoma e questo "The Deafening Moment Of Truth" dovrebbe essere il loro primo lavoro. Il CD si presenta piuttosto professionale, con la scritta "Mode" in copertina su uno sfondo "simil-stoffa". All'interno sono riportati i titoli, le classiche note, ecc.
Purtroppo dal punto di vista musicale i Mode lasciano abbastanza a desiderare e anche dopo diversi ascolti non sono riuscito a trovare motivi di interesse in questo album. Tecnica approssimativa, scarsa inventiva e, cosa peggiore, poco tiro; i pezzi non sono trascinanti e perdono d'interesse dopo un minuto...
Un riff dal vago sapore Monster Magnet / El Caco / Motörhead ci introduce a "Leech", un pastone di metal e punk appunto con voce declamatoria alla Lemmy. Niente di speciale, musicalmente, anche perché dopo la partenza fulminante il pezzo non mantiene la carica che aveva fatto intravedere.
E questo, ahimè, è il difetto che troveremo in tutti i pezzi che seguono. I brani partono, ma non decollano mai, anzi... a volte le canzoni non riescono a seguire il buon incipit iniziale. Probabilmente anche a causa della pochezza tecnica del gruppo, non so. Il fatto è che per suonare questo genere, come qualsiasi altro del resto, bisogna avere sì grinta e attitudine, ma anche un pizzico di vivacità. I brani si sviluppano quasi tutti su uno o due riff e già dopo pochi secondi si ha una fastidiosa sensazione di già sentito, anche perché i pezzi tendono ad assomigliarsi tutti. Le parti vocali sono a carico del batterista e del chitarrista. Le voci risultano rabbiose al punto giusto, ma anche eccessivamente monocordi e, in definitiva, stancanti alla lunga.
Le migliori cose si ascoltano sicuramente nel brano di apertura "Leech" o nell'ossessiva e martellante "It's A Lie". Non che ci siano chissà quali mirabilie, solo che l'insieme funziona meglio che negli altri pezzi. Anche "Anthem", che ha un riff alla "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", sembra meglio delle altre. O "Stallin' 4 Time", che piazza un riff un po' diverso dagli altri dopo un inizio che ricorda i Black Sabbath dell'esordio...
Per il resto ci troviamo di fronte a riff sgangherati ed esecuzioni approssimative.
In conclusione non mi sento certo di convogliarvi l'ascolto di "The Deafening Moment Of Truth", album complessivamente piatto e affatto trascinante. I testi probabilmente sarebbero quantomeno da leggere, ma non sono inclusi nel CD.

MODE/The Deafening Moment Of Truth-This band play sort of metal thrash in a old school kind of way. The band are playing a style of music that not many bands are playing these days. I love the vocals, they are sung with feeling and the guy reminds me of EL Duce from The Mentors at times. The music is sort of like Kyuss at times. A cool release for sure.

The trio from Oklahoma City known as MODE leave no questions as to what they are all about. Formed in 2001, this anarchist punk/groove metal outfit has gigged heavily in their local area and released a debut full-length, The Deafening Moment of Truth. Embracing an anti-establishment message in their lyrics, MODE spreads their message like a shotgun blast through highly aggressive riffs and throat-shredding vocals.

Anger and aggression are in no short supply on The Deafening Moment of Truth, from the opening chords of "Leech" to the closing note of "Wigout + Die". Vocalist (and drummer) Rich has an uncommon style that couldn't be a better fit for the band's ideology. With a voice gritty to the point of being painful, he lashes out the lyrics with venom - this is a guy who believes in the words he's singing. Musically, the songs are fairly simple constructs featuring heavy, often distorted riffing and common drum patterns. Things get a bit more interesting on "Revolt", a song with a very catchy groove and some flavorful bass lines. "It's A Lie" follows with some classic guitar licks and an old-school thrash vibe mixed with more modern stop-start riffing. Speaking of old-school thrash, the song "Anthem", my choice for top song on the album, feels like something right out of the Bay Area circa 1985. A heavy dose of doomy riffs and fuzzy licks keep it from sounding cliché. Of course, the classic theme from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" is given an excellent lead guitar rendition on "G.B.D.". The guitar solos are sparse on The Deafening Moment of Truth, but Jody more than makes up for it on this instrumental track. Shawn's bass is discernable throughout the album, but takes prominence on the anarchist anthem "Pig Stomp". He has since left the band, replaced by Andy.

MODE has an identity all their own, something rare among new bands in this day and age. With a little more songwriting experience, I wouldn't be surprised to see them quickly scratch their way up from the underground. The Deafening Moment of Truth is a solid debut and should definitely attract some well-deserved attention to this Oklahoma triple-threat.

Oklahoma City's MODE describes themselves as musical anarchy and I think it's an apt decription. the music is angry diatribes against injustice with a pure dose of metal.
Formed in 2001, MODE originally began as an original punk/metal groove band after placing third in a local battle of the bands. They went on to record 'The Deafening Moment of Truth'as their first independent debut.
There are ten on this offering starting with the first track " Leech" which is a fast paced song that probably goes over well live. Second song "Anti" doesnt change the formula too much but kicks in with more of a chorus, the chant "AntiSocial Behavior". Other tracks worth mentioning are "Revolt" and the more grooving "Anthem".
The songwriting is very simple but yet integrates muscial aspects well. Overall, they make up in enthusiasm what the album lacks in production. It's a good effort for an independent release.