Modder - Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun (Album Review)

Release Date: October 03rd 2025. Record Label: Consouling Sounds / Lay Bare Recordings . Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun - Tracklisting

1.Stone Eternal

2.Mather 

3.Type 27

4.Mutant Body Double

5.Chaoism

6.In The Sun

Members

Mathlovsky

Gregory Simons

Maurice van der Es

Simon Felix

Jamal Talibi

Review.

Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metallers MODDER destroyed my whole world with their epic 2023 album The Great Liberation Through Hearing which became my favourite instrumental album of that year. I’m pleased to say the band may have achieved that honour again with their brutally heavy and groove addicted masterpiece that is Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun. This album follows the same destructive path as that album but gives it more Grind, Industrial and Electronic based charges with impressive technical melodies being added for a different kind of sound as well.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun doesn’t follow a simple creative linear with MODDER deconstructing their own musical legacy that they’ve built with their last two albums and then reshaping into something wholly different with a more primal attitude delving into harsh SONIC outbursts of EXTREME metal at times.

This sound is already fully formed and primed to explode within the stunning opening track Stone Eternal where MODDER welcomes the listener into their superbly horrifying world with dark Sludge Metal melodies and harsh Industrial landscapes. The sudden emergence of Psych, Cosmic and Electronica beats just pushes the whole Grind/Thrash attitude of MODDER’s sound into something groundbreaking and original within its own right.

Second track Mather continues with that aggressive and melodic style of music that could easily have appeared on their previous album. The sudden Thrash/Grind/Groove Metal beats pushes the Doom/Sludge Metal narrative into the background at times but this is still absolutely thrilling to experience with MODDER embracing a nightmarish style of Industrial Metal before embracing their Psych/Doom/Sludge Metal heritage. The sound is more direct here with pounding instrumental passages feeling like you’re being hit over the head with Thor’s legendary hammer MJONHIR. 

The highly collective use of Ambient sounds and Electronic glitches makes a welcome return from the last MODDER record but with a haunting Post-Rock energy holding everything together before MODDER explodes into violent musical one upmanship against each other. There are times where you think each individual band member is battling each other for musical domination and creative supremacy but still having that sublime “WORKING TOGETHER” momentum fully fleshed out at the same time.

Third track Type 27 allows MODDER to enter a world of Mastodon based Post-Doom/Post-Sludge passages before “KICKING OFF” yet again with another foray into complex metal breakdowns with a thrilling Progressive Sludge Metal narrative forming. The sound is equally vibrant and brutally dark with MODDER performing one of the most technically accomplished sounds I’ve heard from them. The haunting Post-Rock melodies offer a brief sense of humanity and emotion to MODDER’s core but that’s soon wrapped away with a daring style of Progressive Stoner Metal rhythms that once again sees the band redefine their sound and we’re just only half way through the album.

The second half of the album is equally brutal, weird, hypnotic and brilliantly original as the first half with MODDER exploring their more Primal side on tracks Mutant Body Double and In The Sun. The music becomes a bit more experimental but MODDER never loses sight of what made them such a great band in the first place. However, it’s the most unexpected quieter moments that appear within the heavier parts of the album that make Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun such a soulful and beautiful record to listen to.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun is without doubt the best instrumental album of the year with MODDER showcasing highly original sounds of their very own making. MODDER are perhaps becoming my favourite Instrumental Metal band which is down to their unique musical perspective and breaking new ground in delivering new styles of extreme heaviness to the genre but still remaining completely TRUE to the absolute scene as well.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Destroying Ourselves For A Place In The Sun is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from the links below:

Consouling Sounds

Lay Bare Recordings

 

Links

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Old Skin - Wails Of Ten Thousand (Album Review)

Release Date: February 21st 2025. Record Label: Cursed Monk Records. Formats: DD

Wails Of Ten Thousand - Track Listing:

1.Crosspusher 05:22

2.Arch of Skulls 00:41

3.Vessel (Brainworm) 04:21

4.Hissing House 05:14

5.Acid Bath 01:38

6.Shattered Blade 04:24

7.Cauterizing Hammer 06:45

Members

Vocals: Matt Dooley & Kyle Milam

Guitar: Hayden Cooley

Bass: Joe Helzer

Drums: Kyle Milam

Noise: Gage Christopherson

Review

Wails Of Ten Thousand is the new album from Grind/Death/Sludge Metallers Old Skin and they also bring an abrasive style of Noise, Doom, Hardcore and Thrash into the mix. The music is brutally aggressive but has a distinctive NOLA flavour at times with Old Skin never afraid to show theit Extreme Metal credentials. With influences ranging from EYEHATEGOD, COFFINS and FISTULA, the band is quite direct with their music with Psychedelic noises, glitchy noise effects and ambient sounds, this album is quite hard to pin down at first though it’s perhaps suited to the more extreme crowd. 

The opening batch of songs of Crosspusher, Arch Of Skulls and Vessels allows Old Skin to create a violent, chaotic and unpleasant blend of brutal vocals and downtuned grooves with the “GRIND” based instrumental passages only having fine amounts of melody and a “FUCK-TON” of industrialized Sludge/Thrash beats. 

The record lasts for around twenty eights mins with Old Skin delivering a great style of harsh atmospherics which fully sells their “Industrial” and “Noise” metal surroundings throughout the whole album. Old Skin do have quite methodical and melodic approach to their music which is quite surprising with the extreme levels of heaviness the band conjure up especially on tracks such as Vessel (Brainworm), Hissing House and Cauterizing Hammer. These tracks even sees Old Skin develop a heavier Post-Metal backdrop with the frenzied “GRIND” guitars leaving you wanting to hear and take more punishment.

Wails Of Ten Thousand is a demonically charged record that pulls no punches with it’s thrilling style of Extreme music with a sublime level of Prog Metal appearing at the right time. Old Skin have delivered the brutal goods with Wails Of Ten Thousand.

LISTEN AT YOUR OWN PERIL - This is an absolute BEAST of an album.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Modder - The Great Liberation Through Hearing (Album Review)

Release Date: November 17th 2023. Record Label: Consouling Sounds / Lay Bare Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Great Liberation Through Hearing - Tracklisting

Belly Ache

Gazing Into Domination

Doom Denker

Feral Summer

The Devil Is Digital

These Snakes

Members

Maurice van der Es - Bass

Gregory Simons - Drums

Mathlovsky - Guitars

Simon Felix - Electronics 

Jamal Talibi- Guitars

Review

Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metallers Modder released in my opinion the best Instrumental Sludge Metal album back in 2021 and I believe they’ve achieved that feat again with their epic new album The Great Liberation Through Hearing. Modder have recreated their sound from the ground up by aiming for a harsher, heavier and more penetrative sound that encompasses moments of Psych Metal, Grind, Thrash, Groove, Progressive Metal whilst maintaining their original Doom/Sludge Metal creative stance.

The record is bursting with highly intense melodic energy that even branches out into moments of Cosmic Metal with overflows of Post-Metal sounds throughout the entire album. This feels like a different band compared to their debut album which you’ll experience on the epic opening track of Belly Ache with Modder playing a more volatile blend of Sludge Metal with that newfound Grind based energy. The song never waivers with its delivery of harsh noises, psychedelic interludes and sludgy doomed out guitars. 

Modder takes a more SONIC based approach on the second track Gazing Into Domination which has moments of subtle Ambient Post-Rock energy which has a slight PELICAN or ISIS energy within the more mellow parts of the track. However, it’s the subtle interplay between Sludge Metal soundscapes and Doomgaze energy that allows Modder to breathe exciting new life into the Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metal theatre. HIghly atmospheric and beautifully melodic which does offer moments of aggressive down-tuned grooves that are quite thrilling to hear.

Third track Doom Denker is a track that could have easily come from their celebrated debut album but with a more captivating Ambient energy with the eerie soundbytes and trippy Psychedelic effects allowing Modder to orchestrate a gloomy story without the need for words or vocals. The mood is quite harsh and volatile which allows the band to play many different levels of Progressive Sludge moments with sludgy down-tuned guitars adding a more Thrash based perspective. The song does offer a lot of “stop-start” moments but it’s one of the standout moments of the track. 

The second half of the album is where the “Grind” element comes into focus with classic beats that remind me of Genghis Tron with freaky glitch-out sounds appearing on the stunning fourth track Feral Summer. The movement is very fast-paced and aggressive but there’s also a catchy breakdown sound with Modder once again playing a different style of Instrumental beats aligning themselves with the Progressive and Psychedelic attitude that Modder continues to develop and build upon.

The final two tracks of The Devil Is Digital and These Snakes continues with the sonic exploration with flashes of Psych, Grind and Spaced Out Doom all overflowing into each other but with a more nomadic and doomed out perspective. The tone is quite cold at times but the muscular instrumental jams allow everyone in Modder the perfect opportunity to showcase what great musicians they are. Perhaps the most outlandish and exciting parts of the album are heard right here. 

The Great Liberation Through Hearing is an outstanding record on all fronts and levels with sublime production values allowing Modder to become one of the most exciting voices within the Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metal scene. 

 Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Consouling Sounds for the promo.

The Great Liberation Through Hearing will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Consouling Sounds and Lay Bare Recordings from November 17th 2023.

Links

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