“I entered dreaming and returned haunted”
UK alternative/post-hardcore outfit Modern Error, fronted by prolific UK alt scene videographer Zak Pinchin, are a band that took me by surprise the first time I stumbled upon them around the release of single “Error of the World”. Feeling like a strangely well-melded combination of such wide-ranging influences 30 Seconds To Mars, Taking Back Sunday, Nine Inch Nails and Underoath, it was clear that, despite Pinchin and co.’s involvement with the metalcore scene at large, they weren’t intent on chasing the herd, so to speak. That song in particular, as well, stuck out as one of the strongest post-hardcore leaning tracks I’d heard in some time, with a stellar chorus and some fantastic electronics lining the track’s experience. Now, with their debut LP, Victim of a Modern Age, Modern Error seek to explore and expand upon their influence further, to largely positive results.
I can’t deny that the opening four tracks here (short intro track notwithstanding) undeniably represent the strongest material on Victom of a Modern Age. The one-two punch of the aforementioned “Error of the World”, followed quickly by “A Vital Sign” demonstrates Pinchin’s strength in his downright infectious hooks.and creative production. Featuring a light breakdown and evoking a very “The Kill (Bury Me)” energy in its guitar work, “A Vital Sign” proves to be one of the most electrifying post-hardcore tracks I’ve heard in some time. Fourth track “Curtain Call” further impresses with a moody, atmosphere-drenched chorus and some masterfully bright synth work working to truly entrance the listener in Modern Error’s anthemic, earwormy world. However, it’s around this point in Victim of a Modern Age that things take a stark, albeit fairly brief turn for the worse.
The pace of the album is brought to a screeching halt at the halfway point with two interludes, sandwiched around a fully acapella track. Feeling like an extended version of Sleep Token’s “Fall For Me”, “Lull”, especially in the context of its running order placement, saps any and all momentum out of the album experience of Victim of a Modern Age. While I appreciate the boldness and creativity required to even try a vocal-only song, both here and on the Sleep Token record the Imogen Heap-lite song structure fails to evoke much out of me other than boredom past my initial listen. It’s a shame too, as the record starts with such a monumental bang, but by the time the album’s (admittedly strong) second half begins, I’m already beginning to feel a tad disillusioned with some of its structural choices. That said, the second interlude, “[II] Human Error”, injects a tad more life leading into the album’s remaining tracks, with some bombastic, driving drums and pulsating saw synths.
The final stretch of the album certainly leans much more heavily on the Nine Inch Nails influence than many of the alternative rock/post-hardcore influences of the album’s opening, though that’s not entirely to its detriment. While I believe the tracks with those influences at the forefront exemplify the strongest material across the record, tracks like “The Truest Blue”, “Feels Like Violence”, and superb closer “New Age Vibrance” show that Modern Error have quite the knack for creative, driving electronic tracks. The injection of the band’s stellar rock hooks into these tracks gives them a huge edge too, with the album’s massive poppy and industrial-esque closer blending all of Modern Error’s strengths into one cohesive, climactic package. With all that said, however, I believe the frontloading of the rock-focused tracks, and the back-loading of the synth-led cuts gives the album a fairly stark sonic divide. While there’s very little in the way of outright weak tracks in either half, I believe a more mixed up blend of the styles throughout the tracklist would have done wonders for the album’s flow, especially given its lengthy 50-minute, 14-track runtime.
Despite some serious slow-down in the album’s mid-section, Victim of a Modern Age is still an absolute treat for the most part. Well-crafted 2000s throwback alt-rock and post-hardcore jams serve as the truest highlights across the record, and while the abundance of heavily synth- and pad-led tracks can make the album feel a tad sonically repetitive by its end, the production chops and great hooks throughout most of the tracks on display here rarely faltered in keeping me hooked. If nothing else, with their debut LP, Modern Error have proven they’re a band with a boatload of potential and unique flair. And, in time, with some refinement and honing in on their strengths, they could become one of the best bands in post-hardcore.
Victim of a New Age is due for release this Friday, January 21st via Rude Records, and you can pre-order the record here.
7.5/10