Girl at the Rock Shows

Back in high school, I used to dream of moving to Australia. Now that I’ve grown older, I realize that it’s not just cute boys on Myspace who live over there (yes, I know I’m dating myself with that statement, but here we are), and that there are monstrous spiders and critters that I want nothing to do with. Long story short, I no longer wish to move to Australia, but after hearing a couple of songs from Sydney-based Modus Fire, I’m wondering if I could put up with those monstrous spiders and critters just to see this band live, because they absolutely caught my attention and stole my heart. There’s no time or money for a trip like that right now, so let’s dig into their new album, ‘The Weary & The Wise’, and see if that satisfies instead.

This eleven-song album kicks off with “Evil Geniuses.” High-flying horns kick this song off before the band settles into their super unique and intriguing hard-rock leaning sound. I’ll be honest, the chorus of this song isn’t quite for me just due to that hard rock influence that sounds like something straight out of my ex-boyfriend’s record collection but the way this band incorporates horns and interesting patterns throughout this three and a half minute opener is why this band has stuck with me ever since the first time I heard them. Sure, there’s something almost predictable about some of this song, but there are other moments where the band goes into a super eerie minor-based chord progression, and other times when the horns seem to come out of nowhere. Long story short, this opening song kept me on my toes and has me so excited to see what the other ten songs on this album bring to the table.

We all know “Toxicity” from System of a Down (at least I hope we all do), which is the first thing that came to mind when I saw that the second track on this album shares the same name. Maybe it was that association, but this second track brings a little SOAD kind of dramatic flair to the table, which is emphasized by those bombastic horns that Modus Fire does so well. There’s a slight reggae influence in some of this track, which, again, intrigued me. It shouldn’t work with Modus Fire’s overall sound or vibe, but then again, this band doesn’t really have a particular sound or vibe. It’s all over the place, and that’s what makes everything this band does feel so fresh.

The switch between the more carefree vibe of “Toxicity” and the angrier and stronger feeling of “F.U.” is as dramatic as this band is, and it’s perfect. Again, now I have System of a Down on my mind, and I feel like this song incorporates some elements of that band, but there’s also something just a bit more aggressive about it. The horns seem to hit a bit harder, and the vocals seem to have a slightly darker hue; I love it all. “F.U.” was instantly a favorite of mine because of this newfound feeling of angst.

Just when I felt comfortable in this angsty world, the band changed it all over again for “Concentrate.” The lyrics from this song instantly got me. “I think I have the attention span the flight time of a boomerang.” I know that’s a funny line, but it’s also painfully accurate. The song continues to go on with many one-line zingers, each one more relatable than the last, but it all comes to a head with the chorus. The chorus features lines like “Oh I wonder what I’ve got to do to be on top of it like you,” and “So I’d better get my shit together”. Again, sentiments that we can all relate to, and some days, are the kinds of things we need to hear from someone else just to know that we aren’t alone as we try to navigate this thing called life.

“Throw All Your Shit in a Lake” seems to be a bit of a turning point in this album. The carefree vibe of Modus Fire has given way to something much more serious and much more political. As the title of this song may suggest, this song urges you to “Throw all your shit in a lake” because, as the lyrics go on to tell you, “its value is fake and was built on the backs of indentured slaves”. Not only has the message completely changed. So has the energy. This song is threatening and intense. It’s punk-forward with no shortage of metal energy. At just a few seconds over two minutes, it’s a short song, but it’s absolutely one that stands out on this already genius album.

Up next is “Overreacted.” I reviewed this track a couple of months ago with a deep dive, so I won’t get super into it here and, instead, urge you to check out that single review HERE! Although I don’t want to rehash the whole review for you again here, hearing this song again for the first time in a couple of weeks made me smile from ear to ear. It’s just a super good song and definitely seems to be a defining track of this band that refuses to be truly defined, but just one phrase or descriptor.

“The Eys of Oberon” seems to showcase more of the swagger that this band has. Again, this song leans a bit more heavily into the hard rock vein of things than what I typically do, but the swagger with which each beat is drenched in was more than enough to have me sold on this track. The lyrical content of this song is as epic as the sound of the track. It tells the story of Oberon. Who is Oberon? Well, just listen to this song and you will realize that he is something to fear, but also something that makes for a truly epic saga.

The band turns back into a political band with “Smoke All the Profits”. This is another super catchy track, but it was the first line that won my heart over. “I wonder can you heal the world with poetry?” Like the rest of this album, these are straightforward words but it’s the way that they are strung together and the emotion that they are conveyed with. This song is much lighter than “The Eys of Oberon,” but it hits just as powerfully. Returning to the more reggae roots vibe laid out in “Toxicity,” I love how this band seems to continue making callbacks to small intricacies from previous songs while ensuring every song feels fresh and unique at the same time.

From that funky and fresh reggae tone to something a bit more serious and hard-rockin’, “Douse” brings it back to Modus Fire’s bombastic sound that blends so many things together that, honestly, should not go together. There’s a tenderness in this song that comes through here and there, but don’t let it fool you; this song is just as powerful as the rest and leads in perfectly to “Remember When,” which seems to share the same more serious sentiment but comes with even more of that tender touch. This isn’t a ballad in the classic sense, but in the world of Modus Fire, this is the most ballad-like track that they have to offer, and I love it. It continues to show yet another side of this multifaceted band.

‘The Weary & The Wise’ ends with “Sandcastles.” At nearly six minutes long, this is the longest track on the album and definitely feels like it —but not in a bad way. This song is truly epic. It’s as if it’s Modus Fire’s way of trying to make sure that you don’t forget their name. This song has it all: power, tenderness, those bombastic horns, and that swagger-filled, endless energy. Although this song may not have hooked me like some of the previous tracks, I definitely think it does a great job of wrapping everything up on this album.

Tl;dr – Modus Fire’s sound is unique. If you don’t like what you hear in a particular moment, just hang on because it’s bound to change. There were parts of this album that weren’t really for me. Moments that leaned more into the hard rock side of things that I go, but I was able to look past them and truly get lost in the magic of this band that refuses to be put into a box. The creativity, talent, and passion are evident in every song, and come on, who doesn’t love an insanely amazing horn section?

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