Modern Error – Victim Of A Modern Age | Album Review

Breaking away from the genre defining stereotypes surrounding melodic hardcore, the Cambridgeshire based duo Modern Error have thrown out all thoughts of self restraint on their latest collection of material.

Victim Of A Modern Age is a defining moment for the band, not only as their first full length record but notably the complexity of its interwoven narrative. A dead set notion that these are musicians prepared to think outside the box would be an understatement. Instead, the band have set out to bear their art from their very souls – with the fragility of life and the proclivities of the human condition being at the center of their show. Twin brothers Kel & Zak Pinchin have attempted to centralize this ever spinning conundrum, and thoroughly document the thought process behind the way we each live our lives. Dividing the record into two halves, this one album could almost be two separate EP’s if it wasn’t for the sizable selection of tracks. 14 song’s in length, the band’s debut album is a poignant adventure for the introverted with two separate chapters invoking comparisons of light & dark, balance & symmetry and the varying thought processes behind the social and the personal. To the untrained ear, the album is simply full of excellent music. To anyone with an additional interest in sonics – the record is an enriching audio experience from start to finish.

Oozing with synths that would make Depeche Mode swoon ‘Modern Age’ acts as the introduction to the whole affair. Delicate and full, it’s almost like being wrapped in a lovely post punk blanket, but any form of comfort is quickly diminished to make way for the brutal onslaught of musicianship in ‘Error of the World’. Easily the best track on the album the second track on the listing has it all, packed with soaring choruses, brutal percussion and an infectious guitar riff to boot. 

It’s easy to forget that we’re getting a sneak preview inside the eyes of some big picture thinkers. There are so many points over the course of the album where you’ll find yourself fully immersed in the instrumentation, that you forget the raw power of their subject matter. As the second half of the record comes into being through ‘Human Error’, the perspective shifts into a dissociated state. Described by its creators as embodying ‘a state of evolution’ the second part of this particular story conveys a space between life and death, the band’s very own astral plane of reflection. ‘Feels Like Violence’ and ‘It’s Just A Feeling’ are groove packed bangers from start to finish, with some nostalgic undertones reminiscent of mid 80’s New Order. If melodic choruses aren’t enough motivation to crank that volume, then the desperate screams interwoven throughout ‘New Age Vibrance’ will deliver the final blow.

The band have chosen their track placement well, with each number on the record fitting as its own piece in a uniquely designed puzzle. Modern Error are like a post-modernist frankenstein, and Victim Of A Modern Age is undoubtedly evolving into their monster.