Interview: CODE

An album I’ve been waiting to listen to, same time curious what would be the sound of it. UK’s Code are back with a new release Flyblown Prince, which, in my opinion, is as good as some of the old band’s music.
To find out some more about the new release and other interesting stuff, I had the pleasure to have a chat with Code’s Aort, who took the time to answer some of my questions.

Welcome to Antichrist `zine Aort, nice having you here, how is everything going?
Hey Carla, thanks for taking them time to speak to us. We are doing well, very much looking forward to releasing Flyblown Prince after such a long gestation period. It is always nice to be at this point in the album’s lifecycle and we are interested to hear what people think.

I was really looking forward the new album and when I finally listened to it, I was impressed. To me, it seems like Flyblown Prince is somehow, a continuation of Augur Nox, because the sound and the elements are similar. Do you agree with it?
It is really good to hear that the album connected with you. For me, now standing back after all is said and done, it probable feels more like a continuation of Resplendent Grotesque to my ears. It certainly has similaritiesa to Augur Nox in terms of its scope and ambition but for me, the sharpness and metallic edge really brings into mind our second album. It also reminds me of that album as there has been so much attention paid to every single detail to try and ensure everything is as perfect as it can be.  That laser focused approach is common to both for sure.

What’s the concept behind Flyblown Prince?
As with all of our albums, there is no single concept behind the album. The topics we cover generally revolve around personal anguish and tribulations but filtered through metaphors and various scenarios and individuals. Our lyrics often can be read literally but there is always a human reflection beneath the surface. The Flyblown Prince of the title is a murderous deviant whose deeds overshadow the individual.

The artwork, what can you tell me about it? How it is reflected with the album concept?
The artwork ended up being a core element of the album’s creation. We simply provided some demo recordings to the artist and asked her to create something which reflected the music. The image ended up being so perfect for the album it eneded up influencing the naming of the album so it’s existence has been woven into the fabric of the album. The visual representation of the anguish that the album portrays is uniquely perfect.

It took you nearly 6 years to release an LP, following Mut’s, still. Why took it so long?
It was a combination of personal circumstances but also how long it takes to release an album from writing of the first note to the final release. The writing for this album took in the region of 1.5 years and the recording/production was another year at least.  From that point on there are a number of months before the album is pressed so the minimum for us would be in the region of three years.  We also wanted to make sure that every aspect of this album was as perfect as it could be and that takes time.  We would tather take a long time to release an album we really stand behind as opposed to rushing something that we don;t think is as good as it can be.

Over the years, your music sound oscillated, from black metal, then going mellow, to a post rock sound, and with Flyblown Prince, back again to the roots. Is this a challenge for you to oscillate from a heavier sound, to a lesser one?
We don’t make changes for the sake of challenging ourselves. Our focus always is to create the music that we think is right for what us happening for us at any particular moment in time.  It is rewarding to filter our music through different styles but always trying to keep that core of what Code is for us. We certainly wouldn;t be content just playing the same music over and over again.  We hope this keeps things interesting for our listeners too.

To what extent are Wacian and the other members involved in music writing process and other band activities, besides you, as the mastermind?
The songs always start with myself by creating full demos which I then send round to the band members.  Each member than has the opportunity to develop their parts as they wish. The person with the most obvious blank canvas is Wacian as I never create any lyrical ideas. The songs are free for him to take in any direction he wishes. I think this approach is very important as each member has their own personality to impart on the music. It would be very boring if it all came from a single mind.

I was talking with a friend about music and bands, including Code, and he wondered if you ever consider to release a metal version of Mut. Would you?
I would consider our EP Lost Signal as the place to go if you want to hear more metal versions of songs from Mut. We recorded three songs from that album in a more traditional metal way so the results are plain to see. I don’t think we would necessarily want to do the whole album in that way but in terms of an interesting experiment, Lost Signal is your answer.

If the current pandemic situation will cool down and bands can hit the stage, are you planning a tour?
It is too early to plan anything at this stage unfortunately. I think we would have to get to a point where the situation is more stable, and plans can be made without a big risk of them falling through.  When we get to that point we would definitely like to do some shows and hopefully visit some more places we haven’t yet been too.  It is too early to say for sure just now, but we are certsinly looking forward to the time when we can play some of our new songs for you.

Thanks a lot for your time Aort, it was my pleasure having this interview with you. Cheers!
Thanks to you too Carla for taking the time to speak with me. It is always a pleasure to share some words about what we are doing so thank you for your time and thoughtful questions!

https://www.facebook.com/codeblackmetal
https://codeblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/flyblown-prince