‹code› pour l'album "Nouveau Gloaming"

1. To begin, a very classical question : could you present the band and its story so far?

Code was formed through the need to get back to the roots of what black metal means to us and to present it in a contemporary and modern way. We formed in 2002 and have one demo (“Neurotransmissions”) and one album (“Nouveau Gloaming”) behind us. “Nouveau Gloaming” was released in May of this year and features eight hymns of strange and eerie darkness.


2. Why did you choose this band name? What is its signification?

The word “Code” is very ambiguous, the use of this work in conjunction with the band is designed for the listener to make up his/her own mind what it means in this context. Pacts? Secret messages? Ciphers? The meaning of life? Whatever you want it to be...


3. When I heard "Nouveau Gloaming" for the first time, I was very surprised by your music. How would you define it? How is born the "Code" style?

The backbone of “Nouveau Gloaming” is undoubtedly early 90s black metal. That is where our hearts and our roots lie. We have tried to capture the feel of this golden era and entwine it with a modern perspective on black metal... one that is borne from experience and hindsight. It is not a completely traditional black metal album in that sense as the goal was to always capture the atmosphere we wanted, but to arrive at this result through a number of different paths, which include strange, eerie harmonies both musically and vocally.


4. Who composed this first album? Were you influenced by any bands?

The music was essentially written by myself (Aort) and the vocals by Kvohst, but we had some help. Musically, the embellishments the rest of the band provided have really breathed life into the compositions, particularly the bass lines that were written by the Viper (Vicotnik). Lyrically people other than Kvohst helped by providing words but it is Kvohst's unique style that clings to the whole album.

Influences? Well early 90s black metal in general is always going to be a big influence but we never set out to emulate any particular band. We are all fans of music, and not just metal but a wide range of styles so all these disparate influences would have worked their way into us and would have helped mould the album.


5. Can you tell us more about the concept of "Nouveau Gloaming"?

There is no real concept behind the album. In essence it is music in it's simplest form... eight tracks that are designed to work their way under your skin and keep you hooked. I think it is a very dense album with many sinister and strange moods, but all fixed about it's core, which is cold and hard black metal.


6. The sound on this album is raw and modern at the same time. Was it the way you always wanted your music sound? How spent the recording process?

Yes exactly, the balance between atmosphere and power was the balance we were constantly trying to achieve and I think we have managed to capture that. I think the album does have it's own sound, the guitar sound for instance is quite unlike any other I have heard, yet it still fits the requirements of a good black metal guitar sound... biting, harsh and full.

We recorded the album in three weeks in Savonlinna, Finland in December 2003. There was then a long gap before we mixed the album in Oslo, Norway in June 2004 and it the mastering was completed in December 2004, so it was a long time in the making. To get the sound we wanted it had to be this way, we didn't want to rush, or to compromise in any way, we knew that a bad production would ruin the album.


7. What do you think about the actual black metal scene? Do you feel a part of it?

To an extent I feel a part of the scene. There are so many bands these days that it is impossible to keep up with everything and to be honest, I wouldn't want to. If something is good, I will hear about it eventually. I know a lot of very good/genuine people through black metal, and I have a pretty small circle of people I am friends with... that is enough for me.


8. Perhaps it's quite precipitated but is there a new album in progress?

Yes, we are well down the track with the second album. I have written many songs and I think I have enough suitable material for a little over half of the next album so things are going well. It has been difficult work as I consider “Nouveau Gloaming” to be a stand alone album now. We achieved what we wanted to achieve with it so there is no point in repeating ourselves. I want the new album to be a challenge both for the band and for the listeners too so some surprises are assured.


9. What are you listening today? What are your "classics" in metal and what is your last big suprises in music these times?

I perhaps don't listen to as much black metal as I used to, I am a fan of metal in general but I have been broadening my tastes over the last few years. 70s prog is a big part of my musical tastes, there are so many undiscovered gems out there in this genre, the earthy, woody tones are the ones that I like to search out.

A few “classics” in black metal that spring to mind include Beherit - "Drawing Down The Moon", Master's Hammer - "The Ritual, Unholy" and “Trip to Depressiv Autumn”, Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger”, Emperor - “Emperor”, Gehenna - “WW”, Immortal - “Pure Holocaust”, Kvist - “For Kunsten Maa ...”, Mortuary Drape - "Into the Drape”, Thorns - demos, Ved Buens Ende - “Those Who Caress the Pale” and many more...


10. What is your position about downloading? Do you download music sometimes, to discover new bands for example?

I don't know which side of the fence I sit on this topic to be honest. Personally I don't download music, but I do occasionally burn CDs of albums from friends which amounts to the same thing. It annoyed me that the Code album was available to download before it was even released but I am not totally against this as I am pleased that people can get to hear our music through whatever medium. It is a fact of life in the current climate so there is little point getting annoyed about it. As long as people are listening and enjoying to the music, that is good enough for me.


11. What is your opinion concerning the metal webzines? Are you a reader of them?

I like webzines and I think they are a vital part of the scene. The internet is so crucial to the way the scene exists these days that it is the most easy and efficient way of getting to the public. When I first became involved in the underground things were very different, everything revolved around tape trading, flyers and zines. I love zines to be honest, many years ago I ran my own zine and I find it sad that is so hard to get hold of an old fashioned, made from real paper, fanzine these days. Zines were much more permanent... I have a pile of zines that I will still be able to read in tens of years time. With webzines everything is much more transient and fleeting and I think that is a shame.....perhaps I am just getting old.


12. Thank you for your time. The last words are yours!

Thanks to you for the interview, it is appreciated. Check out “Nouveau Gloaming” on Spikefarm Records if you haven't already... pure black metal grimness! We also have t-shirts available from www.cvltvs.com at very reasonable prices. And finally keep an eye on our website at www.codeblackmetal.com for up to date information and competitions.