Code (stylised < c o d e > or < C O D E >) are an
English black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band that formed in 2002.
History
The band formed out of Aort's solo project Seasonal Code with which he had released three demos between 1998 and 2001.
The band's founding members were Aort and
Kvohst (Mat McNerney). The original line-up consisted of Aort on guitars, Cthonian on vocals and
Kvohst from the bands
Void and
Dødheimsgard
Dødheimsgard (also known as DHG) is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed in 1994. Dødheimsgard originally played black metal, but 1999's ''666 International'' saw them change their style into experimental and Avant-garde metal, avant-garde/i ...
on vocals. The band released their first demo, entitled ''
Neurotransmissions: Amplified Thought Chemistry'', on 15 March 2002 with music written by Aort and all lyrics by
Kvohst. Before they recorded their debut album, Cthonian departed the band and they were joined by Viper aka Vicotnik from the bands
Ved Buens Ende and
Dødheimsgard
Dødheimsgard (also known as DHG) is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed in 1994. Dødheimsgard originally played black metal, but 1999's ''666 International'' saw them change their style into experimental and Avant-garde metal, avant-garde/i ...
on bass guitar. Vyttra joined on session guitar and AiwarikiaR, former drummer of
Ulver, joined on drums. Aort wrote all of the music and
Kvohst co-wrote the lyrics with an English writer called Andrew Nicol for the next two studio albums. The band was eventually signed to
Spikefarm Records, an
imprint record label of
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is an international record label. Founded in Finland in 1990, Spinefarm was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2002.
History
Spinefarm Records began as a mailorder distribution company, founded by Riku Pääkkönen. The c ...
. Through Spikefarm, they released their first full-length, entitled ''
Nouveau Gloaming'' on 13 June 2005.
Kvohst, Vyttra and AiwarikiaR had all left the band for unspecified reasons in late 2006. After the album's release
Kvohst went on to replace the departed
Aldrahn on vocals in Dødheimsgard to record the album Supervillain Outcast in 2007. It was announced that
ICS Vortex (of
Arcturus
, - bgcolor="#FFFAFA"
, Note (category: variability): , , H and K emission vary.
Arcturus is a red giant star in the Northern celestial hemisphere, northern constellation of Boötes, and the brightest star in the constellation. It ha ...
,
Dimmu Borgir, and Lamented Souls) had been in talks to be recruited as the vocalist of the band but in the end he never joined the band nor wrote, performed or rehearsed with them. In September 2008, the band announced that they would not be working with Vortex after all and that
Kvohst had returned to do the vocals on the new album. On 4. November 2008 the title for the new album was announced: ''Resplendent Grotesque''.
[04 Nov 2008 - CODE ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM TITLE]
November, 2008. The second album featured the original core lineup of
Kvohst, Aort and Vicotnik and the drums were performed by Adrian Erlandsson from
At The Gates and ex-
Cradle Of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...
.
[Stosuy, Brandon (2009)]
Show No Mercy
, Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
, 17 July 2009, retrieved 2012-05-02
In 2011,
Kvohst split from the band in order to concentrate on his own musical project
Hexvessel and moved to
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. Aort gathered a new lineup, consisting of Andras, Lordt, Syhr and Wacian, and began working on a new album, Augur Nox which was released by Agonia Records in November 2013, as well as by Aort's own label, Haintic.
Discography
;Studio albums
*''
Nouveau Gloaming'' (2005)
*''Resplendent Grotesque'' (2009)
* ''Augur Nox'' (2013)
* ''Mut'' (2015)
* ''Flyblown Prince'' (2021)
;EPs
* ''Lost Signal'' (2017)
* ''Under the Subgleam'' (2017)
Members
Current members
*Aort – guitar (2002–)
*Lordt – drums (2010-)
*Syhr – bass (2011-)
*Wacian – vocals (2011-)
Former members
*
Kvohst – vocals (2002–2006, 2008–2011)
*Vicotnik - bass guitar, backing vocals (2002–2010)
*AiwarikiaR – drums (2004–2005)
*Vyttra – guitar (2002–2006)
*Alsvid – drums (2007–2008)
*Andras – guitar (2008–2022)
Timeline
References
External links
Official Code myspaceOfficial Hexvessel websiteOfficial Hexvessel myspaceOfficial Spikefarm Records Code webpageCode interview, avantgarde-metal.com V/2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Code
English black metal musical groups
Norwegian black metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2002
English musical quintets