CODE Pre Fest Interview – Damnation 2014

CODE chats with Planetmosh to tell us about the band, what they have been up to, what you can expect from them when they play at Damantion on Saturday, 1st November at 17.00 on the Eyesore Merch Stage, writing their new album, their future plans plus more!

code Augur NoxCan you give the readers a quick introduction to the band, please.
We are a progressive black metal band from the UK that has been in existence from 2002.  We have released three albums in this time, most recently ‘Augur Nox‘ which is out now on Agonia Records.

How would you describe your sound.
Our sound has changed a lot over the years.  Our early material was very rooted in the early 90s black metal ethos but always containing a left-field twist of sorts.  Over the years we have refined our sound and expanded the boundaries of what we do which now can be best summed up as a progressive and dynamic approach to black metal.

What has been the bands biggest achievement so far?
I think the biggest achievement was to be able to get our first album recorded with the support of a label.  That was the initial goal and that was the catalyst that opened the doors to enable us to develop our sound and to continue to produce music that excites us.  Over time that has also given us the opportunity to play in many countries and have a great time doing it.

You are currently finishing off your new album, what can you tell us about it?
It is safe to say that the new album will surprise a lot of people.  We completely threw the rule book out and made an album with no restrictions of adherence to any genre conventions.  It is actually quite a surprise even to us which is very refreshing.  It is pretty impossible to sum it up in a pithy statement but I’m sure there will be lots of questions when it comes out.

How did the recording sessions go? Any particular high or low points!
It was an absolute joy in all honesty. We were all finding our feet with the new musical approach and that was very liberating in itself.  It is always the case that the true character of a song only reveals itself towards the end of the process and quite how moving some of these songs were took us by surprise on occasions.  It was quite an emotional experience.

Code BandYou’ve played a few festivals this summer including Temples Festival in Bristol, France’s Fall of Summer Festival, how did you enjoy these festivals?
They were both a lot of fun.  It is always enjoyable to play festivals like these as you get a chance to play to new people and it is also a perfect time to catch up with old friends.  Getting to see some other great bands is always a bonus too.

What can the audience expect from you at the festival.
We are playing songs from our three albums so people can expect to hear a range of material.  We enjoy playing songs old and new as they all have their own character and it is always interesting to hear which ones work the best on a particular day.  The vibe is always different throughout a set for any number of reasons so it always remains interesting to us.  Hopefully we will entice enough people to our corner of the venue when we play to make it a charged environment.

What are you looking forward to most at Damnation!
Probably the same thing that a lot of the audience are looking forward to….a weekend away with friends enjoying the music we love.  There are quite a few old buddies I am looking forward to catching up with too, so it should be killer weekend for sure.

What is your opinion of the Damnation line-up.
Really great, getting to see great bands is always a bonus and there are definitely a few I am looking forward to seeing.  Solstafir are particularly good friends of ours and I haven’t seen them for years so if I can pack up and get off stage in time, I would like to catch some of their set.  The kvlt points are with Bolt Thrower these days but I have had thing for Cannibal Corpse since the beginning of the 90s and they always slay live so I am really looking forward to seeing them again too.

code into darknessCan you sum up Damnation in one sentence!
None of us have ever been before so we are heading up with hopes for a great weekend.

How would you describe the metal music scene today. What has changed over the last few years?
I think objectively it has become more healthy in one way or another.  There seems to be a lot of really good bands making great music at the moment.  I seem to be finding more new bands that I like these days than I have done in previous years so whatever the reason is, I am enjoying the music,

You have a few gig lined up for later in the year including Into Darkness, what are your plans for the rest of this year and start of next year?
We have a a few gigs coming up and also there is a lot of work to get the final elements of the new album handed over to the label so all that will take us through November and after that, I think we all need a break.  We have been working really hard for a long time on the album and fitting in gigs where we can so I think we deserve a bit of time off to take stock of where we are and see what happens in the new year.  No plans and empty pages to fill.

Any message you wish to pass on to the PM readers?
Thank you for taking the time to check us out, we hope you like what you hear.  Hails.

Link:
https://www.facebook.com/codeblackmetal

About Sheila

Former Editor, Team Co-ordinator as well as PR, news poster, pass requester, Ex-Scottish Team Leader for PM since 2011 \m/ \m/ Also owner of the infamous Garfield L'arpie, who is a official mascot of RACPA UK. Check out RACPA UK (Rock Against Child Pornography and Abuse UK) http://www.racpauk.org/