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Alright, so after listening to this album quite a few times and enjoying myself a lot, I looked up on the web to check the info, discography, etc. It appears that "Nouveau Gleaming" is Code's first full-length release, and they've only released a demo in the past. The members have also been in other BM/Industrial BM bands such as Void and Reign of Erebus, two other bands which I've never heard of. The fact that impressed me the most was that these guys are from the UK. We all know it, most BM bands that come out of the UK are usually shit, except of course for a few big names (Anaal Nathraakh, etc). But even then, AN's latest album wasn't really that good, they released their legendary album in 2001. This is probably one of the best UK BM albums ever released, and certainly one of the best BM releases so far this year.

Apart from the amazing guitar riffs and very raw production (which sometimes reminded me of Anaal Nathrakh, to be honest), what sets this band apart is the use of different vocals, a type that is rarely used in BM nowadays. Choiristic chants? No. Female vocals? No. Simply spoken words. No, none of that "Once upon a time, in a dark and gloomy valley, a warrior.." This singing/spoken word type of vocal featured in the intro of "Brass Dogs" really enhance the experience to make a very dark and somewhat sad atmosphere. However, there are still a shitload of harsh and screamed vocals on this release to satisfy the casual BM listener.

Guitar-wise, Code also does many things to explore the genre. While most BM bands nowadays stick to the same old minimalistic riffs that have been done thousands of times before, this band has no rules and no limits - they experience with tempo changes, melodic riffs, etc. And I have to say the final result is something that pushes the limits of modern BM (not in an extreme kvlt and n3kr0 way), and all this while keeping a very raw tone which should please fans of any wave of BM - be it the first, second, or third (ok, I'm not a BM wave expert but you see the point, I don't even know if there's a third BM wave). Get this if you're open-minded and aren't afraid of hearing different BM.