Jussi: Greetings to you and the rest of the band. Before we shall proceed with this interview I wanted to say what an overall impressive album <CODE> has released. So how has the group been lately?
Aort: Thank you very much for your compliments. We have all been very busy  recently with various things. Promoting the album is taking quite a lot of time and I have also been very busy writing material for the next album. Viper and Kvohst have been working very hard on the forthcoming Dodheimsgard album and AiwarikiaR has been much occupied with his work at Jester Records so we are all doing our own thing until it is time to re-group again for the next album.

Jussi: For ones that do not know of the bands past, how did the group come to be?
Aort: <CODE> is essentially the brainchild of myself and Kvohst. At that time, Kvohst was with the band Void and were completing work on their debut album (which was released on Nocturnal Art Productions). We got together and released we shared similar ideas and influences and started making music together. We soon realized that our styles combined in a very unique and strange way so put all our efforts into <CODE>. Once we recorded the Neurotransmissions demo and signed to Spikefarm Records we worked on completing the line up for the album which consisted of AiwarikiaR on drums (formerly of Ulver), Viper on bass and backing vocals (Dodheimsgard and Ved Buens Ende) and Vyttra on second guitar.

Jussi: With the rest of <CODE> was this a different approach musically as compared to the rest of the previous band experiences that you have had before?
Aort: Nouveau Gloaming could only really have been created now. It is of course
very much rooted in the sound of early nineties black metal but it also is the product of hindsight.

Jussi: Can you tell as to why Nouveau Gloaming has different musical distinction than most releases? Considering the musical aspects that went into creation of some of the songs.
Aort: This is quite a difficult question to answer as when we wrote the album, the goal of trying to create something different was not an idea we entertained. We just wanted to create music with honesty and integrity and I think you can hear that in the album. It is a cliché but we wanted to create music that we personally are into, based on our history, experiences and personalities. My personal approach to writing music is that each of the songs should work as a standalone unit as well as in the context of the album. I like to write coherent songs rather than collections of riffs and it is important to me that each song should have it's own character yet still retaining an overall presence of foreboding and darkness which is the feel I wanted to create with this album. I don't like to write heavy music based on purely primal means, I much rather create heaviness and darkness using the emotive nature of music.

Jussi: There seems to be almost a mystical like quality to <CODE>, also elusive like, is this something that just is or another factor into play?
Aort: That is good to hear as I wanted the album to be almost enigmatic and indeed mystical. It is an album based on moods and atmosphere and I was very conscious that almost no light should be let into the album. I have heard many people explain that the album has an almost 1800s feel to it which is something I didn't consider when I wrote it but in retrospect it does make a lot of sense to me. I think it works well in creating images in you mind as you listen, images of dark oil torch lit streets in the fog and overgrown rivers at twilight...

Jussi: Can you tell me more about the track Ghost Formula? (for me this song has to be the peculiarly appealing song from this release)
Aort: I'm glad you liked this song, it is a favorite of mine too but one of the most difficult to mix in order to put across the feeling I wanted to create. It is one of the older songs on the album actually (a version of it also appears on the Neurotransmissions demo). Musically it was an idea I had to create a piece of music, essentially based around a single set of notes which is broken up only but short sections in the chorus. By using the notes for such an extended period of time before changing in the chorus it really enhances the power in the chorus. The main reason the song works for me though is through the layers of guitars over the top of the basic tracks. I can't remember exactly how many guitar layers there are in certain parts of the song but I think it is around ten or twelve. I really enjoy working on the way certain combinations of notes, when used in different tracks rather than straightforward chords, work together to create really lush and
powerful moods. I think an album's worth of material like this would get quite tedious but to use as a passage of music to close the album I think it works well.

Jussi: For those that do not know of your prior band belongings (DHG, Void/Viper, Ved Buens Ende, Ulver) do you think that the combo of being apart of the UK and Norway metal scenes from previous bands that this adds blended distinction to <CODE>'s musical style?
Aort: I guess it would do to an extent. I think you can hear certain Englishness in the music. Not that I think we sound like and "English" band (whatever the hell that sounds like), just that we are all undoubtedly products of our environment which intrinsically helps to make you the person you are in terms of morals, outlook, musical inspirations. Of course, when it comes to black metal, Norway was the dominant force in the early 90s so that has an impact on anyone who plays music in that style. I think each of the band member's styles and personalities can be heard on the album so his could perhaps explain the slightly different feel at play.

Jussi: With the recording of Nouveau Gloaming were there certain elements that the band wanted to come across musically with the production creation?
Aort: Getting the production right for the album was a very fine line indeed. We wanted the album to be powerful yet crystal clear clarity and sterility can unfortunately be the death of atmosphere, and of course the atmosphere and feel of the music was one of the most important facets of the album for us. So we basically wanted to combine a powerful brutal sound with enough grit to preserve the earthy and grass roots feel of the band.

Jussi: The band seems to be quite an unstoppable force via musically and staying true to it's main focus as compared to some bands out there. Do you think that <CODE> has something different to offer that most bands do not sound wise?
Aort: Again, this is a difficult question to answer as I have to retrospectively think about this an outsider. Lots of bands offer different things to their listeners depending on what their main agendas are. Our main agendas when creating this album and indeed, this band were to create honest, dark and eerie black metal loosely based on the early 90s sound which is where our hearts and formative experiences with black metal are. I don't see music as a competition so I will leave it to others to decide where <CODE> fits in the grand scheme of things.

Jussi: Did the band run into any difficulties with the recording? If so, why?
Aort: Our main problems were encountered when trying to find the right location to
mix the album. We actually recorded the album in Savonlinna, Finland at the end of 2003 but decided we wanted to mix the album at a different location. It took a great deal of time to find the right studio and we finally entered a studio in Oslo in June 2004 (the same studio that Dodheimsgard recorded their forthcoming album). Once this was complete the mastering job was a very arduous one to complete due to a large number of imperfections that had been introduced at the recording stage so a very honorable tip of the hat to Tom Kvalsvoll at Strype Audio for his dedication to this job.

Jussi: Lyrical depth behind some of the song concepts are apparent with this recording, can you tell me more about some of the meanings behind some of the songs. To give more of an understanding of Nouveau Gloaming?
Aort: Unfortunately, Kvohst would be the real expert to answer this question as his is very much the brain and inspiration behind the lyrics and vocal melodies. I do find the lyrics very appealing as they feature a very colorful and enigmatic feel. Kvohst really relishes the power of words to create feelings and moods and is exceptionally talented at using this to enhance the power and feel of the music. Needless to say the themes dealt with on the album reflect the feel of the music in that they include elements of paranoia, dementia, apparitions, darkness and gloominess among many others.

Jussi: What can one find different with this CD than past releases with the previous bands that the group has been with?
Aort: I think you would be hard pushed to pick a band out of Ulver, Ved Buens Ende, DHG and Void that you could say <CODE> sound like. I don't think any member would have joined if the music would have been too similar to their original bands. We joined together to create music based on dark oppressive atmosphere and old school values. We all come from similar musical backgrounds, we are of a similar age so we have formed quite an unlikely joining of spirits and minds with this group that work together in very dark and unique ways.

Jussi: Are there any other related song topics that the band wanted to cover but did not? If so what would they be?
Aort: Nouveau Gloaming is the beginning of the story, not the end. There are many themes and styles to be explored and we will continue to work with these in future <CODE> releases so keep an eye on us!

Jussi: Any plans for touring?
Aort: No concrete plans just yet. We will reconvene to work on the next album
this autumn/winter so that will give us a good chance to work on the possibilities of a few live shows. It is very unlikely that we will become a touring band but a series of one off live performances is not out of the question. When and where has yet to be decided.

Jussi: Anything that we should know about <CODE> that others do not know about?
Aort: Lets see...one of us is a psychotic murderer, one a reincarnated practitioner of occult arts, one a mathematician of the highest order, one an Olympic standard weight-lifter and the final member, the owner of the largest vinyl collection in the new world… or are they?

Jussi: Just wanted to say thank you for allowing this interview to take place and most of all putting out some killer music. Keep in touch and let us know what becomes of <CODE> in the future!
Aort: Thanks to you for you support in the band and thanks to all of those who have checked us out. The album is out now on Spikefarm Records so be sure to check it out for your dose of authentic dark atmospherics and grimness. We are having a few website difficulties at the moment so if www.codeblackmetal.com isn't working, go to www.codeblackmetal.co.uk instead. We have also just released some killer t-shirts too so visit www.cvltvs.com for your piece of <CODE> armor.