Codes – AALTARS

The Last Mixed Tape reviews AALTARS, the new sophomore studio album from Irish alternative quartet Codes. 

Ambition is the lifeblood of ALLTARS, and the album seems intent on taking us on a great journey. Everything about the music seems to have a trajectory that blasts the listener through a fast-paced soundscape of blurring melodies and rhythms.

It’s hard not to be taken aback by it, or even slightly overwhelmed. Although ‘Outposts’ aptly plays like the gentle opening moments of a sci-fi epic, Codes waste little time in building the momentum of AALTARS. By the time the aggressive distorted math-rock growl of ‘And Arrows and arrows’ breaks forth we are well underway.

In this way ALLTARS is an album of altered states. The music is immersive and almost hypnotic in just how intricate it is, so much so you spend most of your time trying to take it all in, and to Codes credit they reign in the sheer force of their sound enough dynamically to give brief respites that leave us catch our breath (see the closing moments of ‘Meridian Square’).

Indeed, ALLTARS truly acts and moves like a film score to some unseen space adventure. You can feel the sense of wonder, isolated distance and excitement of exploration all coming together thematically, giving the large-scale ambition of the album’s production a sense of purpose and motivation.

With ALLTARS Codes have delivered a bold second album that stands on it’s own. A deep journey into the great expanse that the group create sonically and one that pays off completely, the album is a gratifying experience brought forward by clear inspiration.

Rating: 9/10

ALLTARS by Codes is due for release on September 18th. Photo by: Ruth Medjber.