Code is a brand new project featuring two mainstays of popular, but now sadly defunct Swedish pomp/AOR outfit Grand Illusion – guitarist Ola af Trampe and multi-instrumentalist Anders Rydholm.
Joining them is the great (but not heard enough from) vocalist Sherwood Ball (of Jay Graydon fame among others).
The team quickly hatched a plan for a project that would pay tribute to their roots and bring in influences from Toto and Giant.
True enough too, as the first thing I thought of when listening to this album – especially the vocal tones of Mr. Ball – was Fee Waybill's classic Read My Lips release, which was more or less Toto with Waybill on vocals.
This has a classic AOR feel, with the required touches of pomp and classic rock, mixed with a big 80s Toto-esque feel and the odd more technical twist. Drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani) joined in for the recording process, to ensure the guys had a solid base to work off. The album takes a few listens to get to know properly, but the rewards are definitely there once you do.
This is a finely crafted old-school melodic rock/AOR release, yet one which doesn't sound in any way out of date or deliberately influenced by the 80s. It just sounds pretty natural.
The production has a certain feel, but is very good and the attention to detail throughout is second to none, with a lot of overdubs, harmony vocals and lush arrangements including some epic moments.