Reviews

It's not usually a good sign when you take one look at the cover of an album and then roll your eyes. Or when the title is so irritating, you throw it back on the shelf until the mood strikes you to pick it back up again. The cover art is typical and basic with blacks, reds and whites depicting a scene out of hell, with chains and fire and the like. When does that get old?  Well, thankfully this is old a four song EP, so the time I have to spend with my hands over my ears is limited. The Code, for those that haven't heard, are a punk/ska group out of a small town near Erie PA. They've often been compared to Operation Ivy and Anti-Flag. However, the thing about those two bands is they were doing something that was at the time, controversial and somewhat original. With The Code, they're simply a copy of what's already been done, trying to start a movement that's done and over. Lyrically, it's another political statement to start the revolution and defy everything.  What revolution exactly are we starting here? Who are we defying? Be a little more specific boys and maybe someone will take you seriously. Before I get into the music, I must say that whoever compared these guys to Anti-Flag is off their rockers.  While it is good sing along music for all you punk rockers out there, it's lacking something original. It has no clutch. I guess it's just that one would think that over the years music would grow and change and we'd stop hearing the same band with a different name time after time.  Skipping over the first three songs, I'll get right into the last one, a cover by Operation Ivy.  It's a song called "Unity," and going into this, I was very skeptical because cover songs rarely cease to disappoint me. This was no different. A complete waste and possibly an insult to Op Ivy. It reminded me of the time when 311 tried to cover "Lovesong," by The Cure.  Some things just shouldn't be redone. All in all, The Code gets one and a half stars from me. The half is for the fact that they have the courage to be just another group of cliche punk kids.