
Devil of spades
-- Code Noir --
03/12/2020
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Hard Rock |
Album artists:
■ | Michael T | Vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, bass |
■ | Adam Chapman | Lead guitar |
■ | Kiran Surana | Backing vocals on tracks 1 and 3 |
Review
written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.

[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
While scrolling
through our mailbox to find some sweet tunes to shred I came across “Jack of all
Spades,” the new EP from the Greek/Swedish hard rock act Code Noir, sent to us
by German/South-Asian friends at Qabar PR. And after listening to that release’s
opening track “The Devil Within,” my Shredder mind quickly got hooked and my
Shredder claws quickly sharpened! So let’s do this!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Jack of all
Spades” is the second EP from the Code Noir and is released through the Swedish
record label Leviaphonic Records. This 5-track release begins with the aforementioned
single “The Devil Within,” a catchy tune which features elements from Black
Sabbath, Motörhead as well as stoner rock in general. The next tune, “Supersonic”
is faster and more aggressive with pounding drums and slightly harsher vocals.
The song’s middle section gets particularly ambient and moody until the song
picks up the pace again, fired up by a frantic guitar solo and equally frantic
rhythms.
“Words
Never Said” is the third track on the “Jack of all Spades” EP and features the
band’s more melodic side despite the very dark lyrics. This song’s high
emphasis on bass makes this tune even crispier. The EP’s penultimate track “Monarch”
features acoustic guitar and piano with the usual down tuned guitars and clean
vocals. One thing I love about this particular song is the middle part wherein
the guitars play along some orchestral keyboards, giving the tune a nice
symphonic feel.
And finally
there’s “Crucify Their Way,” the heaviest song on the “Jack of All Spades”
release with grinding riffs, thunderous melodies and soaring vocals. A nice
ending to a short, but very enjoyable EP that every hard rock fan can certainly
enjoy!

[SHREDDING VISION]
A jack of
spades with a menacing looking, pitch black devil with a crown, wings and a
tail gazes through the artwork. One detail I noticed was that the devil’s lower
head doesn’t have a crown and that his head is seemingly turning into dust
while the upper head looks gloriously with that crown of spades. Other fun
detail I noticed is that the J of the card are in the shape of razor-sharp hooks.
Overall, a simple and soberly colored artwork with some fine details added to
it. Nice work!
The themes
on “Jack of all Spades” are quite dark, with topics like depression, breakups,
loneliness and suicide, very fitting subjects for the overall heavy beats on
this EP.
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
Pretty touch making a choice here, but I’d go with the songs “Supersonic” and “Monarch,” since there the two most varied song on the release while the other 3 tracks, while very enjoyable, feature a more straightforward hard rock style. While the EP as a whole is very fun to listen to, I really wished they added a few more tracks, since I’m really looking forward to hear more tunes from this talented Greek/Swedish duo![SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
8 devil
jacks out of 10. If you enjoy stoner rock or the beats of classic heavy acts
like Black Sabbath or Motörhead then you’ll certainly enjoy this second EP from
Code Noir! Here’s the single “The Devil Within!”