After their very promising “The Connection” EP back in 2013, and their appearance in the Euro Music Contest 2014 final in Paris, (after being chosen along with nine more artists among 3267 contestants from 40 European countries), it was about time for 10 CODE to release their first full length album, “Swiftlets”.
The band features two new members, Stefanos Sakellariou on drums and George Paraskevopoulos on bass guitar. Together, they have built a solid rhythm section, providing the perfect base for everyone else to lean on. The guitar work is also very nice. Without doing something too extravagant, Apostolos Boules and PetrosPotamianos offer us a lot of heavy and dense riffs, accompanied by clever and memorable leads. Petros, also does a very good job on vocals, having total control of his voice, along with an excellent English accent.
“Swiftlets”, lasts approximately thirty-seven minutes and from the very first note, you know that you’re dealing with an album, that demands (and earns) your full attention. Nine songs of straight forward, plain and simple alternative/grunge rock, following the footsteps of the artists that have mastered the scene from the 90’s, ’till today. PEARL JAM, ALICE IN CHAINS, FOO FIGHTERS and even STONE TEMPLE PILOTS at times, are some of the bands, that come to mind during the listening session. Despite the similarities, though, the Athenians bring out their own personal style, creating a sound that is both familiar and unique.
“Transmitter”, is an ideal opener as it starts the album with a blast. The rest of the tracks may not be as hard, but this is not a bad thing at all. I really enjoyed the more alternative “3 Steps”, the magnificent vocal lines of “All Mine” and “Love To Lose”, with its more classic hard rock approach, but I’m sure that anyone will find his own favorite moments, as none of the songs can be considered as filler.
With their very first attempt, 10 CODE have created an album so mature, that you almost forget, that it is a debut. I can’t imagine what they have in store for us in the future, but I’m more than eager to find out.
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This review is kindly offered by More Nowhere Reviews team.