Aordreamzones - The enemy within (01/07) A reviewer friend of mine and I have the same outlook on thing’s when we sit down to review an album, you must give said release at least three or four listens all the way through before you make up your mind about the music. Sometimes though after only one play through you can tell if the album is any good or not and the subsequent replays are only there to nail down what you already thought. Code is one of those rare albums that hit all the sweet spots first time out and each time it’s re-played only makes it sound better and stronger. Anders Rydholm bass / keyboard player and main songwriter from the now sadly defunct pomp rock act Grand Illusion (who put out some stellar albums a few years back), Ola af Trampe on guitars and what guitars plus Sherwood Ball on vocals (whose performance on this album is nothing short of exceptional) have joined together called themselves Code and have set out to prove that aor / melodic rock is still alive and has a heart that is still strongly beating. I know that this has been said many times before about many bands and that the aor community has been waiting for a strong album to drag the genre back into the daylight kicking and screaming, shaking it’s fist and shouting I’m still here and I’ll never die, The Enemy Within could just be that album and the Code that band. On offer are eleven wonderfully played, sung, arranged and produced slices of aor that with each listen grow and expand, forcing their hook filled melodies deep into your memory, The Enemy Within ( killer track ) with some awesome guitar from Mr Af Trampe, In The Shadows a slow burner with a power soaked chorus and as I’ve already stated some killer vocals from Sherwood Ball, Uninvited Guest sounding like the bastard child of Van Halen with guest drummer Gregg Bisonette laying down some hard edged grooves. I could go on and say that each and every song is brilliant (which it is) but just take my word for it and buy this album. Escape Records have a little monster on their hand’s and if they are lucky when word gets out it’s gonna grow into a huge one, absolutely essential. http://www.aordreamzones.com/