Over the course of a handful of influential records, North Carolina post-hardcore band Codeseven helped hardcore innovate in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, with a string of albums like The Rescue and A Sense Of Coalition that were varied in dynamics and styles. This willingness to innovate may not have made them a household name, which is sad – they’re criminally underrated, and deserve a place right alongside Cave In, Hopesfall, and Beloved among bands that continually shifted their sound with no pretension about commercial acceptance.
Codeseven’s final record, 2004’s Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds, was arguably their magnum opus. It signaled the band’s transition from fiery, Snapcase-influenced hardcore band to spacey, ethereal post-hardcore act. That transition is signaled almost the whole way through the 12-track record, but the best examples of the band’s shift (which is very similar to Cave In’s Jupiter + Antenna albums, released just a few years before) come on “All The Best Dreams” and album closer “Sunflower”. The former is an extremely melodic post-rock influenced song that’s accessible for those new to the band, while the latter is a fantastic album closer that experiments with bubbling and building electronic soundscapes, a true slow-burner that hints at an even more interesting direction Codeseven could have built upon on future records.
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In a word, Codeseven defined innovation in the hardcore scene. While the band may not have been playing arenas or anything of the sort, the fact that they are still talked about as a key influence on many of today’s forward-thinking rock bands isn’t a surprise at all. Cinematic rock does not get much better than Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds.
