UMUR "The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code" is the 12th full-length studio album by UK death metal/grindcore act Napalm Death. The album was released through Century Media Records in April 2005. One lineup change has happened since "Leaders Not Followers, Part 2 (2004)" as guitarist Jesse Pintado has jumped ship, leaving the band a four-piece with only one guitarist. Although credited, Pintado had in reality not performed on any of the band´s releases since "Enemy of the Music Business (2000)".

Stylistically the material on "The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code" continues the raw and creative grindcore/death metal style of the two direct predecessors (not counting the covers album "Leaders Not Followers, Part 2 (2004)"), although it sounds more like the successor to "Enemy of the Music Business (2000)" than it does to "Order of the Leech (2002)". Ultra fast blast beats, hardcore punk rhythms and riffs, aggressive grindcore/death metal riffs in various paces, and Mark "Barney" Greenway´s raw barking vocals in front. It´s not easily accessible music and to some ears it´s probably very extreme, but quite a few of the tracks actually feature memorable hooks. Not melodic hooks, but memorable riffs, rhythms, or a vocal phrase here and there, that you can hold on to and in some cases even scream along to.

Common for all material on the 16 tracks on the 50:07 minutes long album is the intensity and raw power that it is delivered with, and how creative the songwriting is. This is not just 1, 2, 3, 4 noisy grindcore. It´s so much more than that, and repeated listens reveal a level of sophistication in the songwriting approach and the lyrical content that you won´t often experience on the most extreme parts of the metal scene. Upon conclusion "The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code" is through and through a high quality album and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog Napalm Death have had a great career; but even at that, their last two studio albums ‘Order Of The Leech’ and especially ‘Enemy Of The Music Business’ were truly great albums, arguably two of the best metal albums ever made though they will never receive the credit coming so late in the band’s career after over two decades of varied and influential releases.

How could they ever follow up the high standards that they had set for themselves with the aforementioned albums ? Somehow, the band might have actually managed to pull it off with 2005′s ‘The Code Is Red…Long Live The Code’ record, which if I was being hyperbolic I would simply call one of the best albums by anyone ever. This is certainly an album which can evoke strong positive opinions upon listening to it, even if you may be forced to tone down the praise later in the name of objectivity.

Standout material includes ‘Morale’ as well as the explosive, awkward and very catchy ‘Climate Controls’ and ‘The Great And The Good’ which features guest vocals from Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedy’s fame. The album features two more guest stars in the from of Carcass’s Jeff Walker and Hatebreed’s Jamie Jasta both of whom perform well and add a nice extra little touch to an already rock solid album.

Musically; The album is very technical compared to most of their work, although settles into the usual Napalm Death groove with furious blastbeats and intense high speeds throughout but occasional doomy slow tempos for variety. The guitars and bass deliver the band’s trademark post millennial sound that mixes classic death metal, grindcore and hardcore punk.

Of course, there will always be people who just want the gimmick of Scum, especially ‘You Suffer,’ and may be disappointed by this album which sounds very different to what they will be expecting. However if this was your first test of Napalm Death and you were interesting in buying into something exciting and relevant rather than just a nostalgia act, you will most certainly not be disappointed. The production job is perfect, there are memorable songs, the drums are the most impressive they’ve ever been (checkout the fills in ‘Losers’ and the title track) and Barney’s voice has never sounded better.

To summarize; The Code Is Red’ is a brilliant album from Napalm Death, a must-have for fans of the band and something interesting to try for fans of modern extreme music.