Unsigned and Unholy, Presented by Indiegogo: Deathcode Society

Crowd-funding an album is all the rage these days. While the fact that established bands can raise money for pretty much any project through crowd-funding is well accepted gospel at this point, there’s been some debate as to whether the model is viable for lesser-known unsigned bands still trying to make a name for themselves in the metal world at large. At MetalSucks we certainly believe that it is, so we’ve teamed up with Indiegogo to highlight four MetalSucks-approved, up-and-coming, unsigned bands that are currently running campaigns on the platform. In the past two weeks we featured Ontario, Canada’s Mandroid Echostar and their fellow Canadians from Gatineau, Quebec, Insurrection, and today we journey across to pond to check out Deathcode Society.

If their Indiegogo campaign is to be believed, Deathcode Society hail from The Eye of the inner Vortex, Antarctica. I guess they use the Euro as currency in Antarctica now, ’cause these dudes are seeking €8,000 to fund their new record, their first full-length. Judged solely on their two-song 2009 EP (streamable below), I’d say they’ll make great use of that budget; they display a remarkable knack for songwriting and musicianship for such a young band and steer clear of cliches in a metal sub-genre that’s often littered with them.

The band’s self-described label of “symphonic black metal” sells them short. Whereas that descriptor conjures images of eye-liner adorned teenagers in Cradle of Filth shirts, I think Deathcode Society’s intended fanbase would be more akin to Nordic-looking blondes with Legolas-like hair wearing Keep of Kalessin hoodies. This is thinking man’s progressive black metal, if ever there were such a thing. Deathcode Society are technical without batting you over the head with it, smart without making you whip out a calculator and catchy without ever resorted to tried-and-true songwriting gimmicks.

So, Antarctica? I don’t really give a fuck where these guys are from as long as they get me new music ASAP. Stream their 2009 EP Ite Missa Est below, and donate to their Indiegogo campaign here.