Two years after their last full-length album, CODE has returned with an EP to whet fans' appetites. The years have seen some stylistic change in the band; having previously played a mix of black metal and progressive metal, the current sound incorporates progressive metal, progressive rock and post-rock.

Wacian's vocals reminded me somewhat of MUSE vocalist Matt Bellamy. Both men have a theatric tenor style, with both flourishes and substance. The former's vocals work well with the music, which also has a dramatic touch. As such, I found the vocals to be entertaining rather than pretentious. Recalling the band's earlier influences, Wacian brings out some black metal rasping in "Affliction". The falsetto-like clean vocals which join the rasps create a chaotic effect, which suits the song.

Guitarists Aort and Andras do a great job of telling a story through music. Dissonant, jangling chords contribute to creating a picture of sickness and chaos on "Affliction", while the drifting, almost whimsical music of "Brass Dogs" leads the listener further down a path of madness. A melancholy solo on "The Rattle of Black Teeth" tells a story of loss. Lordt and Syhr, on drums and bass respectively, provide a solid base from the other instruments and vocals can drift in multiple directions. Lordt provides some entertaining drum fills as well, such as on the track "Coccoon"; his cymbal parts drew me into the song.

In a way, this EP-length release feels a bit too short. But I would rather be left with a feeling of wondering what will come next as opposed to being bored by songs which outstay their welcome. I don't think the songs sounded rushed, though, and each track sounded like it had adequate time to develop.

CODE is an entertaining band, and I've been intrigued enough by this release to look forward to seeing what this crew of prog merchants does next. "Lost Signal" is a good EP for when you want to listen to something lighter, but still metal.