Treason - Code Of Silence

1. Last Stand
2. Cycles
3. Supercool
4. Spinning
5. State Of Grace
6. Deff Bendir
7. Kali Ma
8. Holy Water
9. Visual
10. Cold Tears
11. Lethal (Bonus Track)

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 49:20 mins

Review date: 28/09/2000

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With the exception of Heart, those are a list of people not closely associated with AOR or melodic rock and that maybe gives a clue as to where Treason are coming from. This is melodic rock, but with a contemporary twist. When it came to thinking of comparisons for Treason Voice of Reason era Harem Scarem was the first one that floated to the surface, not because of the sound, but the approach to creating a contemporary Melodic Rock album. The also happen to hail from Seattle which I guess is bit clue as to where they are coming from.

"Last Stand" starts the album off with a big sound that highlights the band's dark style, but don't worry this isn't an out and out grunge-fest. That darkness is very much evident on "Cycles" which plods along in a Pearl Jam kind of way. If the first two tunes don't do much for you (and that is case for me), then "Supercool" is much better prospect. This one steps up the pace and adds more of sense of melody, giving us the best tune on the album. The band do their best Tangerine Dream impressions at the start of "Spinning" which is a mellow ballad. This song highlights the deep rich quality of the vocals that are impressive throughout the album. On the downside the tune does feature an annoying drum machine clicking sound during the verses that had me wondering if there was a fault with my CD player, but I guess it does give the song a more contemporary feel. "State Of Grace" is another mid-tempo number similar in style to the opening two numbers, but with a more memorable chorus. As is becoming the norm on the album the swirling keyboards are brought in to fill out the sound and give the choruses more impact. "Deff Bendir" is suitability off the wall instrumental that seems to take on a new dimension when listened to using headphones. "Deff Bendir" leads into "Kali Ma". If the preceding instrumental gets your brain ticking, then "Kali Ma" will finally make it click that it was King Crimson that you were struggling to think of. These two tunes add a new dimension to the album and add a sense of depth. For "Holy Water" it is back to more traditional rock fare with a by comparison mundane mid-tempo rocker. "Visual" has the band back on more solid ground. 'Cold Tears' is duet with Heart's Ann Wilson fulfilling the female role. Unsurprisingly this is a slow ballad very much in the style of Heart and is one of the album highlights. "Lethal" is billed as a bonus track which I usually find means 'avoid!'. But with Treason "Lethal" really is a bonus. It is a slow burning rocker that takes off with one of the best choruses on the album.

As a result of bypassing on the August update to the web site I've had longer than normal to listen to this before writing the review. In that time I've gone from initially thinking it was a fairly OK melodic rock album, to picking up only on the more 'Seattle' side of things and wondering if I'd ever listen to it after writing this review. After a good few more listens, the album has grown on me again and I'm sure I'll be listening to it after this review has been completed and posted online. This is an album that manages to give the sometimes tired world of melodic rock a kick up the arse.