Italian prog/alternative metal band Red Code have released the official music video for “Checkmate,” taken from their debut EP “Traces of Unease and Discomfort (Episode 1)”, out via Epictronic.
“Checkmate” uses a game of chess as a framework for manipulation, control, and emotional conflict. The track pairs heavy riffs with a tense atmosphere and builds toward a point where winning and losing stop being distinct outcomes — in a game built on destruction, both sides lose.
The video is one of three chapters in An Archive of Us, a sci-fi/thriller short film that uses a dystopian setting to examine the need for control. The other two chapters are built around the tracks “Quarantine” and “Toxic Karma.” The project was produced by S@NGIORGIO 2020, with technical support from Infinity Digital.
About Red Code
Red Code was formed in Trieste as a live act, founded by vocalist Lenina, drummer Ivo and bassist Andrea Bossi, who later passed away. Lenina and the rest of the group decided to carry on. The sound is built around her vocals and the four instruments, with no backing tracks or studio sequencing live.
Over the years, the band have played small clubs, festivals, and motorcycle rallies, opening for Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Exilia, Nicola Manzan (Bologna Violenta), Pierpaolo Capovilla (Il Teatro degli Orrori), Underwaves, Tystnaden, Logical Terror, and Break Me Down. They’ve also been featured on Radio Rai.
“Traces of Unease and Discomfort” is the band’s first studio release after years of live performance. The sound combines the aggression of alternative metal — with reference points like System of a Down and Godsmack — with the structural influence of prog acts like Dream Theater and Fates Warning.
Stream Traces of Unease and Discomfort (Episode 1) here: orcd.co/touad
Alternative prog metal outfit Red Code have released their powerful new single and official music video, “Toxic Karma,” the latest preview of their forthcoming EP, “Traces of Unease and Discomfort, Pt. 1”, set for release on September 25, 2026, via Epictronic.
“Toxic Karma” explores the destructive cycles we create for ourselves and the difficult process of breaking free from them. The song looks inward, confronting fear, frustration, and the struggle to overcome our own limitations. Driven by raw emotion, crushing riffs, and an intense dynamic, it captures the sound of fighting your own shadows.
The video is one of three chapters in An Archive of Us, a sci-fi/thriller short film that uses a dystopian setting to examine the need for control. The other two chapters are built around the tracks “Quarantine” and “Toxic Karma.” The project was produced by S@NGIORGIO 2020, with technical support from Infinity Digital.
Red Code were formed in Trieste as a live act, founded by vocalist Lenina, drummer Ivo, and bassist Andrea Bossi, who later passed away. Lenina and the rest of the group decided to carry on. The sound is built around her vocals and the four instruments, with no backing tracks or studio sequencing live.
Over the years, the band have played small clubs, festivals, and motorcycle rallies, opening for Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Exilia, Nicola Manzan (Bologna Violenta), Pierpaolo Capovilla (Il Teatro degli Orrori), Underwaves, Tystnaden, Logical Terror, and Break Me Down. They’ve also been featured on Radio Rai.
“Traces of Unease and Discomfort” is the band’s first studio release after years of live performance. The sound combines the aggression of alternative metal — with reference points like System of a Down and Godsmack — with the structural influence of prog acts like Dream Theater and Fates Warning.
Pre-save “Traces of Unease and Discomfort, Pt. 1” here:orcd.co/touad
Epictronic is proud to announce the signing of Italian alternative prog metal band Red Code. Marking the beginning of this new partnership, the band has released their new single and official video, “Quarantine,” the first preview of their debut EP, Traces of unease and discomfort (Episode 1), due for release this September.
“Quarantine,” together with “Toxic Karma” and “Checkmate,” forms part of An Archive of Us, a sci-fi/thriller short film that explores a dystopian world as a metaphor for humanity’s need for control. Produced by S@NGIORGIO 2020 with technical support from Infinity Digital, the project expands Red Code’s music into a cinematic narrative where psychological tension and social commentary intertwine.
The single captures the band’s distinctive approach to alternative and progressive metal, pairing powerful riffs with emotionally charged songwriting and the commanding performance of vocalist Lenina.
The band’s statement about the signing: “Signing with Epictronic is, for us, both a wonderful surprise and the culmination of years of work aimed at giving the metal scene in our region the recognition it deserves beyond our borders,” the band said in a statement. “It’s the icing on the cake after years of stages, festivals, and events shared with the bands that helped keep this scene alive. Our biggest thank you goes to our fans — those who’ve followed us for years, and those about to discover us.”
“Traces of unease and discomfort (Episode 1)” tracklist:
01 Toxic Karma 02 He Knows 03 Checkmate 04 Quarantine 05 I Stand Alone [Godsmack Cover]
About Red Code
Red Code was formed in Trieste as a live act, founded by vocalist Lenina, drummer Ivo, and bassist Andrea Bossi, who later passed away. The band kept playing in his memory and has built a steady live history, opening for Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Exilia, Nicola Manzan (Bologna Violenta), Pierpaolo Capovilla (Il Teatro degli Orrori), Underwaves, Tystnaden, Logical Terror, and Break Me Down, and performing on Radio Rai and at venues, festivals, and motorcycle rallies across the region. The sound is built entirely on Lenina’s vocals and the band’s instruments, with no backing tracks, post-production, or sequencing — alternative metal aggression filtered through prog influences, with touchpoints ranging from System of a Down and Godsmack to Dream Theater and Fates Warning. Traces of Unease and Discomfort is the band’s first studio release of original material after years of live shows.
Traces of unease and discomfort (Episode 1)
“Traces of unease and discomfort” draws on the personal experiences of each band member, all of whom contributed to the music and lyrics. The songs move through claustrophobic relationships, toxic dynamics, personal responsibility for pain, and self-sabotage. Tracks were mixed and mastered partly by Jens Bogren and Ricardo Borges at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden — whose credits include Arch Enemy, Sepultura, Katatonia, Devin Townsend, Ihsahn, At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Paradise Lost, and Symphony X — and partly by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, who has worked with Deathless Legacy, Elvenking, Vision Divine, and Michael Romeo, and plays guitar in DGM.
About the photo shooting:
On May 12, 1986, shortly after the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor, the American networks ABC and NBC broadcast the first images of the disaster: a smoking chimney, square concrete silhouettes, typically Soviet in style. Except they were fake — forgeries. The images were actually of well-known architectural landmarks in Trieste. Cristian Deklic’s photo shoot follows Red Code through the locations behind one of the most colossal fake news stories in world journalism, set in what was at the time Italy’s eastern border.
Lineup Lenina – Vocals Daniel – Guitars Gabriele – Bass, backing vocals Marco – Drums
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