It’s still hard to believe 1995 is 30 years ago now (and it’s about to be 31), and it blows my mind to think that Code of Ethics‘ stellar Arms Around the World is also somehow that old. It was an amazing summer soundtrack that year, and one that really clicked with me once I saw the band performing songs from it live in concert.

But with techno and electronic music on the rise in the 90’s, few were doing it as well as Barry Blaze’s Code of Ethics. It’s a style of music that has since worked its way into the general pop music scene (alongside rap and hip hop), but in the mid-90’s, it certainly had a distinct flavor. While rap and hip hop did not seep into the sounds on Arms Around the World, the rock and industrial trends of the mid-90’s did, and it allowed for more aggressive songs like “Just A Man” and “Hurricane” to obliterate the ears of many a 90’s kid in its day.

“Sticks and Stones” is a catchy and energetic opener, offering an encouraging word to let criticism bounce off us and not affect our walk of faith. Then a cover of The Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday” is a fun surprise to find following it (with a memorable music video that came along with it at the time), before the hopeful “Well Done” celebrates what it will be like when we make it home to Heaven and Jesus welcomes us in. “Voice of Reason” continues in this similar upbeat electronic pop vein, before “Take Control” kicks up the tempo and “Hurricane” basks in industrial noise. “Paradise” indulges in the techno goodness, trading the pop structure for pure electronic bliss. “Just A Man” plays with the industrial edge again, whilethe Larry Norman cover “Nothing Really Changes” takes a look at some classic Bible heroes and historical figures to ponder how humanity keeps making the same mistakes, all while kind of blending elements of all the tracks before it to weave its soundscape.

To wrap the album, Blaze & Co. slow things down a bit, getting gentler and worshipful with the title track, and then much more intimate with the love ballad, “Garden for Two,” to close the album with.

Maybe in 2025, the music of 1995 may sound too dated to still seem relevant, but I feel like Arms Around the World was an album that was a little ahead of its time and still sounds pretty great three decades later. If you love electronic music – especially with that mid-90’s production – you really should check out one of the year’s best in Arms Around the World.

– Review date: 12/25/25, written by John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com