It’s hard to describe Binary Code. Sure, it’s a progressive metal act from the New York tristate area, but the band’s sound is a lot more nuanced than heavy guitar solos and screaming. According to band leader and guitarist Jesse Zuretti, “[Our] instrumentation has so many kindred spirits; one song can sound like the Ocean, Mastodon, and Mudvayne, and then another can sound like Textures, Alcest, Slipknot, and Opeth.” Their latest set, Moonsblood, is “a perfect way for people to get a little bit of everything without it sounding peculiar and strange.”

Zuretti gathered all the members of Binary Code together through dogged perseverance. But it was singer Oded Weinstock’s vocals on the song “Immersion” that put everything in stone for him. At the time Weinstock lived in Brooklyn—“it seemed like an impossible distance to conquer,” Zuretti said. In the middle of recording guitars for Moonsblood, their sound engineer Eyal Levi heard Oded's cover of the Deftones and said, "Get this guy in your band." Things just worked out 100 percent, Zuretti said. He talks to Myspace more about the band’s influences, the new album and metal leanings.

Hometown and homebase: Northern New Jersey and Brooklyn

Why are you called Binary Code?

I named the band in 2004, with our first drummer at the time. We were spitballing band names, and when he said, "the Binary Code," I knew it was the right fit. I made sense of the name much later on, but to be honest, it really comes down to simplifying exactly what the name is derived from: 0 and 1, yes and no, nothing and something.

How do you describe your music to someone who's never heard you before?

I'd love to say "progressive" to save time, but it will somehow shoot us in the foot, because people are going to expect B3 organs and 20 minute songs that harken back to the '70s. But the truth is, I think we're closer to an progressive alternative metal band. We have singing that, to me, doesn't sound like anything I've heard in metal before. Not because it's weird or anything, but because Oded has such a unique voice. More specifically, he has an adult-sounding voice [laughs]. I hear a lot of singing in metal, and while I like it, the bands tend to sound young. Oded reminds me of a deeper Peter Gabriel.

You’re from New Jersey and New York. How does where you live influence your music?

I don't think it has made very much of an impact on our songwriting. My singer Oded is from Israel and has a very eclectic sense of music that spans the world. I'm pretty much the same way. A band that I like may be from the area, but my writing never came from the mindset of knowing that.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Pat Metheny, Wayne Krantz, Oz Noy, Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah), Mike Keneally, Brett Garsed, Allan Holdsworth, Danny Mongrain (Martyr) for guitar. As a songwriter who does a lot of writing on other instruments, I kind of have to think like I play those instruments. For drums, I love Jojo Mayer, Stef Broks (Textures), Tomas Haake (Meshuggah), Spug (Mudvayne), Dave DiCenso (Two Ton Shoe), Billy Ward (not the guy from Sabbath), Chris Coleman, Dennis Chambers, Chad Wackerman. For bass, I love Rashay Reed, Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne), Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding, James Leach (Sikth), Evan Brewer, Oteil Burbridge, Sting.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Devin Townsend. The end. He's not even a huge influence on me, but I know what he does to bands when he works with them. What he did with Soilwork and Misery Signals really propelled them into their sound they are known for. I'd also like to work with Misha Mansoor (Periphery), Jochem Jacobs (ex-Textures), and Dan Weller (Sikth).

What's the craziest thing that’s happened to the band so far?

We had a pair of fans (brothers) come from Florida to see our EP release show in 2010 for our Priest EP. Their aunt had to accompany them because the venue was 21+. It made me cry [laughs]. When we played I acknowledged how crazy it was to the crowd, and I started welling up.

Why is your album called Moonsblood?

I believe we went with the song as the title for the album because it really encapsulated the vibe of the tone we set for ourselves. I originally came up with the idea for the name based off of a movie by Lars Von Trier, Melancholia. The movie covers the psychology behind an eminent death caused by a moon-like planet colliding with Earth; the whole planet is aware of this. Depression, deflection, indignation, anger, elation, all of these things happen when you know something will happen eventually.