Code Orange - The Above (2023)^{Release ID: 47639}

Nu metal gets a bad reputation from a lot of people and you know what....those people are probably right. I often feel like one of those "born in the wrong generation" kids who grew up with nu metal throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, but into my adult years find myself staying far away from nu metal with very few instances to the contrary.

So I was quite worried upon hearing Code Orange's new album The Above for the first time. Gone are many of the bands more traditional metalcore traits of Forever and Underneath as they continue to embrace more industrial techniques. And the result is a mixed bag. I will not go so far as to call The Above bad, but Code Orange sound like they are in a creative rut and are trying anything possible in hopes of reclaiming that "it" factor.

This album turned out to be a frustrating listen as it ping-pong'd between a heavier sound (closer to Tallah), and industrial metal circa Static-X. The Billy Corgan featured track, "Take Shape" even has a few ambient passages that reminded me of an early Nine Inch Nails. And as I found myself initially not feeling comfortable with the more pop friendly tunes, they actually turned out to be a lot better than the heavier rumps of "Never Fall Apart" and "The Game". Maybe it was the vocal timbre, perhaps it was the smoother incorporation of the glitchy percussion.

When the album's at its best, it has some pretty good choruses, while Eric and Reba's dual vocals provide songs with a sense of dialogue. When The Above is at its weakest, the glitchy percussion takes over and the harsh vocals are delivered with a childish flare. Overall, this new direction for Code Orange is not what I expected when I listened to Underneath, and the result leaves me feeling confused more often than not.

Best Songs: Take Shape (feat. Billy Corgan), Mirror, I Fly, Splinter the Soul, Snapshot

You know how much I like when bands are in a transitional phase through albums. This once-metalcore/hardcore band Code Orange is already making their way towards alt-/industrial metal, and although Forever and Underneath will share the reign in that transition, The Above is an amazing continuation!

The band that would go on to perform massive tours and even a WWE concert started off as an underground high school band from Pennsylvania named Code Orange Kids. After releasing their debut Love Is Love/Return to Dust, they dropped "Kids" from their name and showed the world what they're capable of in I Am King and Forever. Then Underneath showed them adding a more industrial/alternative flavor to their metal/hardcore. With The Above, they drop the hardcore violence and let their new form emerge.

Heading right to the eccentric "Never Far Apart", it's like a harsher Massive Attack! Lead vocalist Jami Morgan performs moody whispering while guitarist Reba Meyers adds in her clean singing. The metal doesn't make its entrance until literally the last minute, in which repeated cries of "DO IT" echo before slowing down for the band's usual destructive breakdown. "Theatre of Cruelty" chugs through brutal groove that alternates with soft mesmerizing electronic sections and Morgan making his own attempt at clean vocals. The dirty moshing parts help break up the gloomy mood. A true Gateway anthem, the accessible yet total rocker "Take Shape" is a killer single. The one and only Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins performs his signature nasal singing over an ominous bridge, though the dark melody and harsh rhythm of the chorus really hits the spot for me. Hard yet smart writing! Adding a bit of grunge is "The Mask of Sanity Slips" has heavy yet harmonic chords before strange dark synths towards the end. Next track "Mirror" is an odd semi-acoustic ballad where the clean guitar strumming is in good arrangement with the drums, guitars, and synths. Totally different from I Am King!

The bombastic "A Drone Opting Out of the Hive" is a perfect hip-hop-ish industrial metal track. This crossover idea works so well! Then we have a highly different cut in "I Fly". Same with "Splinter the Soul" with pushes further away from the band's hardcore roots for some 90s-inspired alt-metal. The rhythm section consisting of Max Portnoy (from Tallah, and the son of Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy) and bassist Joe Goldman has that undeniable groove. A 90s-inspired rock fest! The earlier heaviness shines the most in the earlier singles of the album, starting with the headbanging thrash of "The Game". The hardcore "Grooming My Replacement" is the closest the band has been to their savage past roots in a more industrial level. The distortion is Morgan's vocals makes him sound possessed, in this unique heavy production.

There's some electro-dark wave in "Snapshot". Another Smashing Pumpkins-infused track "Circle Through" isn't too surprising for that "Forever" band, if you can get used to the softer art pop section. The beauty reaches its high point in "But a Dream..." Killer chorus in that one! The title finale summarizing all that the band has stated. The exciting ominous crescendo of transcending vocals, chords, and leads shows their loud diversity. The changes in the beat and the dynamics are all in decent calculation and mark a climatic conclusion to this powerful journey.

The Above continues Code Orange's imagination in different eras. They look back at the past, stand by the present, and plan out their future, checking out different styles to add to their own. Their song delivery has always been in great display as they go above and beyond!

Favorites: "Never Far Apart", "Take Shape", "A Drone Opting Out of the Hive", "Splinter the Soul", "Grooming My Replacement", "But a Dream...", "The Above"