Code Orange - 'The Above' - Album Review

For better or worse I will always associate Code Orange with the pandemic, dropping their last Underneath in early 2020 just before all hell broke loose. Personal memories aside, the album was without a doubt one of the best records to drop in the chaotic hot mess that was that year, and yet I still felt there was something missing. At that point the media had already been raving about Code Orange so much that it almost made no difference to me whether I like, understand or even listen to them. However, their latest The Above is a creative, brave and confident piece of timeless heavy music excellence, and I can't help but admire their effort and admit defeat in the face of undeniable talent and perfection.

There was always something special about Code Orange, be it the primal energy of their early DIY hardcore output, or later the stubborn refusal to conform to any genre conventions, and yet even their biggest fans would agree there were yet to hit their best form. That is until the premiere of The Above, easily their best to date, simultaneously the one that is furthest away from their original output and also the one that represent their most authentic selves. It is a masterful blend of their hardcore roots, grunge influence, industrial experimentation and deep love for all things nu metal, and as such carries the dominant atmosphere of the 90s squezzed through their nihilistic view of the world.

Although the so called nu metal revival, or however you want to label it, has been pretty strong in recent years, The Above captures the essence of the genre classics more than anyone else. In all fairness, it does more justice to the original concept and idea behind the entire nu metal aesthetic than some of the early 2000s acts that achieved commercial success by blending hip hop, alt rock and electronic to it later on. It reflects the purely musical, visual or lyrical qualities of the era as if made in the mid-90s, but also captures that unique psychotic, chaotic, and maniacal feel, the angst and despair of those iconic debut releases by the likes of Korn, Coal Chamber, Deftones, Mudvayne, and so on.

All this said, hardcore connoisseur and trve metal gatekeepers can be reassured that Code Orange had remained faitful to their roots. Sure, The Above does gravitate closer to those bands above than any of their previous records, and in modern terms it is more Tallah than Knocked Loose, but the transofrmation to their final form is welcome and refreshing. Nowadays very few albums achieve that unique 'live' feel, be it due to overproduction or lack of ideas and energy, but Code Orange get top marks here as well, transporting you right in the middle of a wild moshpit in a sweaty underground bar like the ones that made us love that music in the first place, that primal hardcore charge maintained throughout.

The Above is wild and uncontainable, leaving you absolutely no moment to rest, get comfortable or get into pattern. Shifting moods, tempo and atmosphere with no warning, you will be caugh off-guard more than once, be it by ferocious pit-starters like 'A Drone Opting Out of the Hive' and 'The Game', energetic arena singles like 'Snapshot' and 'I Fly', nu metal anthems like 'Splinter the Soul' or 'The Mask Of Sanity', or melancholic digressions like 'Mirror' and 'But a Dream'. Between all that, The Above goes right into grunge territories with 'Circle Through' and 'Take Shape' featuring the legend Billy Corgan himself, then leaves it and goes right back to the band's hardcore roots with 'Grooming My Replacement' as if to show just how versatile and flexible these guys really are.

I have left two very important things that greatly contribute to lifting The Above at a whole new level for last. First, for all the unrivalled swagger and range of Jimi Morgan, the fact that Reba Meyers gets a lot more stage presence adds even more variety and character to an already pretty diverse record, and you can argue her parts are the more memorable half. The second, and this might be a personal reach, is 'The Above' getting its release outside of Roadrunner Records, a noticeably more creative and free effort without the scripted corporate nonsense the once legendary label tend to deliver nowadays.

And there you have it, give more freedom, authenticity and variety to an otherwise very talented and capable band, and the result is expectedly fantastic. With 'The Above' Code Orange have really outdid themselves and given us the most interesting and refreshingly oldschool-leaning modern record, a paradox worthy of the heaps of attention and praise that they will inevitably get.

Code Orange - 'The Above'

Country: United States

Released: 29 September 2023

Label: Blue Grape Music

Tracklisting:

1. 'Never Far Apart'

2. 'Theatre of Cruelty'

3. 'Take Shape' (ft. Billy Corgan)

4. 'The Mask of Sanity Slips'

5. 'Mirror'

6. 'A Drope Opting Out of the Hive'

7. 'I Fly'

8. 'Splinter The Soul'

9. 'The Game'

10. 'Grooming My Replacement'

11. 'Snapshot'

12. 'Circle Through'

13. 'But a Dream...'

14. 'The Above'