Code Orange - Forever

Code Orange’s new album accelerates the band along the same trajectory towards extreme metalcore that 2014’s I Am King set them on the course towards from the heavy hardcore punk that their 2012 debut bore, and the results are astounding.

The band has sharpened their edges, honed their strengths, and trimmed the fat on this outing. While I Am King was indeed a diamond in the vast rough of metalcore and an extreme album, Forever completely overshadows and one-ups everything that was good about its predecessor. Most notably, the powerviolence is turned up to saturation levels, making much of Forever unrecognizable as metalcore, and where the metalcore at the core does show itself, it’s in the uniquely crafted form they have cultivated since their inception: convincingly aggressive, throat-shredding, and enraged vocals instead of cliché and hollow “everyone get up” yells, efficient brevity that keeps the album interesting from start to finish instead of predictable metalcore song structures, and dashes of numerous unexpected musical elements from other genres. What moments on the album can be considered to be breakdowns resemble so little of traditional (and overdone) metalcore breakdowns, substituting in schizophrenic accents and consistent, excellently grinding guitar battering, which the production highlights fantastically.

This album is incredibly violent and I have obviously been digging it these past few weeks, “Forever” probably being my favorite song that has come out this year so far. I’ve enjoyed the way Code Orange in general, but especially on this album, has been able to make a true blend of styles with their writing in a way that these seemingly odd combinations actually mesh seamlessly, a feat that many bands either fail to achieve, churning out a chunky stew of insoluble musical ingredients, or never even try. Perhaps it’s the blistering heat to which they turn their sound up that allows all its components to become soluble, even to the point where the alternative metal anthem “Bleeding in the Blur” and the haunting, Reznor-ish “Hurt Goes On” feel right at home on Forever. This expertly blended violent metalcore is probably best exemplified in the two and a half minutes of tasty riffing, brutal pounding, and chaotic electronic and choral seasoning that “Kill the Creator” offers. The middle portion of the album, while not constantly throwing stylistic curve balls, sustains the intensity the first songs establish and prove the band’s ability to do more than just one or two quick, gimmicky songs, and actually carve themselves a nice little niche in metal’s growing landscape. Closing the album with Reba Meyers’ uneasy swooning on “dream2” was also, I thought, an unusual, but fitting, way to conclude the experience, leaving both an immense satisfaction and a healthy appetite for more of what made Forever such a special experience.

The album is relatively brief and to the point and I think I shall be with this post about it as well. I think I’ve said all that I really feel like I need to say about it, I won’t prolong this any further except to say once again that I greatly, greatly enjoyed this project and I’m excited for whatever comes next as a result of it, be it from Code Orange themselves or from other artists whom this album has likely invigorated.