Source: Album Artwork
American metalcore monsters Code Orange have shown their true colours in new album Forever, and deliver 11 tracks of cutting, chaotic metal which will leave you itching to get in a mosh pit and throw your body around.
Forever is the album of a band that are willing to experiment, and maybe haven’t quite found their feet. Code Orange are very good at pummelling their listeners with doomy, abrasive, aggressive music whilst keeping it interesting with frequent changes of pace. The vocal tag team, for the most part, delivers some angry screams over some harsh textures provided by bass, guitars and pulsing drum beats. Some more harmonic, graceful vocals do show a different side to the band, and where these vocals are more prominent some of the best songs on the album are born. ‘Bleeding in the Blur’ is the best example of this, and shows that Code Orange have several different dimensions, and aren’t afraid to show it. Soft, melodic vocals, combined with rhythmic guitars, demonstrate a massive shift from the rest of the album, and show the band’s complete and utter disregard for genre limitations.
Listening to the rest of this album is sort of like getting repeatedly punched in the side of the head, but in a good way. Most of the album is one long breakdown, with some electronic elements thrown in for good measure. And a hell of a lot of random pauses. This does work in a way, and builds suspense before some punishing breakdowns, but it gets a little bit much when it happens in every single song. The layering of instruments and vocals is very chaotic, and in a few instances, such as ‘Kill The Creator’, it just sounds a little bit messy. Code Orange are trying some new things, and it’s clear that they move effortlessly between genres, and there are a few things that work well in Forever, and a few things that don’t.
If you’re a fan of a breakdown, this album is for you. If you’re a fan of singing along, or not massively into moshing, it’s probably time to look elsewhere. Code Orange are a talented band, who know what they like, and aren’t about to compromise to make people like them. We have a feeling that Code Orange are going to be sticking around for a while, and it will be interesting to see what they evolve and grow into.
