Code Orange
The Above


2.5
average


Release Date: 09/29/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: !!!WEIRD HODGEPODGE ALERT!!!

Phew, thank god you came. Let me bring you up to speed on the situation.

Welcome, one and all, to industrial rock + nu-metal revivalism + metallic hardcore of mildly post(al) inclinations aka The Above: a maximalist medley of preposterously THICC proportions that slots itself rather neatly into the anything goes absurdity of popular HEAVY music in 2023. All that the Pittsburgh 5-piece’s fifth outing shoots for screams (a) I’M DIFFERENT!!! and (b) I’M BIG!!!, whether in the Hybrid Theory / Korn homage of “Take Shape”, hefty orchestral ballads a la “Mirror”, grunge-y singalongs (“Circle Through”), Marilyn Manson monoliths (“The Mask Of Sanity Slips”) and/or frill-free beatdowns (“The Game”). That these disparate elements share the stage is not itself surprising - bitch this is the year of Life Is But a Dream… and Take Me Back To Eden, keep up - but that they each distill to the surface with such clarity, distinct blocky and sparkling, was not quite what I expected from the kings of discordance themselves. The band’s historic preference for jump cuts and deliberately dizzying+disjointed songcraft have been jettisoned, their staple murk replaced with a clean shaven bundle of neatly packaged hell-nuggets.

If I sound at all skeptical, there’s a reason. Loud Band Faux-Innovates By Repurposing Unfashionable Sounds From Nineties Absent Meaningful Twist isn’t exactly the most enticing headline, and while perhaps not an unexpected direction of travel - given it was at the very least signposted on 2020’s contentious-but-actually-quite-good Underneath - the specific pairing of genres chosen here, and the pristine presentation thereof, does still raise eyebrows. Sure, the inviting melodic hooks and glistening Soundgarden cleans aren't inherently bad, nor incompatible with the girthy riffage and pensive atmospherics frequently sought after, but there is a compromise inherent in that design, like signing up to a cage fight on the condition that all participants are cocooned in bubble wrap. ‘Counterproductive’ is a word; so is ‘diluted’.

It's because of this conflict that “I Fly” chokes on its own bile, the cartoonish catharsis of its alt rock core doing much to undo the genuinely gritty atmosphere of “A Drone Opting Out Of The Hive”, kneecapping the glitchy headrush it provides beforehand. It’s also why the major-key chorus and throbbing power chords of “Splinter The Soul” feel quite so off, undercutting the jagged edges and ballistic fury of the songs to follow (“Grooming My Replacement” literal best Code Orange song ever?!). Rather than culminating satisfactorily, the proprietary blend tastes imbalanced, individual elements engulfing one another, snake devouring snake.

It wasn’t a problem I noticed, at least not to the same degree, on the band's aforementioned 2020 outing. Despite The Above’s sister LP being far more chaotic in its amalgamations of the same sounds and styles, forcibly splicing them together as opposed to the gentle mixing seen here, it nonetheless solidified into a more unique and charismatic whole as a result, the band having excavated points of commonality between sources of inspiration and married them up with success. It was careful, not clumsy, not simply copy-pasting disconnected genre tropes, unedited, without mediation, and hoping that seawater and crude oil might actually be a complementary pairing. This bare regurgitation of conflicting sounds is what hurts The Above the most, presenting as a (not so) greatest hits compilation from purgatory. It feels cobbled together, without care for global coherence nor the refined execution of any one sound, instead counting on the excitement of variety and disjunction to make up for its less considered, less interesting content. IT WAS INTENTIONAL!!!, plead the marketing materials, and I believe them, but self-awareness and absolution are, I’m told, sold separately.

Juggling more balls than you have hands isn't always a good idea. Weirdo mishmashes have their place - The Armed certainly seem to know where the secret sauce is hidden, notwithstanding their 2023 oopsie - AND, fundamentally, I’m pleased to see that well-established acts like Code Orange are still willing to be dumb, take liberties, and try something different. It is, however, telling that the best grind album of the year was just released by a band that specifically chose not to innovate. Pick a strong suit, play out your hand, DON'T assimilate and assimilate and assimilate just because you can, and maybe you can avoid the biggest musical pitfall of 2023.

Is there a redemption arc? Uh. Well, both The Above’s production and pacing - long standing sources of ick for the group - are genuinely great, as can be said of the band’s reliable bombast and goofy, unshakable confidence, which do a lot to mask just how uninspired their 90s-pop-screm whistle-stop-tour is. However, given the evident potential showcased on Underneath, I wonder whether dialing into the most interesting wombo combo presented therein - that metalcore + industrial + bleakness ting - may have borne more fruit than the brighter///broader whole here, particularly if their goal is truly as stated: to achieve something genuinely new and filthy in the knotty metallic underground. The Above is many things, but it just isn’t that.



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user ratings (146)
2.7
average
other reviews of this album
PTRKoulou (2.5)
It's like thinly sliced cake. Everyone gets a piece, but no one feels full from it....



Comments:Add a Comment 
AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
September 27th 2023


10447 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Our Friday streamable in places with streams purchasable in places with purchases

Mort.
September 27th 2023


26088 Comments


band has had the weirdest trajectory

Pikazilla
September 27th 2023


31204 Comments


kill it with fire

Feather
September 27th 2023


10538 Comments


caught a little of their show at riot fest and it was interesting. didnt realize they had female leads, that really threw me.

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
September 27th 2023


10447 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

“ band has had the weirdest trajectory”



For sure. The collection of influences they’ve gathered and repurposed over the years is certainly different to anyone else in the scene right now. Not a huge fan of the presentation here though.

Trebor.
Emeritus
September 27th 2023


60013 Comments


wtf happened with this band. I want more Adventures, damn it!

AnimalForce1
Contributing Reviewer
September 27th 2023


998 Comments


Such a strange left turn from Underneath. They should've stayed experimental or gone more experimental, but instead they just got generic

Wildcardbitchesss
September 27th 2023


13743 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

yeah you referring to Underneath in a positive light compared to this means that I’ll definitely hate it

Ectier
September 27th 2023


2878 Comments


Extradite Reba to a better band

Wildcardbitchesss
September 27th 2023


13743 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

[2]

she deserves better.

bellovddd
September 27th 2023


6787 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

damn this band has fallen off hard

DavidYowi
September 28th 2023


3512 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I loved Mirror a lot, was a bit hasty on the other singles at first but they grew me, even the Corgan track. I’ve been noticing a lot of nice intricate details in the production. I wanna see this through, at the very least a Soundgarden nod is always positive.



Great review. You gave it an honest shake, much appreciated!

botb
September 28th 2023


18331 Comments


This band needs to break up and just be a shitty radio rock band

DarkSideOfLucca
September 28th 2023


18527 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Ugh I have to listen to this tomorrow but I'm kind of dreading it



Such a huge fan of Forever and Underneath but these past several singles have been fucking laaaaame

DrGonzo1937
Staff Reviewer
September 28th 2023


18508 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

These guys have been on the decline for years, so this doesn’t surprise me.



Great review.

Rowhaus
September 28th 2023


6461 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

"Extradite Reba to a better band"

So much this. I'd love to see her in a post-hardcore band or something.

Wildcardbitchesss
September 28th 2023


13743 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

or fuck it, just reboot Code Orange Kids and start from scratch. That first record is the tits

kevbogz
September 28th 2023


6164 Comments


forever the buttmetal fest opener

bring back adventures u fucking leather dorks

Nikkolae
September 28th 2023


6762 Comments


12 year old me would eat this shit up so much,i mean i can appreciate the WWE-walk-out-songness of it all but yea its quite dull

MoM
September 28th 2023


5994 Comments


“Extradite Reba to a better band"
So much this. I'd love to see her in a post-hardcore band or something. “

Reba in a new band or as a another vocalist in Employed to Serve or something



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