CODE ORANGE: The Above (HARDCORE): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Formed in 2012 on the Deathwish label, Code Orange, a band hailing from Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, had managed to breathe new life into the hardcore punk genre by revealing a little sensitivity between two howls. With their fifth album, 'The Above', the Americans offer us a glimpse of the beyond.

Listeners new to the band will appreciate 'Never Felt Apart' as a calling card, where moments of pure madness rub shoulders with moments of grace carried by the feminine voice of guitarist Reba Meyers. Just when you're not expecting it, one of the singers (the band can count on a wide range of performers) starts screaming and the heaviness reigns supreme, the guitars ignite and the rhythm section tightens its grip even further. Conversely, 'A Drone Opting Out Of The Hive' and 'Grooming My Replacement' stay Hardcore throughout. Paradoxically, the most frightening moments are not these moments of rage but those when the band play a slightly quieter, falsely appeased card ('But A Dream...'). However, once the first few tracks have passed, the formula is somewhat stale and the surprise fizzles out. We prefer 'Circle Through', which stays on the edge and is more mysterious, with controlled vocals that avoid the expected (and, it has to be said, sometimes annoying) screams.

However, Code Orange dare to go in new directions, like on 'The Mask Of Sanity Slips', where the rage is well channelled through a grunge framework, or 'Mirror', with its heavy use of violins. As testament to this need for balance, the band have summoned none other than Billy Corgan on 'Take Shape' to take part in this theatre of cruelty. The track is effective, and the Smashing Pumpkins' singer adds excellent value with his eternal teenage voice combined with that of Jami Morgan. This track alone is worth listening to the whole album, and it's a shame it isn't longer.

On this, their fifth album, Code Orange remains true to his formula of adventurous hardcore punk, mixing hot and cold. Although the band sometimes over-use their recipe, the album does try out some decisive new approaches to give new colour to a genre that is sometimes too sclerotic. - Official website

CODE ORANGE

THE ABOVE

AUTRE LABEL

HARDCORE