Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth studio album from Code Orange is here! A staple band of the underground hardcore scene, Code Orange first caught my attention with their third studio album, Forever in 2017. After two short albums of brief, sporadic blasts of hardcore punk insanity, the band stepped up their songwriting prowess with Forever, delivering more soundly structured songs with memorable hooks, and even the occasional softer, melodic passage. With this new album, I initially predicted that the band would move further in this more ironed out, sonically diverse direction, as artists will often do as they grow. So what do we get from Underneath?
Well, my prediction was correct. Underneath is the most structurally consistent, yet sonically diverse album we’ve heard from Code Orange to date. Once content to create mosh pit background noise, Code Orange have now fully embraced their more melodic side, while also managing to keep this album as heavy and hard-hitting as their longtime fans have come to expect from them. The album’s three singles, “Underneath,” “Swallowing the Rabbit Whole,” and “Sulfur Surrounding” suck you into the world of this album, forcefully grabbing ahold of you with pounding riffage and rhythm sections, while also staying in your head long after they’re over, with melodies that are nothing short of mesmerizing.
While Underneath is the most developed and complete sounding version of the Code Orange formula to date, I’d be selling this album short if I left it at that. Perhaps the major element that sets this album apart from the band’s first three works is the presence of electronic elements. And while this can be an extremely risky move for a heavier rock band to take (looking at you, Korn), Code Orange have managed to expand and diversify their sonic palette in the best way, by incorporating elements of 90s industrial rock. It’s easy to hear some of these songs and think of Nine Inch Nails, and while I have no doubt that NIN’s music was an influence on the band during the making of this project, they manage to stay fresh and original, always sounding like Code Orange, and never like a cover band of any sort. Tracks such as “Underneath” and “Who I Am” utilize these elements as aggressively as the pounding guitars that the band is known for, keeping the album beautifully heavy, while mixing up the sonic character. Early on, we hear tracks such as “Swallowing the Rabbit Whole” and “In Fear,” which are more traditional, guitar-driven ragers, but are peppered with electronic elements, which add to the overall chaotic character of the songs in a way that creates an all-out assault on the listener. It may be a bit abrasive at first, but once you sink into the groove of this album, you’ll never want it to end.
The album is further diversified by more straightforward hard rockers, featuring vocals that are more melodic and less guttural. This is about as light as it gets on the album, but it at least provides some relief from the intensity in a way that keeps the album unexpected and interesting. Most notably, “Sulfur Surrounding” exchanges pounding drop-tuned power chords for clean, gently picked guitar work that is almost reminiscent of Pyromania-era Def Leppard, and even some impressive, but tasteful lead work. “Who I Am,” “A Sliver,” and “Underneath,” are also among the songs that feature the subtlest and most melodic writing from Code Orange to date.
On top of everything I’ve already said, Underneath is one of the most well-produced rock albums I’ve heard in a very long time, and that alone stands as one of its strongest selling points. Last year, when I reviewed Slipknot’s We Are Not Your Kind, I praised it for creating a sonic atmosphere that fully immersed the listener into the world of the songs they were listening to. With Underneath, we have yet another album that fits that bill quite nicely. The whirlwind of sounds that make up the sonic character of Underneath are mixed, equalized, and panned so masterfully, that as the band attacks you from all sides with their vocal and instrumental performances, you can still hear every cog in the machine turning, and feel every guitar chug, every drum hit, and every vocal growl as if it is punching you in the stomach. The songs flow seamlessly, one into the other, making for a listening experience that more than meets the standard that prog bands such as Pink Floyd and Yes set in the 1970s. Words truly can’t fully describe what an incredible listening experience Code Orange have created with this record.
Lyrically, Underneath seems to contain a running theme of feeling trapped, buried, even crushed by the weight of the ugliness in the world. “Swallowing the Rabbit Whole” and “Underneath” bookend the album with summations of this theme, while “Cold.Metal.Place” presents it in a very literal sense. In many places, this theme lends itself to thoughtful social commentary. “Sulfur Surrounding” encapsulates the feelings brought on by toxic people and relationships. “Last Ones Left” could be construed as an allusion to police brutality and abuse of power. “Autumn and Carbine” contains nods to environmentalism. “A Sliver” takes punches at corporatism, organized religion, and tyranny of every sort. This array of lyrical content only reinforces the breathtaking power that already lies within this music.
It’s not often that I write a full review of an album without making any criticisms, even minor ones. But every once in awhile, an album comes out that truly achieves everything it set out to do, and doesn’t leave me wanting. With Underneath, Code Orange have done just that. This album isn’t the easiest listen, and it’s certainly a sonically abrasive one. It will assault you from all sides, throw you to the ground, and utterly consume you. But most of all, it’ll demand that you return for another listen. Code Orange certainly isn’t for everybody, but if you’re at all on board with what they do, Underneath is a ride worth taking. And this is coming from someone who was only a casual fan, up until this point. I know it’s probably way too early to name this my album of the year, but if something else manages to top it, I will be truly surprised.
Score: 10/10
Favorite Song(s): Underneath, Who I Am, Autumn and Carbine, Swallowing the Rabbit Whole, Last Ones Left
Least Favorite Song(s): Erasure Scan
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 