Code Orange

Evoking the frantic fury of punk-metal progenitors like Converge, Black Flag, and Nine Inch Nails, Pittsburgh's Code Orange emerged in the early 2010s with an explosive take on classic, hardcore-leaning metalcore. The title cut from their 2017 major-label debut, Forever, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, and in 2020 the band issued Underneath, which introduced elements of industrial, screamo, post-grunge, nu-metal, and classic rock into their already versatile brand of sonic mayhem. They gave their fans an even deeper look into the material on 2023's What Is Really Underneath?, devoted to remixes of the Underneath tracks. The group's fifth long-player, The Above, arrived later that year. Formed in 2008 as Code Orange Kids while its members were still in high school, the band originally formed as a more traditional punk outfit before exploring the realm of heavier music. By 2012, the lineup of Eric Balderose (guitars/vocals), Reba Meyers (guitars/vocals), Joe Goldman (bass), and Jami Morgan (drums/vocals) announced they were signing on with Deathwish, the label of Converge frontman Jacob Bannon. That same year, Code Orange Kids made their menacing full-length debut with Love Is Love/Return to Dust. The band's acclaimed Kurt Ballou-produced sophomore LP, I Am King, dropped in 2014 and debuted on the Billboard 200 at 96, peaking at number ten on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart and it marked the first outing for the group under the shortened Code Orange moniker. In October of 2016 the band released a punishing new single "Forever" in anticipation of the release of its third studio album of the same name, which arrived early the following year on Roadrunner Records. The release coincided with the addition of guitarist Dominic Landolina, who expanded the group to a quintet. "Forever" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2018 Grammy Awards. In 2018, the band issued the digital EP The Hurt Will Go On, which included the single "The Hunt" (feat. Corey Taylor). Two years later, Code Orange returned with their fourth full-length effort, the ambitious Underneath, which saw the group adopting a more mainstream modern rock approach that pulled from a wide array of stylistic influences. For the tour that followed the release, Jami Morgan stepped away from the drums to take on lead vocals, while Max Portnoy was recruited to be their touring drummer. December 2022 saw the release of a new single, "Shatter," which was written as entrance music for WWE wrestler Bray Wyatt. In February 2023, Code Orange released What Is Really Underneath?, a remix album that reworked the tracks from Underneath to emphasize the band's electronic influences. The Above, the band's fifth full-length effort, appeared later that year. Drawing on elements of grunge, trip-hop, and hip-hop, the LP included the singles "Grooming My Replacement" and "Take Shape" (feat. Billy Corgan). ~ Gregory Heaney & Mark Deming