Code Orange (formerly known as Code Orange Kids)[fn 1] is an American metalcore band that formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2008, while the members of the band were still in high school.
The band currently consists of vocalist Jami Morgan, guitarist and vocalist Reba Meyers, keyboardist/programmer, guitarist, vocalist, and visual artist Eric "Shade" Balderose, bassist Joe Goldman, guitarist Dominic Landolina, and drummer Max Portnoy. Their touring lineup also formerly included drummer Ethan Young (of Thirty Nights of Violence) between March 2020 and October 2021, with Portnoy serving as touring drummer thereafter until his induction into the band as an official member in 2023.
The band originally signed to Deathwish Inc. for their first two studio albums: Love Is Love/Return to Dust, which was released in November 2012 under their original name, and I Am King in September 2014. Their third album, Forever was released in January 2017 through Roadrunner Records, and fourth album, Underneath, was released in March 2020, also on Roadrunner Records. The band's latest album, The Above was released on September 29, 2023. The band has also released three EPs, one live album, thirteen music videos, three live DVDs, and six other shorter releases (splits/singles).
The band started as a hardcore punk band - under their original name of Code Orange Kids - and started to shift to metalcore on the release of their debut full-length album Love Is Love/Return to Dust, before incorporating more wide-ranging influences on their more recent albums, such as Forever and Underneath, as they began to incorporate elements of grunge, nu metal, electronica, and industrial.
They have received one Kerrang! Award for Best International Breakthrough (2018), have been nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance (2017 and 2020), have been nominated by Loudwire Music Awards for Metal Album of the Year and Metal Artist of the Year (2017), and been nominated twice by Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for Breakthrough Artist (2017 and 2018) which they won in 2018.
In 2012, Meyers, Morgan, Goldman and Landolina formed the rock band Adventures; this project lasted until 2016.
History
Formation and early years (2008–2012)
The band as Code Orange Kids in 2013
The band formed under the name "Code Orange Kids" in 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3][4]
They started out playing "really straightforward punk," but would eventually take their music in a heavier direction with the introduction of new member, Bob Rizzo, who met members of the band at a local show.[3] By early 2012, the band described themselves as "doomy, abrasive" hardcore punk similar to Black Flag, Converge or Integrity.[3]
The band found some difficulty touring in their early days, due to the fact that they were not old enough to play at some of the clubs, and because many of the members were still in high school, could only tour between semesters. Despite this, Code Orange Kids opened for such bands as the Misfits, The Bronx, Nekromantix and Anti-Flag.[3][5] Early self-published releases from Code Orange Kids included 2009's Winter Tour Demo,[3] 2010's Demo 2010[3] and 2011's Embrace Me/Erase Me.[6] Code Orange Kids released the EP Cycles through Mayfly Records in 2011.[7]
Code Orange Kids announced they signed to Deathwish Inc. in January 2012.[8][9] At the time of their signing, the average age among the band members was only 18 years old.[9] In April 2012, the band released a split EP with Full of Hell through Topshelf Records.[8] A Max Moore-directed music video for the song "V (My Body Is A Well)" from the EP was also released.[10] Code Orange Kids toured North America with Touché Amoré, Defeater and Birds in Row in April 2012,[11] and toured Europe in July 2012.
[12]
Code Orange Kids released their debut full-length album, Love Is Love/Return to Dust, in October 2012 through Deathwish.[4][13] The album was recorded in June 2012 with Kurt Ballou of Converge at his own GodCity studio.[4][14] Commenting on getting to work with Ballou, drummer Jami Morgan said, "Kurt has made tons of our favorite records and we respect him as an engineer and musician immensely, as many others do."[12] The album's release was preceded by a music video for the song "Flowermouth (The Leech)" in October 2012.[15]
Recording for Code Orange Kids' (who would soon change their band name) second studio album began in February 2014 with Kurt Ballou.[24] Speaking on the overall sound of the new record, Morgan said it would mark "a very new era for our band," and that, "It's different. A lot of the heavier parts are heavier and sometimes more obvious. A lot of the odd parts are weirder and a little more anti-social. Things are a lot more blended together."[24] On June 5, 2014, the band announced that it was changing its name from "Code Orange Kids" to "Code Orange," and would be releasing its sophomore album titled I Am King on September 2, 2014.[4][1] Three months before the release of the album, the band released a music video for the title track, "I Am King," in June 2014[25] followed by an online stream of "My World" in July 2014[26] and a music video for "Dreams in Inertia" in August 2014.[27]
Code Orange's first tour in support of I Am King was a six-date stint with Killswitch Engage surrounding the band's participation in This is Hardcore Festival 2014 in July/August 2014, followed by a North American co-headlining tour with Twitching Tongues in September and October.[26] They also appeared on 2015's RockstarMayhem Festival, and toured the U.S. from June to August.[28][29]
In April 2016, Code Orange signed to Roadrunner Records for their third studio album, which at the time was tentatively due out in late 2016.[30][31]
Leading up to the new album's release, the band toured the U.S. with Deftones in May 2016 and performed sporadic mid-year festival dates, including This Is Hardcore in August.[30][31] In October 2016, the band released a new single, "Forever."[4][32] It was revealed to be the title track to their third album, Forever, which was then set for release on January 13, 2017.[33][34] Following the release of the initial single, the band released an animated music video for "Kill The Creator" in December 2016,[35] as well as two further promotional singles, "Ugly"[36][37] and "Bleeding in the Blur," in January 2017, prior to the album's official release date of January 13.[38]
A music video for the track "The Mud", directed by Balderose and Dmitry Zakharov, was premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block on September 30, 2017.[39] The album was featured on various best of 2017 lists including, Rolling Stone's "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017", Revolver's "20 Best Albums of 2017" and The Independent's "Top 20 Rock & Metal Albums of 2017."[40]
In support of the album, the band began touring as a five-piece.[41] Dominic Landolina – who also played lead guitar in Adventures alongside Meyers, Morgan and Goldman – was brought in as a touring guitarist and later became a full-time member, after being secretly unveiled as a new member in the music video for "Forever".[41][42]
In August 2017, "Bleeding in the Blur" was announced as one of the official theme songs for NXT's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III event.[43] At the event, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Code Orange were the first band to ever play live at an NXT show.[43] They opened the event with a performance of "Bleeding in the Blur," before later performing a live version of Aleister Black's entrance music, "Root of All Evil," with Incendiary vocalist Brendan Garrone; who appears on the original version of the song.[43] The band played Black to the ring for his match with Hideo Itami.[43] In December 28 and 29, Code Orange and Daughters supported mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan on their final two shows.[44] Their appearance came about after Morgan became friends with Dillinger frontman Greg Puciato, who invited them to these performances.[45]
Code Orange released a new single, "Only One Way", on February 8, 2018, through the Adult Swim Singles Program.[41][46] They followed it with a remix by guitarist Eric "Shade" Balderose called "only1 (the hard way)".[46]
On June 21, 2018, the band released a 3-track EP, The Hurt Will Go On.[40][41][47] Along with the remix of "Hurt Goes On," the EP also featured two brand-new tracks: "3 Knives" and "The Hunt," which features guest vocalist Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour.[40][41][47]
During WWE's pay-per-view SummerSlam in August 2019, professional wrestler Bray Wyatt, while in his Fiend persona, premiered new entrance music performed by Code Orange.[40][48] The song, "Let Me In," is a re-imagining of Mark Crozer's song "Live in Fear," which was Wyatt's old theme before leaving WWE programming in November 2018 and creating a new version of his character.[40][48] "Let Me In" charted on the Scottish Singles Chart at number 79 for a solitary week beginning on August 16, 2019, becoming Code Orange's first song to chart on the Scottish Singles Chart.[49]
Underneath, Under the Skin, and What Is Really Underneath? (2020–2023)
On January 10, 2020, the band released a music video for "Underneath", the first single from their fourth album, Underneath.[50][51] On February 7, 2020, they released a music video for their second single "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole".[52][53] On March 9, 2020, the band released the third single "Sulfur Surrounding".[54][55] An animated video directed by Eric Balderose, was released on March 9 along with the single.[56][57]
The full album was released on March 13, 2020.[50][51][52][58][59] On March 14, 2020, Code Orange performed a live-streamed album release concert in an empty venue on Twitch due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[60][61] The performance took place at the Roxian Theatre and was called "Last Ones Left: In Fear of the End".[60] The performance was later officially released on YouTube.[60]
The album was produced by Nick Raskulinecz.[40][51][62][63] The album was also produced by Jami Morgan and co-produced by Will Yip.[51][40] Yip also helped produce the band's previous album.[40] Producer and musician Chris Vrenna (formerly of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson) helped Eric Balderose develop the electronics, the arrangement of the many layers of production, and the use of white noise and other various noise elements for the album.[40][62][63]
Following the release of their fourth album, Jami stopped performing drums at live shows to focus solely on vocals,[64][65] with Ethan Young being revealed as the band's touring drummer in March 2020, to which Morgan commented: "He's a great guy and I think he'll continue to earn his spot, but for now he's an empty vessel. He's our drumming muse for now. We don't want to be married to anyone yet. You don't know how people are going to be 'til they are."[64]
In November 2020, the band was nominated for their second Grammy award. The band received a nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for the song "Underneath."[71][72][73][74] They would ultimately lose the Grammy to Body Count.[75]
On January 23, 2021, an animated motion-capture video for the song "Autumn and Carbine" was premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami.[40][76][77] The video was directed by Eric Balderose and Jami Morgan (under the nowhere2run productions moniker) and utilized motion-capture to create 3D models of the band members themselves.[40][76]
On December 16, 2022, the band premiered new entrance music, the song, "Shatter" for the wrestler Bray Wyatt. This is the second time the band performed entrance music for Wyatt.[85][86] On February 17, 2023, the band released a remix album, What Is Really Underneath?, based on the band's fourth studio album, Underneath.[87][88] It is the bands' first release through the newly formed semi independent label, Blue Grape Music.[89][90]
On May 30 2023, the band shared a video on their YouTube channel entitled "Code Orange SLAMS modern music critics", with the thumbnail featuring critics such as Anthony Fantano (wearing a Code Orange shirt) and Finn McKenty.[91] However, the video served as a bait-and-switch: It instead featured several minutes of a staged torture sequence before a new song played at the end.[92] The day after the video, on June 1, 2023, the band released two new songs: "Grooming My Replacement", which played in the video, and "The Game".[92][93] On July 18, 2023, the band released the single "Take Shape" featuring Billy Corgan.[94][95] On the same day, the band announced their fifth studio album, The Above, which was released on September 29, 2023.[95] On September 6, 2023, the band released the next single, "Mirror".[96][97]
On January 12, 2024, the band canceled their upcoming headline tour and ShipRocked cruise / Pulp Summer Slam due to health problems their guitarist Dominic Landolina has been facing for the past year.[98][99]
Since formation, the band's punk style has gradually grown more abrasive and heavy metal-influenced, moving into metalcore territory by the release of their 2012 debut album Love Is Love/Return to Dust.[127]
In a review of their 2014 second album I Am King, Ryan Bray of Consequence placed them within the "American metalcore underground" and noted that their music stood out in exhibiting influences not just from hardcore and metal but also from indie rock, post-punk and shoegaze.[128] In 2015, Brian Leak of Alternative Press celebrated Code Orange as being "at the top of their game, not to mention the hardcore scene".[129]
In reference to their 2017 third album Forever, Lars Gotrich of All Songs Considered described their style as "nightmarishly chaotic hardcore", stating that "there's always been an experimental underpinning to Code Orange that toys with noise and melody (and some '90s grunge)."[130]
According to Scott Tady of Kill Your Stereo, "Code Orange takes...hardcore/metalcore and bleeds them over with modern industrial and bleak electronics, with the occasional alternative-rock detour...creating an almost-experimental sound that's both familiar yet futuristic."[116]
^The band formed in 2008 under the name "Code Orange Kids" and kept this name until 2014 when they shortened it to "Code Orange" during the promotion of their second studio album I Am King.[1] This change might not be permanent, however. As Decibel writer Shawn Macomber puts it, "Code Orange dropped 'Kids' from the moniker basically on a whim—it might return; it might not—to prove nothing is static, nothing is sacred in its world."[2]
^Macomber, Shawn (October 2014). "Code Orange: Noisecore heirs apparent change up to grow up". Decibel. Philadelphia: Red Flag Media Inc. (120): 22. ISSN1557-2137.
^Ulibas, Joseph (December 29, 2015). "Code Orange – I Am King". AXS.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016. Originally a hardcore punk rock band, the Code Orange Kids slowly morphed into their current sound of metalcore during the recording of their first studio album Love Is Love/Return to Dust.
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