It delivers on every promise in a sleek, incredibly catchy package and does it all in under 50 minutes. Yes, it’s music made by young adults obviously aimed at young adults. Yes, it could be more subtle about its influences. And yes, it’s going to make a whole lot of year-end lists.
In rock, technical brilliance can sometimes impede immediacy, but Code Orange use it to achieve total and thrilling omnipotence. They are a reminder that visionary music never wears a genre tag.
You never know quite what’s about to happen, but no matter which sonic mask the band slip on, they sound terrifyingly comfortable wearing it. This unpredictability is what makes Code Orange and ‘Underneath’ such a thrilling listen.
Code Orange’s second album for Roadrunner, the exhausting and uneven Underneath, lands like a glib attempt to do just that while forsaking the idiosyncrasies that made them interesting.
Dare I say modern classic? Every. Song. Is. Epic. Code Orange has dissected metal, electronic, hip hop, etc., grabbed the body parts of eachDare I say modern classic? Every. Song. Is. Epic. Code Orange has dissected metal, electronic, hip hop, etc., grabbed the body parts of each genre that bemuses them, and constructed a new sound.…Expand
If you don't think its great i really suggest you give it a another listen and try to hear all the clever elementsThis album is bang.
If you don't think its great i really suggest you give it a another listen and try to hear all the clever elements going on, its truly ahead of its time. Fair play to CO for making two pretty damn near perfect albums and consistently pushing the boundaries of "metal". This is wow.…Expand
Listening to this album is like watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time. Everything is filthy, jacked up, scary, andListening to this album is like watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time. Everything is filthy, jacked up, scary, and thrilling. You don't know where it's going but you are in a terrified state of awe. One thing is horrifying, the next is thrilling, then you are struck by something strangely beautiful in ways that don't make sense. By the end you and maniacally laughing and confused, just like Sally Hardesty in the back of that truck at the end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You will never be the same.…Expand
Music when you're older sounds way different, and hits way heavier. I indulged a lot in post hardcore music when I was a teenager and it wasMusic when you're older sounds way different, and hits way heavier. I indulged a lot in post hardcore music when I was a teenager and it was my everyday bread. However, as time passes, and you grow older, experiences make you more vulnerable and you start to become more conscious of the horrors around your environment. Needless to say, Underneath stroke a nerve that had been itching me in the past couple of years.
The album has basically two moods:
The first mood is aggressive and loud sounds paired with the strikingly heavy lyrics takes you the darkest and most uncomfortable places of the mind to the point you feel vulnerable. It almost emulates how therapy feels when you're dealing with heavy stuff you know will break you down and hesitate on touching, but without warning (thank god it's just an album).
The second one less aggresive and more melodic, with a more punk and industrial feeling that sounds like the early NIN but way more aggresive in the electronic aspect, while dealing with not so dark and aggresive themes, but more depressing general realizations about the world we live in.
This both contain elements like:
- Loud electronic glitching blenders that massacre the landscape
- Unpredictable cuts and alterations to the track
- Ambiance created by blending samples and soaking them in reverb
- And ocasional sfx that push the dark and electronic feeling of the album further
The problem with the album, is that, despite being a chilling and nerve wrecking journey, a lot of songs don't quite differentiate from each other. They are either on the first mood, or the second one, it feels like you could hear one of the heaviest songs, one of the lightest ones and you would basically have heard most of the scope of the album. Despite the entirety of it having amazing moments, there's a few songs that are different enough to be memorable, the rest just feel like they are trying to keep pushing the narrative.
Underneath is an album that you ought to experience. The question is, are you ready to? And I mean this in the most heartfelt way possible. When I say Underneath is dark, I completely mean it, not only in its sound, but the thematic overall is quite haunting and anxiety fueling. If you're not ready to embark in this aggresive and violent introspective journey, you might not enjoy what this album has to offer.…Expand
Nothing spectacular. Overrated. They are all over the map with punk, metal, hip-hop, electric and special effects with some melodic vocals ifNothing spectacular. Overrated. They are all over the map with punk, metal, hip-hop, electric and special effects with some melodic vocals if you can get through the experimental noise. If eclectic crazy out of bounds music is your thing you will love it!…Expand
