Underneath
by Code Orange
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 50 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 50
  3. Negative: 5 out of 50
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  1. musaxe
    Mar 13, 2020
    10
    Dare 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.
  2. zyglrox
    Mar 14, 2020
    10
    With this release Code Orange make every other metal band sound just really bland. Underneath is pure brilliance of an album.
  3. Codyteubert
    Mar 14, 2020
    10
    This album **** hard. It's definitely cementing them as future headliners and forerunners of the new pack of metal.
  4. EverydayNathan
    Jul 10, 2020
    10
    An amazing album, love the beginning to end! There’s no filler tracks, all of the songs feel like singles like You and You Alone, A Sliver, The Easy Way, In Fear and so many more are amazing. And this was released on my birthday, so this is the best birthday gift!!! Would recommend, buy the CD, Vinyl, or listen to it on Spotify!!
  5. a_sebastian
    Mar 14, 2020
    3
    This stuff sounds like any other rock in the last twenty years. Please guys, can rock forget that ugly Linkin Park flirt. I hate this band and I will hate anything, that is mimicking them. If only it was electric wizard, or Queens of the stone age that influenced the next rock era, nah it has to be Linkin. Well in a world where Ariana and Taylor are icons, what would you expect?
  6. Jungstir
    Mar 15, 2020
    2
    Nothing 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!
  7. Pangrat
    Jun 1, 2020
    3
    Just...No No NO!!!!Just give you a chance and forget the mainstream market! You were one of the best.What is this??? This is not metalcore or metal at all...Shame!
  8. DavidCall360
    Mar 13, 2020
    10
    Listening 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 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
  9. JLuis_001
    Apr 8, 2020
    6
    This was a bit of a letdown. The majority of songs sound the same.
    Good sound yes, but very redundant.
  10. bUTCHvAPOR
    Mar 26, 2020
    10
    If I didn't know any better, I'd accuse you of releasing the audio recording of Superman's birth. I'm still not 100% sure it isn't. So far, this is the best album of 2020!! Fantastic!
  11. Lajaleaa
    May 5, 2020
    7
    ( 71/100 )

    Bueno, estos chicos me hacen sentir que tengo una opinión muy sesgada en la música. Pero mi esfuerzo por sumergirme de forma consciente en estos géneros fue grande y me gustaría dar mi opinión. Code Orange, con la ayuda del productor Will Yip han hecho un álbum muy desordenado que logra contagiar un nivel de intensidad enorme pero que, por alguna razón se escucha muy    ( 71/100 )

    Bueno, estos chicos me hacen sentir que tengo una opinión muy sesgada en la música. Pero mi esfuerzo por sumergirme de forma consciente en estos géneros fue grande y me gustaría dar mi opinión. Code Orange, con la ayuda del productor Will Yip han hecho un álbum muy desordenado que logra contagiar un nivel de intensidad enorme pero que, por alguna razón se escucha muy repetitivo. Hay una evidente narrativa desde el principio del álbum hasta el final que solo tiene éxito cuando rompen con el desorden, cuando se siente una energía lógica y, entonces, hay cierta motivación de saltar y querer ver cabezas rodar. Hay una cantidad enorme de arreglos y detalles muy interesantes y bien realizados, pero en general el conjunto de la música, las voces y las incompresibles letras escupen un color sobre otro al público sin darles la oportunidad de mesclar, aprovechar o, al menos entender el valor de su propio concepto.
    -
    Well, these guys make me feel that I have a very biased opinion on music. But my effort to consciously drown in this genre was big and I'd like to give my opinion. Code Orange, with help of producer Will Yip, has made a very messy album that achieves to spread a huge level of intensity but, for some reason, it feels very repetitive. There is an evident narrative since the beginning of the album until the end that only has success when they break the mess, when the energy is logic and, then, there's a motivation to jump and see heads rolling. There is plenty of arrangements and details that well done, but in general, the ensemble of the music, the voices, and the incomprehensible lyrics spit one color over other to the public with no opportunity to mix, to embrace or, at least, understand the value of their own concept.    … Expand
  12. illinformed
    Mar 20, 2020
    10
    This album has had me mesmerized every since listening to it on the day of release. It is a unique breed in which it includes electronic elements that are not subtle but which transcend this album from any other album i have yet to hear, immersing the listener in its uneasy, chaotic but yet at times calming atmosphere. On top of this it perfectly embodies the metal/hardcore guitar and drumThis album has had me mesmerized every since listening to it on the day of release. It is a unique breed in which it includes electronic elements that are not subtle but which transcend this album from any other album i have yet to hear, immersing the listener in its uneasy, chaotic but yet at times calming atmosphere. On top of this it perfectly embodies the metal/hardcore guitar and drum sounds which we all know and love and vocal performances have never sounded better. This album is practically as perfect as metal can get.… Expand
  13. Trapidon
    Apr 27, 2020
    8
    A not so subtle reminder that rock is in fact not dead. It is not even on life support. Code Orange deliver a technically excellent album. Granted it is one of those albums that you cant just listen to but you really need to hear it from start to finish, it is fully deserving of every second spent listening.
  14. finnhayes
    Aug 5, 2020
    10
    Visceral and infernal perfection.
    A provoking masterpiece that is entirely successful in delivering Code Orange's brutal yet divine sonic vision. Classic.
  15. chewybacca
    Aug 5, 2020
    10
    This 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.
  16. MrSanchez
    Jan 14, 2021
    7
    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 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 inMusic 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

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Best Album of 2020
89
#89 Most Discussed Album of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    May 6, 2020
    70
    Mostly, Underneath is confrontational and exhilarating - just as metal should be when it's doing its job properly. [Jun 2020, p.87]
  2. No Ripcord
    Apr 6, 2020
    80
    For the most part, Code Orange leans upon evocative writing that pairs heaviness to thoughtful lyricism. While there are a handful of phrases that feel sloppy or obvious (“The digital knife's edge that cuts us all” on In Fear, or Cold.Metal.Place’s “The fire burns down our 3D world”), Code Orange’s self-seriousness almost entirely works because of how badass they are.
    Read full review
  3. Pitchfork
    Mar 17, 2020
    45
    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.
    Read full review
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