Album: Forever
Year: 2017
Rating: 75/100
The parallels with which you can draw Code Orange's almost meteoric rise in gaining recognition within metal and hardcore circles can be drawn almost with the likes of Oathbreaker and Kvelertak. Like both of them, Code Orange gained a strong cult following before Jacob Bannon snapped them up for his Deathwish Inc record label, before moving to Roadrunner and dropping their second full length, "Forever". So how does it stack up?
Well, for a start, the way in which the production shines through the music gives the entire thing a sinister, unpleasant undercurrent, which was Code Orange's trademark on their opening album. Tracks such as "Forever", "Kill the Creator" and "Real" hit harder than a pissed off Klitschko brother and give the listener the impression that they're being attacked by a maniac wielding a lump hammer. However, when Code Orange deviate from their usual path, unlike their contemporaries in Oathbreaker and Kvelertak, they don't always hit the target. "Bleeding in the Blur" and "Ugly" see them employ clean vocals, which would sound better if the production was less sinister, dark and over the top, while "Hurt Goes On" is absolutely horrid.
As a whole, "Forever" suffers somewhat from uninteresting songwriting, and is badly let down by its genre-splicing, which is ultimately a shame. When Code Orange stick to the hardcore and metal side of things, they do a fantastic job. The breakdowns are face-meltingly heavy and the production adds to that, even if it's slightly over the top. A listenable album on the whole, despite its inconsistencies.
Track list
- Forever
- Kill the Creator
- Real
- Bleeding in the Blur
- The Mud
- The New Reality
- Spy
- Ugly
- No One Is Untouchable
- Hurt Goes On
- dream2
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