Code Orange Kids have been one of the most promising bands in ‘heavy music’ ever since their demo, and this reputation has only been solidified by their impressive live performances and their consistency in putting out solid release after solid release. When I (and I figure most people with me) heard that they would record their full length with Kurt Ballou from Converge, I could only imagine how good the outcome would be. And I can reveal this already: it surpassed my expectations in any way possible.
The album openers, “Flowermouth (The Leech)” and “Around My Head // On My Neck”, are great displays of that typical Code Orange Kids sound: original song structures with unexpected turns and twists in every song, pounding drumwork that will get you hyped up in a second, crushing bass playing, and various vocal styles (I believe that every member of the bands does vocals on this release).
“Sleep (I’ve Been Slipping)” is a bit more heavy and crushing instead of the fast and chaotic style they displayed on the previous two songs. I love it when they play like this and make you want to destroy everything nearby. This songs flows over perfectly into “Liars // Trudge”, but after a few moments the song collapses into a threatening part with distant vocals and those awesome pounding drums again. Then you get this awesomely heavy breakdown-ish part that gets harder and harder until it all calms down again and you hear clean guitars and vocals. This all sounds so beautiful yet so haunting that this made the hair on my arms stand up. “Liars // Trudge” is the best song so far.
The calmer and experimental side of Code Orange Kids fits them very well, as they continue to display in “Colors (Into Nothing)”. The fact that they pull this off so well shows they’re all great musicians and that they’re capable of a lot more than just making heavy music. If they’d make an album filled with songs like this, I’d still buy it.
After these surprising yet fantastic songs, they get back on well known territory with “Nothing (The Rat)” and “Roots Are Certain // Sky Is Empty”. Is that well known heavy sound of which you just have to hear two seconds of and you can already tell it’s them. Moving on to “Choices (Love Is Love)”, this one is one of the most crushing tracks and the guitar usage and lyrics in this one are pretty damn amazing as well. Songs like this show why they’re getting the recognition that they get right now, it’s all well deserved since they really managed to create their own path within this genre and are raising the bar really high for bands to come.
On “Calm // Breathe”, we get to catch our breath again after the ferocious ride of songs they took us through. It’s another insanely beautiful piece of music, always beautiful but never at ease or calm. It’s kind of hard to explain but you can’t really relax to these songs, there is this haunting, anxious tension in those calm songs that makes them even more awesome.
“Since Bloom // Return To Dust” is the last track, you just know you’re gonna go out with a bang. It’s a very crushing and dragging song (dragging not as in boring). The bass guitar delivers some incredible work throughout the album but really shines on this track and the lyrics are once again amazing. The part with only vocals and drums is just perfect, especially since they just deliver pure chaos afterwards.
To me, this album is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. They’re creating something new and really pushing the boundaries of whatever genre you want to place them in, setting a standard that will be hard for future bands to live up to. If anything, this is the release that will get these guys the recognition they deserve and catapult them to the top of the heavy music scene these days, since this album is just straight up flawless.
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