Code Orange - "The Hurt Will Go On" EP

Code Orange are a Metalcore and Hardcore Punk outfit from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Now as of recently, I've been totally into these guys and what they bring to the table.  But to be perfectly honest, it wasn't always like that.  They started off as Code Orange Kids, releasing the "Love Is Love // Return To Dust" album in 2013.  This album was packed with crossover Hardcore jams and an abundance of energy.  But at the time, to be honest it was a little sloppy.  I was so much into more of the metal tracks here like "Nothing (The Rat)".  However, while overall I wasn't nuts about this album I saw plenty of great qualities.  But with 2014's "I Am King", Code Orange capitalized on all of those things.  Now, this wasn't a perfect Metal album, but this was light-years ahead of where they started,  Of course, they had much better production this time around, and their blend of Metalcore and Punk just came off so much fresher.  Tracks like "My World" and the absolutely tortured "Dreams in Intertia" were just so unbelievably brutal.  And it all just had this suffocating atmosphere that made me never want to leave my headphones and just keep listening.  But in 2017 Code Orange absolutely blew me away with "Forever".  It was an album I initially liked, but I grew to obsess over. Tracks like "Forever" and "The Mud" showed the band had mastered the blend of Metal and Hardcore in a big way, but tracks like "Bleeding In The Blur' showed some legitimate crossover appeal.  Needless to say, they've been on fire.  But hey, what's this?!  A New EP!  Let's chat!

This EP starts off with “3 Knives”, and not too shockingly Code Orange don’t waste a second.  I love some of the ballsy production choices here, as they go for some seriously left field stuff.  But to be honest, it makes this one come off even more out of control, and actually strengthens some of the more Industrial elements of the band’s sound.  As far as the “3 Knives” goes, it’s muscular, with some absolutely vicious vocals and some Hardcore influence.  It’s not as chugging or intense as some of the tracks on “Forever”, but between the raw energy, the vocal snippets that give me the chills, and this fucking incredible sample of Duran Duran, I’m all game for this.  Then we have “The Hunt” featuring the legendary Corey Taylor of Slipknot.  Compared to the last track this one is more chugging and much more off the rails, and totally in the vein of the stuff Code Orange was churning out last year.  This is just so raw and animalistic, and would have fit snuggly on “Forever”.  The guitars are gruesome and muscular.  And between that, the chorus, and Corey freakin’ Taylor sounding like an absolute animal, this one is a masterclass of modern Metal.  Like, leave it Code Orange to get the beast to come out of Corey again, he sounds incredible here.  “The Hunt” is truly wild.  So much so, honestly, I really don’t want it to end, I just want to hear Code Orange back in the studio.  It’s also got that same streamlined production that’s also incredibly gritty.  I’ll be honest, this track is incredible.  And that last minute, man what even is this?  All of these production tricks and blasts of God knows what, sign me up man.  Then we have “The Hurt Will Go On (Shade Remix).  And honestly, this really isn’t terrible at all.  Since the band has pushed further and further into the realm of Industrial, this blend of Electronic really doesn’t sound too far off from where the band should be.  It’s very tense and a murky track that almost sounds like it would be up the alley of The Haxan Cloak maybe.  Now, sometimes the vocals do get a little on the cheesy side.  And sure, I would have liked this one to be a little heavier.  But this is a remix that goes along with the band’s ideas, and how often can you say that.  

Rating: 7.4/10

Genre: Metalcore / Hardcore / Industrial

Overall Thoughts:  It’s a 9 minute EP.  But for those 9 minutes Code Orange remind you of every reason of why they’re as dangerous as they’ve been for years.  The production is suffocating, the instrumentals are muscular, and the band end up getting a solid verse out of Corey Taylor in 2018.  I mean, obviously this isn’t nearly as complete as I would like, and I really would have liked another track or two.  But this is a swift, crushing reminder or who Code Orange are, and a warning to whoever the hell thinks they’ve run their course.