The Above | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 29, 2023 | |||
Studio | Electrical Audio | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:36 | |||
Label | Blue Grape Music | |||
Producer |
| |||
Code Orange chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Above | ||||
|
The Above is the fifth studio album by American hardcore punk band Code Orange, released on September 29, 2023, through Blue Grape Music. It is their first album to be entirely self-produced, their first with the label Blue Grape Music, and their first to feature drummer Max Portnoy. It was preceded by three singles: "Grooming My Replacement / The Game", "Take Shape", and "Mirror".
The Above was self-produced by band members Jami Morgan and Eric "Shade" Balderose, and engineered by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio. [1] [2]
On May 30, 2023, the band shared a video on their YouTube channel entitled "Code Orange SLAMS modern music critics", with the thumbnail featuring critics such as Anthony Fantano (wearing a Code Orange shirt) and Finn McKenty. [3] However, the video served as a bait-and-switch: It instead featured several minutes of a staged torture sequence before a new song played at the end. [4] The day after the video, on June 1, 2023, the band released two new songs: "Grooming My Replacement", which played in the video, and "The Game". [4] [5] On July 18, 2023, the band released the single "Take Shape" featuring Billy Corgan. [1] [2] [6] [7] On the same day, the band announced the title, The Above, and that it is set to be released on September 29, 2023. [1] [7] On September 6, 2023, the band released the next single, "Mirror". [8]
The Above has been described as nu metal, [9] [10] metalcore, [9] groove metal, [10] alternative rock, [10] grunge, [9] industrial rock, [9] and hard rock. [11] According to a press release, "[the album] draws on grunge, trip-hop and hip-hop while still being as heavy as Code Orange ever have been." [1] According to Morgan, "We wanted the album to be able to wash over you with melody, aggression, and joy, but it was of equal importance that the closer you look, the more you are rewarded. It was to feel rooted in the 'analogue' world, but with threads of digital reality binding things together. We wanted the sound and even the recording process itself to reflect that edict, so we enlisted Steve Albini at Electrical Audio to get the most real and raw version of the band possible, even recording us all at once in a room together for the first time in our career." [1] [2]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Kerrang! | 5/5 [13] |
Metal Hammer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MetalSucks | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PopMatters | 8/10 [17] |
Sputnikmusic | 2.5/5 [18] |
Wall of Sound | 9.5/10 [19] |
The Above was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77 based on 4 reviews. [12] Nick Ruskell of Kerrang! stated, "The Above is an album that frequently goes the opposite way than you’d expect...they’ve made such a huge range of stuff work together so well...none of this feels like a loss to what Code Orange once were." [13] Dave Everley of Metal Hammer felt that the "[band's] willingness to move forward and break down genre boundaries...[makes] The Above is everything modern heavy music should be but all too often isn’t. If this is selling out, more bands should try it." [14] Max Heilman of MetalSucks was positive about the band’s incorporation of different genres stating, "[it transcends] anything gimmicky, as every beat switch, every dynamic shift and every production choice is as calculated as it is unorthodox." [15]
Rishi Shah of NME felt that the album's last couple of songs weren't as strong as the first couple stating, "clocking in at 14 songs, one wonders if the ferocity of ‘Grooming My Replacement’ could have completed a memorable ten-track collection, with the final few tracks lacking that consistent cutting edge." [16] Ethan Stewart of PopMatters praised the album's "genre-fluidity and accessibility" and "while at times being as heavy as any of their old material, portrays much of what makes the genre so thriving even outside the mainstream eye." [17] Nick Ruskell of Sputnikmusic complemented the album's production and pacing but went on to state, "given the evident potential showcased on Underneath ...that metalcore + industrial + bleakness ting - may have borne more fruit than the brighter///broader whole here, particularly if their goal is truly as stated: to achieve something genuinely new and filthy in the knotty metallic underground. The Above is many things, but it just isn’t that. [18] Wall of Sound compared the album to other albums that were considered changes in sound. "It’s quite possible fans will embrace The Above as their favourite album, such is its point of difference to their past work, in the same way there’s NIN fans who prefer The Fragile to The Downward Spiral , Slipknot fans who take The Subliminal Verses over Iowa and Nirvana fans who prefer In Utero ." [19]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Never Far Apart" | 3:53 |
2. | "Theatre of Cruelty" | 3:58 |
3. | "Take Shape" (featuring Billy Corgan) | 3:24 |
4. | "The Mask of Sanity Slips" | 5:08 |
5. | "Mirror" | 3:59 |
6. | "A Drone Opting Out of the Hive" | 3:21 |
7. | "I Fly" | 3:41 |
8. | "Splinter the Soul" | 3:49 |
9. | "The Game" | 2:59 |
10. | "Grooming My Replacement" | 2:54 |
11. | "Snapshot" | 3:29 |
12. | "Circle Through" | 2:58 |
13. | "But a Dream..." | 3:45 |
14. | "The Above" | 4:18 |
Total length: | 51:36 |
Code Orange
Additional [20]
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC) [21] | 79 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [22] | 33 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [23] | 27 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [24] | 7 |
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup features Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha.
Hardcore punk is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C., and New York punk rock and early proto-punk. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics".
William Patrick Corgan Jr. is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only constant member of alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan himself is credited with helping popularize the alt rock genre. He has also been the owner and promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017.
Gish is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on May 28, 1991, by Caroline Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan, with the latter describing Gish as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spiritual ascension".
Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993, by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan. Despite its recording sessions being fraught with difficulties and tensions, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, and was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the album selling over six million copies worldwide, catapulting the Smashing Pumpkins to mainstream success and cementing them as a significant group in alternative music.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the third studio album and first double album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on October 23, 1995, in the United Kingdom and on October 24 in the United States by Virgin Records. It was produced by vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan, alongside producers Flood and Alan Moulder. The lengthy 28-track album was released as a two-disc CD and a triple LP. The album features a wide array of musical styles, including art rock, grunge, alternative pop, and heavy metal.
Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of Brian McMahan, David Pajo (guitar), Britt Walford, Todd Brashear, and Ethan Buckler. Slint's first album, Tweez, was recorded by engineer Steve Albini in 1987 and released in obscurity on the Jennifer Hartman Records label in 1989. It was followed two years later by the critically acclaimed Spiderland, released on the independent label Touch and Go Records.
Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing, while other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming, more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However, the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.
"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics; Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitars.
"Tarantula" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. It is the first single from their seventh album, Zeitgeist, and their first release since their 2006 reunion.
Code Orange is an American metalcore band that formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2008, while the members of the band were still in high school.
Forever is the third studio album by the American hardcore punk band Code Orange and its first on a major label, Roadrunner Records, following a stint on the indie label Deathwish Inc. It was released on January 13, 2017.
Life Metal is the eighth studio album by American drone metal band Sunn O))). Through Southern Lord Records, the album received a limited release for Record Store Day on April 13, 2019, and a wide release two weeks later on April 26. Life Metal was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini entirely using analog tape. The title "life metal" is an inside joke among band members and collaborators that is meant to humorously contrast the genre death metal, and conceptually contrast anything that is "not doom-and-gloom". Sunn O))) chose this as the album's title because of both the music's shift in tone and the mindset of the band members at the time of writing. In addition to Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley, the album features collaborators Tos Nieuwenhuizen, Tim Midyett, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Anthony Pateras.
Cotillions is the third solo album by American musician and Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan. It was released on November 22, 2019. The songs on the album were reportedly written in 2017 during a month-long journey Corgan took across America. There was enough material to allow for a 17-track double album. Corgan has said this album is a "true labor of love" in an Instagram post about Cotillions, expressing his gratitude towards his fans and his disdain of the mass media, while also being grateful of living in a "different world", where "an artist can speak directly to you without the filter of mass media shaping your heart and opinions before you've even had a chance to decide whether this music speaks to you."
Underneath is the fourth studio album by American hardcore punk band Code Orange, released on March 13, 2020 through Roadrunner Records. It is their first album to be produced by Nick Raskulinecz. The album was also produced by Jami Morgan and Will Yip. It was preceded by three singles: "Underneath", "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole", and "Sulfur Surrounding". The album continues the band's metalcore and hardcore punk sound with a heavier emphasis on industrial and electronic elements. The album received critical acclaim with critics praising the use of glitches, electronics, and overall production.
Cyr is the eleventh studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on November 27, 2020, on Sumerian Records. Produced by band leader Billy Corgan, the album features a synth-pop sound and was preceded by the release of ten of its songs as singles, with Corgan actively seeking out a "contemporary" sound during the recording process.
American hardcore punk band Code Orange has released five studio albums, three EPs, eight singles, one live album, one remix album, six other albums, and fifteen music videos.
"Beguiled" is a song by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was released as the first single from their twelfth studio album, Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts on September 20, 2022. The song debuted with a live music video premiering on TikTok directed by Linda Strawberry. The single was released digitally to streaming services the following day.
Pupil Slicer are a British mathcore band from London, currently signed to Prosthetic Records.