Code Orange are no strangers to evolution. The Pittsburgh band notably changed their name from Code Orange Kids when they leveled up from Converge-y hardcore to devastating metalcore on 2014's landmark I Am King, and every album since then — 2018's Forever and 2020's Underneath — have marked new eras of the band both musically and visually.
Now, they're beginning to embark on a whole new chapter. Today (November 11th), the group, who just wrapped up touring with Slipknot, dropped a single called "Out for Blood" along with a gory, high-octane music video. It's a big jump forward for Code Orange.
Sonically, the band have been toying with industrial metal for years, but this is a full embrace of the sound that Nine Inch Nails and Fear Factory made waves with in the Nineties. The riffs are bigger, chunkier and catchier than they are purely decimating, the electronic elements are more dance-able (in a post-apocalyptic-nightclub-kinda way), guitarist Reba Meyers lets rip a saucy guitar solo, and drummer-turned-frontman Jami Morgan really goes for it by employing a Philip Anselmo-esque vocal inflection during the explosive chorus.
Simply put, the song is a blast, and its video is the perfect accompaniment. Directed by longtime collaborator Max Moore, the visual cuts between the band playing a raucous set in a gothic warehouse venue and scenes of Morgan confronting a hostile Doppelganger — which ends with tons of blood and thrilling action-movie flair. Watch and listen above via YouTube.
"When they go right, we go left," Morgan commented. "Code Orange is Out For Blood and we are just gettin' started."
It's worth mentioning that "Out for Blood" was produced by bigwig rock boardsmith Rob Cavallo, who's produced major record by Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and more. Where Code will go from here is anyone's guess, but our interest is certainly piqued.
