“It’s chaotic, but it makes sense.”
For anyone who has witnessed a performance from Pittsburgh’s Code Orange, this statement from drummer/vocalist Jami Morgan on their Grammy-nominated track “Forever” not only rings true, but also recalls exactly why the band is so highly praised. Earning a nod for “Best Metal Performance” at this year’s Grammys, alongside legends like Mastodon and Metallica, Code Orange is not only among the youngest band to be recognized by the award, but is also the fourth band ever nominated to have a female member, following White Zombie (first nominated in 1994), Nashville Pussy (1999) and Cradle Of Filth (2005). On the surface, the band is undeniably barrier-shattering, but at their core, they’re less concerned with gaining praise than continuing to expand their place as the new torch bearers for metal.
The award for “Best Metal Performance” was first introduced in 1990 and has traditionally been dominated by giant bands like Metallica (with six wins) and Slayer. It’s a relatively young accolade in comparison to the award show’s lifetime, which began 60 years ago in 1958. To see a band composed of young adults nominated alongside Metallica — who won the award in its first three years of existence — is historic in and of itself; the possibility alone of their winning to upset such massive metal figureheads in a setting as mainstream as the Grammys presents one of the most exciting moments in the history of metal and hardcore music.
In a phone conversation, Morgan detailed the band’s rise to become breakout artists within a fairly niche genre through relentless touring and an unparalleled work ethic among their peers. Formed in 2008, the Pittsburgh natives have been perfecting their craft from adolescence, slowly but surely rising the ranks within the hardcore and metal community. Releasing Forever in early 2017, the band continued to make massive waves over the course of the year that culminated in the nomination of the album’s title track.
Excited and grateful for the opportunity, Morgan admits that it wasn’t entirely a huge shock for the band to hear about the nomination. “We felt confident that something like that would happen eventually, but I don’t think we knew exactly what it would be or that it would be now,” he said. “It was really cool to get that recognition in some ways. We were just glad it would get us out to some more people.”
“Forever” is a three and a half minute sucker punch of a song, featuring grueling riffs and hairpin tempo shifts. The track perfectly bridges the gap between the band’s signature brutality on their first two records and their move to the more experimental on Forever. “It was kind of one of the first songs we wrote for the album, and it ended up being just like a good teaser trailer for the album,” Morgan explained. “There’s a couple elements in there that we expand on later, and it’s very succinct and compact — which our songs aren’t always — whether it’s purposefully or not.”
Yet, their creative process isn’t the only thing that sets Code Orange apart from the rest. After releasing Forever in January, the band graced the lineups for several massive tours and even made their television debut. “We toured with System of a Down in Europe for a little bit, and we got to tour with Anthrax and Killswitch Engage and Gojira and a lot of great bands and get some new fans,” Morgan said. “And then we got to play on WWE on television. That was our first television experience in an arena. And then the record was recognized by all these people like Rolling Stone and Revolver.”
These experiences allowed Code Orange to continue to expand and reach other spheres of music listeners. “We want to try to connect what we’re doing to other worlds of music,” he explained. “Not just metal and hardcore and a lot of other stuff that we like… It’s really a lot less about someone deciding that they like what you’re doing, and more about hoping that that means more people in these different corners of different worlds that I want to connect with — that I want to bridge the gap with — are seeing it.”
Now that the band is Grammy-nominated, Morgan made sure to emphasize that Code Orange doesn’t measure their artistic success in terms of recognition. They’re seizing this opportunity to continue growing while moving into the new year.
“I really try not to measure success by recognition or nominations or anything,” he said. “We just worked really hard. We were making the kind of music we really love, and trying to get better at it. We never stop, ever. We haven’t stopped for years, and we really work hard on the creative process. We work hard on the touring aspect… we just believe in ourselves and are confident in ourselves, and I think that gaining that confidence and belief is the greatest thing that’s happened through the whole process. I really don’t want to measure it by anything else.”
This confidence pervades the way in which Morgan views the band’s nomination, taking the emphasis off of the award itself and placing it on the band’s future aspirations. “I think we’re going to win it,” he said. “Whether you do or don’t, I think it’s a really significant moment for us. I think it just opens doors, and that’s really the significance of it to me. I don’t want to measure my art based on what someone else thinks. You can always learn a lot from what other people think, but it’s not the end all be all.”
Whether you’re with or against Code Orange, they have no plans on stopping their takeover. If 2017 was any indication, Forever is only the beginning of success for a band characterized by an unquenchable work ethic and intense creative passions. “I fully believe that we’re here to bring something different to the table in heavy music and in metal music and in hardcore music and in whatever we decide to dip our toes in. And that pisses people off in different ways, and they rationalize that in different ways, but I think that’s good. I think that sh*t needs to be shaken up a little bit one way or another.”
