Code Orange have largely been quiet since 2023’s The Above and during a guest appearance on The Nik Nokturnal Podcast, singer Jami Morgan seems to confirm the band is currently on hiatus while sharing reflections on what the band’s legacy has been.
What Is Code Orange’s Current Status?
Those who’ve been monitoring the activity of the band’s members have seen guitarist-singer Reba Meyers step out to join Marilyn Manson’s touring band and starting up a solo career. Meanwhile, Morgan has joined guitarist-keyboardist Eric “Shade” Balderose in issuing a 2024 EP under the moniker Nowhere2Run.
Asked about the state of the band, Morgan told Nokturnal, “We don’t [have any plans]. Code Orange is on the shelf, and I think it’s there for a good reason, for many reasons. I think you can put two, two and four together, and you’ll probably come to the answer.”
Morgan then shifted the conversation to The Above, which was Code Orange’s last release in 2023. He revealed that at the time guitarist Dominic Landolina was dealing with a genetic condition that limited his ability to tour, which is why the record wasn’t supported live as much as he would’ve hoped.
But speaking about the record, he added, “If you guys haven’t checked it out yet, it says a lot of what needed to be said about that, and even just spiritually, artistically… It’s such a, for me, beautiful way to have put that pause on it. And it kind of says everything that I wanted to say. It’s almost like it feels a little bit like a death record in some ways, but in like a beautiful way for me.”
He added that he felt “artistically fulfilled” by the record, but then circled back to stating, “[Code Orange] is just on the shelf and there’s many circumstances, and we’ll see what happens. But, yeah, I have no plans.”
What Else Jami Morgan Revealed About Code Orange’s Hiatus
Later in the chat, Morgan revisited the idea of Code Orange’s hiatus. He commented, “If it was right, and if things were right, and things were happening the right way, then we would have did it. But I felt that they weren’t, for many reasons, and so did others.”
Rather than force the continuation, Morgan says the band said, ‘Fuck that. That’s not how we operate.’ We’re not gonna fight against the current here. I’m gonna die like a warrior on my shield, not like a fucking bitch, you know, screaming and crying and kicking and moaning. So it wasn’t that glorious” in reference to putting the band on hold.
READ MORE: Reba Meyers Issues First Statement on Playing With Marilyn Manson
“But at the same time,” he adds. “I think that the band will accrue love.”
“There was so much art and love put into the band, dude, and so much thought. And I think that over time, hopefully that’ll accrue, and maybe the trends and stuff will come around and swing to it. Because I do think it’s… I still hundred percent believe it’s very forward thinking, and I think it always kind of was, and I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of it,” concluded the singer.
Code Orange’s Jami Morgan Speaks With the Nik Nocturnal Podcast
The Code Orange History
This break in the action is a good moment to reflect on the band’s work up through present day. The Pennsylvania-birthed metalcore outfit initially started with the moniker Code Orange Kids before dropping the “Kids” from their name.
Morgan, Meyers and Balderose all date back to the band’s 2008 beginnings with their self-titled 2008 EP. Bassist Joe Goldman joined in 2011, guitarist Dominic Landolina was added in 2017 and drummer Max Portnoy allowed Morgan to give up his drumming duties, first serving as a touring musician in 2021 before taking over as a full-time member in 2023.
The group issued five studio albums, three EPs, one live album and one remix album. Three of their records, I Am King, Forever and Underneath, all cracked the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart.
The band also earned two Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. The first came in 2018 for the Forever album, while the second was in 2021 for Underneath.
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Gallery Credit: John Hill
