Well this album certainly sneaked up and surprised me.
I wasn't planning on buying this album at all. I had bought pretty much everything the band had done up to this point, and whilst some of it was kind of forgettable, it was enjoyable all the same. But I thought that I had pretty much all I needed from this band for the time being, so if I ever felt the need I would probably just pick it up as and when.
The the Thinners of the Herd email thread started...
We're going to go through a little bit here I would imagine, I'm pretty enthusiastic about this record. But straight off the bat this album art needs talking about. This is some of the ugliest cover art I have ever laid eyes on. I've never been huge on Code Orange (Kids) artwork, but damn this just really takes the piss. I almost like it, but everything in my body tells me not to.
Code Orange - I Am King - Deathwish inc. - 1st press - Opaque Green /6360
Back Cover // B-Side. The centre labels for the record are pretty on point.This logo started popping up along with the 'Thinners of the Herd' thing. The Black/ White/ Green artwork matched all the variants quite well from what I have heard, so I wasn't overly fussed on what colour I ended up with. This will do me just fine. Alternating colour schemes on the track-list too; fairly neat little touch. Tiny Deathwish logo on the bottom centre of the sleeve too.
The sleeve is a fairly high gloss gatefold. Also, the spine is fairly thick, and with the stark White and Green lettering, it really does help this record stand out on the shelf. Probably explains why I'm pulling this out on every quick glance.
Inside the gatefold. Now this is probably the art I can get behind way more on this LP. There's something about this photo set that just seems a little closer to what the record is actually all about. Again, the stark colour-less imagery is what I'm really digging here. This album sounds like it was recorded in black and white. I know that's a really stupid analogy. But this record sounds like all the colour has been drained from it. Not that it lacks vibrancy, it's just a feeling I get about it.
Printed insert. I mean, I'm expecting it to seam split before too long, but for now it's pretty intact so I'm going to enjoy that whilst it lasts. Carrying on with the same colour scheme all the way through, with some additional art here. King -- Crown, see what they did there? Clever right? All of the art and design was handled by Kimi Hanauer from Pittsburgh. I was introduced to her work through a Run For Cover Records video series called 'Off the Radar'. She also plays in Adventures, and they also feature members from Code Orange. There's the connection.
Finally, the other side of the inner sleeve. All of the layout was handled by Jami of Code Orange. Also, Kurt Ballou recorded this at God City, and he's churned out a few great albums this year (new Every Time I Die was a complete party crasher).
So a few things on why this album has got me so enthused:
Code Orange changed their name just because they wanted everyone to know that they're going to do whatever they want to do. I heard that from a Deathwish Podcast hosted by Pat Kindlon of Self Defense Family fame. I thought that was fairly poignant, considering the lyrical content of the LP.
The album is absolutely crushing in a way most heavy records just aren't. Even the quiet or softer parts of the album hold the same impact. Considering it's fairly diverse in a musical sense; there are no real lulls or skipped tracks.
They made a few really potentially cheesy moves in this album coming out. Started a mailing list, called an album 'I am King', changed the name for no particular reason. But in spite of that, it was all so full of absolute integrity that it didn't feel cheesy at all.
The art is still awful.
NO BOXES . NO BOUNDARIES . NO FEAR
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