Reba Meyers in action with Code Orange in Indio, California, April 22, 2022
PHOTO BY THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES
“"I JUST WA NTED TO HEA R MORE HONESTY IN MY GUITA R PA RTS"”
AGGRESSIVE METAL AND teeth-grinding tension go together like energy drinks and vodka —in more ways than one. They’re likely to ramp up the intensity and energy levels of a band, but they also can lead to emotional turmoil, instability and crippling volatility. The six touring members of Code Orange —guitarists Reba Meyers and Dom Landolina, vocalist Jami Morgan, bassist Joe Goldman, multi-instrumentalist Eric “Shade” Balderose and drummer Max Portnoy —don’t need caffeine and booze to feel jumpy. Theirs is an anxiety born from ambition, insecurity and a little chemical imbalance, and working together simultaneously feeds their neurosis and gives them an outlet to purge their poisons.