KORN, CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE bring the heavy back to the Target Center

CONCERT REVIEW :: KORN, CHEVELLE, CODE ORANGE
Target Center - Minneapolis, MN
March 26, 2022
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

KORN brought their Requiem Tour to the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN with a strong tour lineup featuring CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE! This was the best I've seen KORN in years! Opening with "Forgotten", one of the many strong new songs from Requiem, you could sense it in the crowd they were happy to see KORN again and KORN was happy to see the fans again. Smiling faces from all the band members. Going in to an early showing of "Got the Life" and "Here to Stay" got the crowd moving and we knew KORN wasn't messing around with this set.

"Start the Healing" from Requiem showed up next before KORN dug deep into their back catolog to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Untouchables by playing a deep cut "No One's There". I'm not sure they ever played that one live. A definate treat for the hardcore fans in the crowd. Right after that Jonathan came out with the bagpipes for "Shoots and Ladders" and the crowd came unglued. "Lost in the Grandeur" sounded fantastic with the set so far showing off each member on top of their game. Especially Ray Luzier on the drums! How he can throw sticks up and not miss a cymbal crash is beyond me. Highlight of the night just watching Ray play.

"Falling Away From Me" never gets old in the set, sounds just as good as it did live in 1999. The new single "Worst Is On It's Way" showed up next, featuring Jonathan's signature scatting on it. I may be of the small percentage of the audience who could have used more new songs. KORN has too many hits to play in a set without making it a 3 hour show closing the main set with "Coming Undone" and "Freak on a Leash".

The addition of Ra Diaz on bass filling in for Fieldy was infectious. Ra just smiling ear to ear the entire set clearly enjoying his time playing in the band. Jonathan sounding the best he has in years, same with Munky's background vocals. Head and Munky absolutely crushing their guitars the whole entire set. KORN definately is on top of their game on this tour supporting their best album in quite sometime. To be fair, The Nothing was a pretty great album as well ... no "Cold" or "You'll Never Find Me" in this set list though. Closing out with a fantastic drum solo from Ray in to the legendary "Blind". That's how it's done! KORN took the audience back and showed them how it's done once again.

CHEVELLE had a hits filled set list playing about everything you would want them to play. Opening with "An Island", "Door to Door Cannibals" and "Self Destructor" before letting the foot off the gas pedal for a moment before going into a crowd approved version of "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)". Not a band to ever talk a whole lot between songs, Pete got in a good dig on someone in the crowd telling him he's number one.

CHEVELLE has always been a band locked into a groove together and this is no different between Pete and Sam with the latest addition Kemble on bass. "Face to the Floor" and "The Clincher" rocked as hard as ever. They got a big crowd sing along with "Send the Pain Below" and "The Red" from Wonder What's Next before closing out their set with the latest and probably best song in years "Mars Simula". So good to see Chevelle live again.

CODE ORANGE had the tough job of opening the night to a crowd that mostly did not know who they were. The band took that job on head first putting them thru everything that CODE ORANGE is in their 30 min set. Comming out with probably their most friendly song the latest single "Out For Blood" before taking a huge 180 into the punishing "Forever". The Target Center hasn't seen a band this heavy in a long time. Jami making full use of the stage and running every inch of it as his territory. Reba showing off how much of a badass she is crushing it on the guitar and vocals during "Sulfur Surrounding". Here's where I definately missed "Bleeding in the Blur" but CODE ORANGE wasn't letting the crowd off that light. Bassist Joe Goldman stalking every inch of that stage like the AEW wrestler he should be. The addition of Mud Max Portnoy on drums brings the band to a whole new heavy unleashing the full potential of power this band can unleash. Shade got to unleash a few extra instrumental elements in to the show allowing a breather in between songs. "Spy" and "Swallowing the Rabbit Hole" closed out the set allowing guitarist Dominic Landolina to destroy his end of the stage. I can't wait to see CODE ORANGE release this new fury in a smaller venue hoepfully soon as they are right now on their own headlining tour.

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S PICTURES OF KORN HERE!

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S PICTURES OF CHEVELLE AND CODE ORANGE HERE!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 03/27/20 - WEATHER CHECK & CODE ORANGE

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 03/27/20
GUESTS :: WEATHER CHECK & CODE ORANGE

HOUR 1
IN THIS MOMENT feat JOE COTELA- "hunting grounds" // mother
KORN - "you'll never find me" // the nothing
WEATHER CHECK - "swarm in numbers" // weather check
WEATHER CHECK - "elevate" // innovate/elevate 7"
WEATHER CHECK - "innovate" // innovate/elevate 7"

WEATHER CHECK - "that way" // weather check vol 2
ARROWS AT DAWN - "let live" // pieces
BABES IN TOYLAND - "he's my thing" // painkillers
REVILWEN - "those who control" // follow the money
THE MAYBERRY RIOT - "closed out" // shanaska
ATMOSPHERE feat deM atlaS - "finer things" // Frida Kahlo vs. Ezra Pound
AUGUST BURNS RED - "paramount" // guardians

HOUR 2
TRIVIUM - "what the dead men say" // what the dead men say
PARKWAY DRIVE - "absolute power" (live) // viva the underdogs
CODE ORANGE - "swallowing the rabbit whole" // underneath
CODE ORANGE - "the easy way" // underneath
CODE ORANGE - "in fear" // underneath

CODE ORANGE - "last ones left" // underneath
CODE ORANGE - "who I am" // underneath
AFTER THE BURIAL - "the great repeat" // evergreen
IMONOLITH - "instinct" // state of being
TESTAMENT - "night of the witch" // titans of creation

**SPECIAL THANKS to TREVOR from WEATHER CHECK and JAMI from CODE ORANGE for calling in to the Midwest Beatdown this week!

WEATHER CHECK’s new digital single “Innovate/Elevate” is out now and available to download here! 7 inch vinyl to be released soon thru Disc Mill Records!

CODE ORANGE’s phenomenal new album “Underneath” is out now via Roadrunner Records! Check out their live stream Last Ones Left: In Fear of the End here on YouTube!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/13/18 - CODE ORANGE

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/13/18
GUESTS :: CODE ORANGE

HOUR 1
FIRE FIGHT – “burn” // burn - single (PICK OF THE WEEK)
COLD KINGDOM – “surrender” // the moon and the fool
ANGRY WATERS – “invasive species" // hold the high ground
P.O.S – “wearing a bear" // chill, dummy
CITY OF THE WEAK – “not this time” // pulling teeth
DIAMANTE - "coming in hot" // coming in hot
DIVIDING EDEN - "shakedown" // shakedown - single
UNDEROATH - "on my teeth" // erase me

DESSA - "fire drills" // chime
QUIETDRIVE - "maybe misery" // when all that's left is you
TURNSTILE - "real thing" // time and space
MUTOID MAN - "melt your mind" // war moans
CLUTCH - "how to shake hands" // book of bad decisions
ROYAL THUNDER - "anchor" // wick
DEE SNIDER - "tomorrow's no concern" // for the love of metal
HATEBREED - "put it to the torch" // the divinity of purpose

HOUR 2
CODE ORANGE - "3 knives" // the hurt will go on ep
CODE ORANGE - "spy" // forever
CODE ORANGE - "real" // forever
CODE ORANGE - "bleeding in the blur" // forever

DISEMBODIED - "anvil chandelier" // diablerie
MARTYR AD - "american hollow" // on earth as it is in hell
DEVILINSIDE - "kiss the cynic" // volume one
VEIN - "end eternal" // errorzone
KNOCKED LOOSE - "deadringer" // laugh tracks
TREASONS - "sense of pride" // black hearts, broken bones
ENEMY X - "dirt" // enemy x
MACHINE HEAD - "elegy" // through the ashes of empires
THROWDOWN - "avow" // intolerance

**SPECIAL THANKS to REBA from CODE ORANGE for stopping by the Midwest Beatdown this week! CODE ORANGE's new EP "The Hurt Goes On" along with "Only One Way" and their full length "Forever" are all out now via Roadrunner! If Code Orange is ever in your town, do not miss their show!

CODE ORANGE CRUSHES THE AMSTERDAM!

CODE ORANGE FINALLY RETURNS TO MN! The band has not been back since the release of “Forever” so this show was long overdue. These types of shows are almost unheard of now. No barricade and absolute chaos. They were completely unhinged at Rock on the Range in front of 5,000 plus people, what would be unleashed in the 900 person capacity Amsterdam hall?

I missed PYRALIS’ set unfortunately but what I heard of a half of song at sound check, these guys are crushing. Looking forward to checking out a set of theirs soon.

Brett and I arrived in time for VEIN’s set. Not even 30 seconds in to the first song, someone came out of the pit with a bloody nose. This brought me back to the old days and Martyr AD’s CD release party. Holy crap. Here’s the easiest way to describe Vein… if you dig Code Orange and Dillinger Escape Plan at their most spastic, you’ll enjoy Vein. I heard a lot about this band coming up to this point so I really didn’t want to miss this. Their 20 min set did not disappoint. Heavy, straight and to the point. I had to go pick up the disc so I could hear more.

TWITCHING TOUNGES was up next. This band features Sean Martin who used to be in Hatebreed. The crowd was in to it at certain points but not completely all the way into it like they were for Vein. Their 40 minute set was a little too long but they were solid.

CODE ORANGE came out and the crowd erupted. I’ve been out of the hardcore scene for a while now but man it was like seeing an old friend again. Code Orange’s live set is well rehearsed intense chaos. They have to with all the electronic elements to their music, they have to be on top of their game. Windmills, karate kicks, stage diving, you name it – it was represented during this set.

Launching in to “My World” from I Am King and not allowing a breath before pummeling into “Real” and “Spy” – this was cathartic. If you had something you wanted to work out in the pit, this was your chance.

How Jami juggles frantic drumming with screaming it beyond me. Shade helps out while handling the electronics and extra guitar work. Joe and Dominic stalk the stage adding to the insanity. Reba is one of the best out there headbanging with fury as she punishes the guitar.

“Only One Way” is up next in the set and gets a huge reaction. More melodic than heavy and a definite highlight of the set. So now we all got a tiny breather before the battle continues with “The New Reality”, “Kill the Creator” and “I Am King”.

Reba takes center stage with an intense stare into the crowd as she plays the opening chords of “Bleeding in the Blur”. The rest join in as the song builds up into it’s final eruption.

The brand new “The Hunt” followed. The track released just as the tour began. On the recording Jami and Corey Taylor trade versus. Live, Jami and Reba duel it out and it works flawlessly.

The melodic comes back in for “Ugly” before they finish with a beating served heavy of “Forever” into “The Hurt Goes On”. With no build up at the end, the song is done and the band is off the stage quicker than they entered and the show is over. No encore and everyone left satisfied.

This is easily the last time we’ll see Code Orange in a venue this small. I’m sure next time in a bigger venue, it will be just as intense. Finally, if “Only One Way”, “The Hunt” and “3 Knives” are any indication of what this band can unleash on the unexpecting, Code Orange’s best work is still to come.

CHECK OUT THE REST OF BRETT's PICTURES FROM CODE ORANGE AT THE AMSTERDAM HERE!