Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind (28/03/2013)
Converge are a band that need no introduction, having been at the top of their game and at the forefront of extreme for close to twenty five years, and a new Converge release means an album filled with the technical riffage and impressive drumming that the band have made their signature sound.
In between running Deathwish Inc, recording and producing dozens of bands and playing in a multitude of side projects, the members of Converge still managed to find time to write what was easily one of my top albums of last year. After their most recent studio album, Axe To Fall, Converge took a back to basics approach to the writing of this album, and recorded it without the guest vocalists and musicians that filled the last album. This has resulted in a more organic, flowing album, and something that is inheritently Converge at its core.
The album’s first single and video was Aimless Arrow, and this song marked a more melodic sound for Converge than the previous album. Stepping back from the chaotic nature of the last album, AWLWLB feels more structured and straighter to the point, and it’s definitely something that benefits the release.
Jacob Bannon is one of the most unique front man in hardcore music, both with his ridiculous vocals and his over the top stage presence. While none of the songs on this album have the ear piercing vocals that he was known for on Jane Doe, he still delivers a range of impressive vocals that put most other vocalists to shame. The only downside to his vocals are how low they are in the mix, but that’s something that has plagued every Converge release, so it’s almost expected.
The album’s title track features some of Kurt Ballou’s best guitar work since Dark Horse off 2009’s Axe To Fall, which is saying quite a lot. Ballou is an incredible guitarist, pulling out riffs and solos, which are beyond impressive, but without ever sounding excessive. Every riff fits and suits the song, and they range from being impressively technical to crushingly heavy, and everything in between.
Ben Koller is hands down one of the most talented drummers playing heavy music today, and you only have to listen to his relentless drumming in Trespasses or the mind-blowing fills in Sparrow’s Fall to realise that. No matter whether it’s faster d-beats, or the halftime drumming during the crushing breakdowns, his drumming drives the songs, and you can see what an essential part of the band he is.
Converge are one of those bands who manage to push boundaries and change with every single release they put out. Rather than releasing music shaped by trends, they write songs that will be copied and worshipped by countless younger bands, and they prove that even 25 years on, there still aren’t many, if any, heavy bands that do things on Converge’s level.
All We Love We Leave Behind could even be Converge’s most accessible album, if that counts for anything. It’s the sound of a band that are so comfortable playing with each other after all these years, but who aren’t content to rest idly and just release the same album, year after year. This is a band and an album that exceeds expectations in every way, but somehow delivering something that is uniquely Converge.
Josh Mitrou
In between running Deathwish Inc, recording and producing dozens of bands and playing in a multitude of side projects, the members of Converge still managed to find time to write what was easily one of my top albums of last year. After their most recent studio album, Axe To Fall, Converge took a back to basics approach to the writing of this album, and recorded it without the guest vocalists and musicians that filled the last album. This has resulted in a more organic, flowing album, and something that is inheritently Converge at its core.
The album’s first single and video was Aimless Arrow, and this song marked a more melodic sound for Converge than the previous album. Stepping back from the chaotic nature of the last album, AWLWLB feels more structured and straighter to the point, and it’s definitely something that benefits the release.
Jacob Bannon is one of the most unique front man in hardcore music, both with his ridiculous vocals and his over the top stage presence. While none of the songs on this album have the ear piercing vocals that he was known for on Jane Doe, he still delivers a range of impressive vocals that put most other vocalists to shame. The only downside to his vocals are how low they are in the mix, but that’s something that has plagued every Converge release, so it’s almost expected.
The album’s title track features some of Kurt Ballou’s best guitar work since Dark Horse off 2009’s Axe To Fall, which is saying quite a lot. Ballou is an incredible guitarist, pulling out riffs and solos, which are beyond impressive, but without ever sounding excessive. Every riff fits and suits the song, and they range from being impressively technical to crushingly heavy, and everything in between.
Ben Koller is hands down one of the most talented drummers playing heavy music today, and you only have to listen to his relentless drumming in Trespasses or the mind-blowing fills in Sparrow’s Fall to realise that. No matter whether it’s faster d-beats, or the halftime drumming during the crushing breakdowns, his drumming drives the songs, and you can see what an essential part of the band he is.
Converge are one of those bands who manage to push boundaries and change with every single release they put out. Rather than releasing music shaped by trends, they write songs that will be copied and worshipped by countless younger bands, and they prove that even 25 years on, there still aren’t many, if any, heavy bands that do things on Converge’s level.
All We Love We Leave Behind could even be Converge’s most accessible album, if that counts for anything. It’s the sound of a band that are so comfortable playing with each other after all these years, but who aren’t content to rest idly and just release the same album, year after year. This is a band and an album that exceeds expectations in every way, but somehow delivering something that is uniquely Converge.
Josh Mitrou