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Converge (band)

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Converge

Converge is an American metalcore band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore[1][2] and metal since 1990,[3][4][5] Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.[6][7][8]

Description

The group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and off-time polyrhythmic drumming leading some to describe the band as mathcore[9][10][11][12][13]. This is best exemplified on their album Jane Doe. While using hardcore punk as the framework for most of their songs, they also play slower tempo songs, like "Jane Doe", "You Fail Me", "Grim Heart/Black Rose", "Cruel Bloom", and "Wretched World."

History

Converge at Neumo's in Seattle, Washington, 2008.

Converge was formed in the winter of 1990 by Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou. They started by playing covers of hardcore punk, punk rock and heavy metal songs, being self-confessed "hardcore kids with left-over Slayer riffs". The band soon graduated to playing live performances in 1991, after recording some demos on a 4-track recorder and eventually releasing full lengths including When Forever Comes Crashing and splits with bands like Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

In recent years, Converge have enjoyed relatively high levels of popularity, despite the esoteric nature of their music and the lack of media attention. Their popularity began to rise with the release of their breakthrough album, Jane Doe. During the recording of Jane Doe, long time member Aaron Dalbec who was also handling his then-side project Bane, was asked to leave the group. This resulted in a four man line-up that is still intact today. Aaron Burgess of Revolver locates Jane Doe as marking a break in the group's style:

Converge fans generally fall into two camps: those who worship everything leading up to 2001's Jane Doe, and those who swear by that album and the two that followed. Indeed, Jane Doe marks the point at which Converge graduated from noisy, thrash-influenced hardcore kids to hardcore-influenced noise-thrash titans ...[14]

Converge at 2007's Eurockéennes.

Their records have gradually become more expensively and extensively produced, having moved from the independent label Equal Vision Records to the much larger and more mainstream (yet still independent) punk label Epitaph Records while handling special releases on Bannon's record label, Deathwish Inc. with their latest albums You Fail Me and No Heroes.

Converge released Axe to Fall on October 20, 2009. It was leaked on the internet prior to its planned release; Shaun Hand of Metal Sucks has been identified as the source of the leak, which occurred on October 4, 2009.[15]

The album received several positive reviews prior to its release, including 10/10 from Decibel Magazine, and was hailed as the band's best work since Jane Doe. Pitchfork Media writer Cosmo Lee gave the album a rating of 8.5/10 and hailed Converge as "this generation's Black Flag." Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

Influences

Converge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Negative Approach,[citation needed] The Accused[3], and Born Against;[3] metal bands like Black Sabbath, Godflesh,[3] Slayer,[16] and Entombed;[3] and proto-mathcore bands Starkweather[3] and Rorschach.[3] Jacob Bannon has also discussed an appreciation for and inspiration from grindcore on Earache Records, post-hardcore on Dischord Records, thrash metal, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Vio-lence, and Death Angel, and post-punk groups, such as Depeche Mode and The Cure.[17]

Side projects

Outside Converge, singer Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou compose stark, ambient music under the moniker Supermachiner, with Daltonic bass player Ryan Parker, co-founder of the record label Deathwish Inc.. Ballou has participated in an array of other lesser-known bands, such as Blue/Green Heart with drummer Ben Koller. Bannon also records under his own name, releasing solo records.

In late 2005, Ben Koller briefly drummed for Cave In. He also drums in Acid Tiger and United Nations.

Bassist Nate Newton also plays guitar in Old Man Gloom and Doomriders. Nate formerly played in Jesuit with future Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Brian Benoit.

Aaron Dalbec, former guitarist, and Damon Bellorado, former drummer, created a side project in 1995 called "Gateway", later renamed Bane.

Members

Current
Former
  • Aaron Dalbec – guitar (1994–2001), now in Bane
  • John DiGiorgio – drums (1999) now in The End Of The Universe
  • Damon Bellorado – drums (1991–1999) formerly of 500 Knives
  • Stephen Brodsky – bass guitar (1997–1998), now in Cave In
  • Jeff Feinburg – guitar, bass guitar (1991–1997)
  • Erik Ralston – bass guitar (1993)

Discography

For a more comprehensive list, see Converge discography.

Studio albums

References

  1. ^ http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=101520
  2. ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/article.html?in_article_id=216468&in_page_id=206&in_a_source=
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Converge FAQ. Convergecult.com. Retrieved on 13 may, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "faq" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ http://www.mywire.com/pubs/BassPlayer/2005/03/01/1581061?extID=10051
  5. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E3DF1E39F934A25756C0A9649C8B63
  6. ^ CitySearch, 2006
  7. ^ http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=123&csid2=844&fid1=32314
  8. ^ http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100042
  9. ^ "Converge biography". Rockdetector.com. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  10. ^ "Sum of the Score". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 2009-04-07. {{cite web}}: Text "Mathcore, a genre of music that requires heavy concentration, puts a new spin on hardcore music" ignored (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 5 (help)
  11. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/converge-no-heroes/
  12. ^ http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=103066
  13. ^ http://issuu.com/amsterdamweekly/docs/amsterdamweekly_issue26_3_july2
  14. ^ Aaron Burgess, Axe to Fall review, Revolver, December 2009, p. 85.
  15. ^ "Regarding the leak of Converge's Axe to Fall". Metal Sucks. October 6, 2009.
  16. ^ Ramirez, Carlos (2008-02-19). "Converge: 'The Best Way To Learn Is Just Start Doing It'". UltimateGuitar.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27. I learned to play guitar by listening to Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, and Metallica
  17. ^ The groups listed in this sentence are taken from an interview with Jacob Bannon from Smother Magazine. [1] Access date: 14 June 2008.
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