Converge is an American band from
SalemSalem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Playing a blend of
hardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and
metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the
metalcoreMetalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
genre.
Description
The group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and polyrhythmic drumming, as well as frequent use of unorthodox time signatures, leading some to describe the band as
mathcoreMathcore is a rhythmically complex and dissonant fusion style of hardcore punk and Metal. It has its roots in bands such as Converge, Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. The term mathcore is suggested by analogy with math rock. Both math rock and mathcore make use of unusual time signatures...
. This is best exemplified on their album
Jane DoeJane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
. While using hardcore punk as the framework for most of their songs, they also play slower tempo songs, like "Jane Doe", "Hell to Pay", "You Fail Me", "In Her Shadow", "Grim Heart/Black Rose", "Cruel Bloom", "Ten Cents", and "Wretched World."
Guitarist Kurt Ballou described Converge's first album as "a bunch of hardcore kids playing leftover
SlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
riffs". Since then Converge have branched out to explore more complex musical experimentation.
History
Converge was formed in the winter of 1990 by
Jacob BannonJacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...
and
Kurt BallouKurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
. They started by playing covers of
hardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
,
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
songs, being self-confessed "hardcore kids with left-over
SlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
riffs". The band soon graduated to playing live performances in 1991, after recording some demos on a
4-track recorderMultitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
and eventually releasing full lengths including
When Forever Comes CrashingWhen Forever Comes Crashing is the third album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge. Originally released in 1998, the album was re-issued in 2005 with a bonus track and bonus enhanced material . The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998...
and splits with bands like
Agoraphobic NosebleedAgoraphobic Nosebleed is a grindcore band formed in 1994 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Its line-up has changed often during the years, leaving the only permanent member Scott Hull , also a guitarist in Pig Destroyer...
.
In recent years, Converge have enjoyed relatively high levels of popularity. Their popularity began to rise with the release of their breakthrough album,
Jane DoeJane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
, the album that was named the #1 album on Sputnikmusic's "Top 100 Albums of the Decade". During the recording of
Jane Doe, long time member Harley Flanagan who was also handling his then-side project
BaneBane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects...
, was asked to leave the group. This resulted in a four man line-up that is still intact today. Aaron Burgess of
RevolverRevolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
locates
Jane Doe as marking a break in the group's style:
Their records have gradually become more expensively and extensively produced, having moved from the independent label
Equal Vision RecordsEqual Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
to the much larger independent punk label
Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
while handling special releases on Bannon's record label,
Deathwish Inc.Deathwish, Inc. is a independent record label founded by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy. The label was originally used to release early albums by Bannon's own band Converge starting in late 1991. It wasn't until late 1999 that McCarthy and Bannon discussed turning Deathwish into a full-fledged label...
with their latest albums
You Fail MeYou Fail Me is an album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge, released on September 20, 2004. It is their first release on Epitaph Records, previously being signed to Equal Vision Records....
and
No HeroesNo Heroes is the sixth album by Converge. The album was released on October 24, 2006, on Epitaph Records. By January 11, 2007, it had sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. It peaked at number 151 in the Billboard 200. It topped the Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 13 in the Independent Albums...
.
Converge released
Axe to FallAxe to Fall is the seventh studio album released by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 20, 2009 through Epitaph Records and was released later on in the year through Deathwish Inc. as a vinyl record. It is their most commercially successful to date, peaking at number 74 in...
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.
The album received several positive reviews prior to its release, including 10/10 from
Decibel MagazineDecibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
, and was hailed as the band's best work since
Jane DoeJane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
.
Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
writer Cosmo Lee gave the album a rating of 8.5/10 and hailed Converge as "this generation's
Black FlagBlack Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
."
Recently,
Jane DoeJane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
was inducted into the
Rock SoundRock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
's
Hall of Fame. It has been confirmed via studio pictures and posts on Converge's official
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page that they have begun recording demos for their new release.
Influences
Converge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as
Black FlagBlack Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, The Accused, and
Born AgainstBorn Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989–1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as problematic within the punk subculture of their time.-History:The group was founded in...
; metal bands like
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
,
GodfleshGodflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
,
SlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, and
EntombedEntombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
; and proto-
mathcoreMathcore is a rhythmically complex and dissonant fusion style of hardcore punk and Metal. It has its roots in bands such as Converge, Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. The term mathcore is suggested by analogy with math rock. Both math rock and mathcore make use of unusual time signatures...
bands
StarkweatherStarkweather is a metal band from Philadelphia, United States that formed in 1989. Starkweather helped pioneer the hardcore/heavy metal crossover sound that would later be known as "metalcore"...
and
RorschachRorschach is a New Jersey-based band that existed from 1989 to 1993 and reformed in 2009. The group often blended hardcore punk and dissonant elements of metal providing the inspiration to a number of hardcore and post hardcore bands thereafter....
. Jacob Bannon has also discussed an appreciation for and inspiration from
grindcoreGrindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
on
Earache RecordsEarache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
,
post-hardcorePost-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
on
Dischord RecordsDischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
,
thrash metalThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, such as
Suicidal TendenciesSuicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
,
Vio-lenceVio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
, and
Death AngelDeath Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
, and
post-punkPost-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
groups, such as
Depeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and
The CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
Side projects
Outside Converge, singer
Jacob BannonJacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...
and guitarist
Kurt BallouKurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
have composed stark, ambient music under the moniker
SupermachinerSupermachiner was intended as a side project of the Boston hardcore band Converge, which includes singer/songwriter Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou. Unlike the heavier, metalcore and hardcore punk-based music of Converge, much of Supermachiner is ambient...
, with Daltonic bass player Ryan Parker. 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 InCave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...
. He also drums in Acid Tiger,
United NationsUnited Nations is an experimental punk supergroup whose roots go back to at least 2005. They consider "screamo power-violence" as their main influence.-History:United Nations was started by Geoff Rickly, the vocalist/lyricist of the band Thursday...
and
All Pigs Must DieAll Pigs Must Die is a hardcore punk band composed of Kevin Baker of the The Hope Conspiracy and Ben Koller of Converge in addition to Adam Wentworth and Matt Woods of Bloodhorse. The former of which is also a part of Acid Tiger. All Pigs Must Die is signed to Nonbeliever Records, an imprint label...
. Ben Koller got his start in the punk and metal scene by playing drums for bands such as FORCEFEDGLASS.
Bassist
Nate NewtonNate Newton is the bassist in hardcore band Converge.He also plays guitar and sings in two side projects, Old Man Gloom and Doomriders.Before relocating to the Boston area in 1999, he was in the Virginia Beach area hardcore punk bands Lift, Jesuit, Channel, Edison and Dwell...
also plays guitar in
Old Man GloomOld Man Gloom is a sludge/doom metal/post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, has now expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene....
and
DoomridersDoomriders is a heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band has released two albums on Deathwish, Inc. The band's vocalist/guitarist Nate Newton also plays bass in Converge and guitar in Old Man Gloom. Jebb Riley formerly played bass in "There Were Wires". Doomriders have toured with...
. 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
BaneBane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects...
.
Members
Current
- Jacob Bannon
Jacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...
– vocals, lyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, visuals
- Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
– guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, thereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
- Nate Newton
Nate Newton is the bassist in hardcore band Converge.He also plays guitar and sings in two side projects, Old Man Gloom and Doomriders.Before relocating to the Boston area in 1999, he was in the Virginia Beach area hardcore punk bands Lift, Jesuit, Channel, Edison and Dwell...
– bass guitar, vocals
- Ben Koller
Ben Koller is an American drummer currently in Converge, United Nations, Acid Tiger, and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14.-Early bands:...
- drums
Former
- Aaron Dalbec
Aaron Dalbec, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, is the guitarist for Bane and Only Crime.Dalbec, a vegan, is also a former member of Converge and Velocity Engine....
– guitar (1994–2001), now in BaneBane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects...
- John DiGiorgio – drums (1999) was in The End Of The Universe and Sarah Carter and the Pretty Ponies
- Damon Bellorado – drums (1991–1999) formerly of 500 Knives
- Stephen Brodsky – bass guitar (1997–1998), now in Cave In
Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...
- Jeff Feinburg – guitar, bass guitar (1991–1997)
- Erik Ralston – bass guitar (1993)
Discography
- Halo in a Haystack
Halo in a Haystack is the debut album from American metalcore band Converge, released in 1994 through Earthmaker Records. To fund the making of the album, vocalist Jacob Bannon saved up money from working at a nursing home....
(1994)
- Petitioning the Empty Sky
Petitioning the Empty Sky is an album by American hardcore punk band Converge. While many sources catalog the release as a studio album, the band considers this a compilation album as it's a collection of songs recorded at different times. It also features both studio recorded tracks among three...
(1996)
- When Forever Comes Crashing
When Forever Comes Crashing is the third album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge. Originally released in 1998, the album was re-issued in 2005 with a bonus track and bonus enhanced material . The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998...
(1998)
- Jane Doe
Jane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore band Converge. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's...
(2001)
- You Fail Me
You Fail Me is an album by Massachusetts, USA, band Converge, released on September 20, 2004. It is their first release on Epitaph Records, previously being signed to Equal Vision Records....
(2004)
- No Heroes
No Heroes is the sixth album by Converge. The album was released on October 24, 2006, on Epitaph Records. By January 11, 2007, it had sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. It peaked at number 151 in the Billboard 200. It topped the Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 13 in the Independent Albums...
(2006)
- Axe to Fall
Axe to Fall is the seventh studio album released by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 20, 2009 through Epitaph Records and was released later on in the year through Deathwish Inc. as a vinyl record. It is their most commercially successful to date, peaking at number 74 in...
(2009)
External links