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Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990,[Converge FAQ. Convergecult.com. Retrieved on 13 may, 2008.] Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.
DescriptionThe group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and polyrhythmic drumming leading some to describe the band as mathcore[ title = Converge biography ][www.popmatters.com/pm/review/converge-no-heroes/][issuu.com/amsterdamweekly/docs/amsterdamweekly_issue26_3_july2]. 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", "In Her Shadow", "Grim Heart/Black Rose", "Cruel Bloom", and "Wretched World."
HistoryConverge 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, 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 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:cquote 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 ...
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.[ publisher = Metal Sucks]
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." [ first=Cosmo]
InfluencesConverge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Negative Approach,Citation needed and Entombed;
Side projectsOutside Converge, singer Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou have composed stark, ambient music under the moniker Supermachiner, 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 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.
Ben Koller got his start in the punk and metal scene by playing drums for bands like FORCEFEDGLASS.
Members- Current
Jacob Bannon – vocals, lyrics, visuals
Kurt Ballou – guitar, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, theremin
Nate Newton – bass guitar, vocals
Ben Koller – drums, percussion
- Former
- Aaron Dalbec – guitar (1994–2001), now in Bane
- 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
- Jeff Feinburg – guitar, bass guitar (1991–1997)
- Erik Ralston – bass guitar (1993)
DiscographyMainlist Converge discography
Studio albums
- Halo in a Haystack (1994)
- Petitioning the Empty Sky (1996)
- When Forever Comes Crashing (1998)
- Jane Doe (2001)
- Unloved and Weeded Out (2002)
- You Fail Me (2004)
- No Heroes (2006)
- Axe to Fall (2009)
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
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