| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Salem, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | Metalcore, mathcore, hardcore punk |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Epitaph, Deathwish Inc., Hydra Head, Relapse, Equal Vision |
| Associated acts | Old Man Gloom, Doomriders, Cave In, Supermachiner, Bane, United Nations, The Huguenots, Acid Tiger |
| Website | www.convergecult.com |
Converge (American metalcore) is a band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre.
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 leftover 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:
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 Jacob'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.
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."
