Converge - Axe To Fall

by Adam Turner-Heffer Post to Twitter

There is something quite frightening about Converge. Obviously, the music itself has an element of terror, everyone who heard Fault and Fracture for the first time (particularly accompanied by its incredibly sinister video) certainly would have felt that fear. But what is really quite mind boggling is the fact that here are a band, now fast approaching their 20th year as a creative collective, (or at least between the reluctant hero figure of vocalist & lyricist Jacob Bannon and guitarist-come-producer Kurt Ballou) who make loud, uncompromising music. And yet, they’re more relevant now than they perhaps have ever been.

The sheer talent and originality and ambition to keep pushing things forward is what has earned Converge their status as icons to the rather ambiguous hardcore punk genre (I refuse to call it Metal-core, sorry), but the fact that here and now, we find the band, which has had a solid line-up since their groundbreaking and breakout record Jane Doe, still producing music that is exciting and relevant and creative, despite the fact they outlived and adapted to the huge genre shifts around them throughout their near 20 year career. From what started out as a straight up Hardcore band, to a Slayer tribute act as Metal infiltrated the Hardcore scene in the late 90’s (just as Slayer had done 15 years earlier to punk), to the Jazz influenced “technical” years set by Dillinger Escape Plan, to what we have now with the rise of the d-beat and the thrash metal side of Hardcore we’ve seen slowly take centre-stage over the last 5 years. Yes, Converge seem to be so on the ball that whenever a shift does occur around them, it has always been well within their means to adapt to that, and show the rest how it’s done.

This is one of the main strengths of this band, the massively wide list of influences each member have all cited in almost every interview since the release of Jane Doe, with Axe to Fall equally conjuring up an interesting list of apparently new influences brought to the table this time around, including the aforementioned d-beat and thrash style (which has been becoming more central to the band’s sound ever since it was introduced on You Fail Me) but also Kurt Ballou’s guitar playing, mostly going down the route of his more metal contemporaries of Entombed or Coliseum. Ben Koller’s drumming style also has been noted as being more influenced by progressive-rock, which is pretty clear as Koller’s performance on this record is far more varied and intricate than on previous records, which were more about hitting things as hard, fast and as complex as possible, but still easily pulling it off to the contribution of the sound. This time around however, on some of the centre tracks, Koller’s drumming actually encourages Ballou’s guitar to take on more of a jazzy influence, and what’s more amazing is that it is almost impossible to tell that this is completely new ground for the band.

At first however, there’s a tiny worry that this could be the band’s most generic record yet. The first 4 tracks, much like No Heroes did previously, rip through at a tremendously terrifying pace, and although these songs do have the addition of Ballou’s much more metal influenced lead guitar parts as a new addition to the sound (although they did have a little help from some friends, more on that later) there is a fear that it’s a slight pastiche. Once you let the songs settle though and hear them a few times, on top of realising that as of 5th track ‘Worms Will Feed’ the record shifts dramatically, these first four are fantastic standard setters for a record that is only just getting started.

This said, even ‘Worms will Feed’ is startlingly similar to ‘Plagues’ from No Heroes, but is necessary for its lead into ‘Wishing Well’ a fantastic, fast paced, but actually even blisteringly simple (for Converge anyway) song. Then as of next track ‘Damages’ we get the real heart and soul of this record. From hereon, we get a record full of really just impressive, and at times, even awe-inspiring song writing. The range of sounds and styles and moods (usually desperation, given Bannon’s vocal performance) for a 20 year old metal influenced punk band is absolutely astounding. The way the songs weave in and out of each other so seamlessly despite the amount of range and dynamics going on (something hinted at by You Fail Me and Jane Doe) adds such an incredible amount of atmosphere and emotion but without EVER getting overblown is such an amazing achievement it hurts my head a little thinking about it. Even Jacob Bannon’s infamously difficult, well, let’s call them “Squawks” and seemingly incomprehensible lyrics seem much more focused, approachable and even perhaps for the first time in an entire Converge record, decipherable.

Of course, as I mentioned before, they did not do this alone. Being such a successful and influential band for 20 years (let alone the sheer amount of contributions the band have given back to the community; Bannon’s Deathwish label and unmistakable artwork, Ballou’s now widely accessible and extremely successful Godcity Studios and Newton & Koller’s side-projects) means it’s impossible not to make a rather large network of friends as a result. Honestly, I don’t actually think this affects the record all that much. It’s still the core member’s music, and if you break that down and compare it to their past work, it’s not like they’ve completely shifted their sound and style as a result (you can, as I have been throughout this piece, relate every track back in someway to at least one of their previous albums). If anything, what the large amounts of guests seem to have done is get the band more focused about what the band itself wanted. I find it impossible to believe that at some point or another that none of these guests and friends have never listened or indeed cared about a Converge record at any one time, and thus discussed their music with the band while in their company. So where “guest -list records” usually spell out the death knell for an album, here Converge seem to have done the rare achievement of actually improving as a result of it (by making the importance of these guests seem totally minimal).

As I mentioned right at the beginning, it seems totally amazing, nay, scary even what this band has achieved and continues to achieve. Just when I, as many fans were fearing the worst after the very good but incredibly flawed No Heroes, Converge respond with what perhaps in time will be considered by some (but due to Jane Doe, not all, which only adds to their significance) as their greatest record, and all they had to do was smooth out the problems they’ve had since Jane Doe (although very minimal they are in number) by their clear trial and error (which I’m very glad to be able to say, with hindsight) approach to You Fail Me and No Heroes, to create a record that is structurally flawless, continues to be an extremely exciting addition to their sound, but more to the point, still innovative, still relevant, still the kings.

I’m aware I’ve come across as a total fan-boy over the course of this review, but I’m afraid there is absolutely nothing I can find wrong with this record. Of course, not everyone will agree, but that’s incredibly exciting in itself that this band can still create such discourse. But as a fan who has loved them dearly since You Fail Me (my first and still favourite) I can now confidently feel pride in what this band have produced to the effect of legendary status. I honestly believe that now, at the turn of their 2nd decade as a band, 7th full record, Converge can apply themselves to the non-existent Punk Hall of Fame, occupied in the 90’s by Fugazi, in the 80’s by Black Flag and by the Ramones and nearly every post-punk band between ’77 and ’81 before them; they are, in my mind, the most important punk band in the 00’s decade, thanks to this stunning record.