![]() ![]() When Forever… kept Converge ahead of a hardcore scene now dominated by uninspired mosh-metal while perfectly reflecting hardcore’s upcoming twists and turns, in the process dictating a number of them. With When Forever…, Converge pushed their artistic limits to new levels of anguish, while musically evolving a noisier, more atmospheric and emotionally rending brand of metallic hardcore that was spurned on by complex playing, increasingly vicious vocals and poetically shattered lyrics. With Petitioning…, Converge foreshadowed and defined a synthesis of metal and hardcore that continues to thrive in popularity to this day, creating the blueprint for countless others to find success with years later.Ĭontinually staying ahead of the throngs of metallic hardcore acts emerging in their wake, Converge recorded When Forever Comes Crashing (Equal Vision, 1998) with Steve Austin, of Today is the Day infamy. However, it was with the release of Petitioning The Empty Sky (Equal Vision, 1997) that Converge’s mix of metallic thrash staples, hardcore/punk-influenced structures and anthemic emotional explorations, coupled with an artistic presentation and unmistakable blackened vocals, truly began to blossom. ![]() With their first full-length CD, Caring and Killing (HydraHead, 1996), after a substantial string of seven-inches and compilation appearances, Converge demonstrated considerable glimpses of the musical mayhem and innovation that was to come. A commitment that has made them constants, flag-bearers and leaders during a prolific period of longevity virtually unheard of in the hardcore underground, with a very few exceptions. However, when one contemplates the bands that have driven, defined and revitalized metallic hardcore in the last 12 years, one cannot help but point to the achievements of Converge - a near-legendary act that has transcended the peaks, lulls, trends and ever-shifting attitudes in the underground to emerge as one of its precious few trendsetters.įormed in the winter of 1990 in Boston, MA, by core members/founders Jake Bannon (vocals/design terrorism) and Kurt Ballou (guitar) during the initial height and subsequent collapse of the Boston hardcore scene, and currently rounded out by bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, Converge’s musical legacy has been indelibly etched in the aggressive music annals by its cannon of constantly progressing, innovative, influential and intelligent albums, all of which hold true to Converge’s unwritten mandate of musical honesty, brutality, beauty, emotion and artistry. When one thinks of aggressive, innovative and inspiring bands that have defined and driven hardcore in the ’80s/early ’90s, one thinks of legendary acts such as the Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Black Flag and Sick of It All. ![]()
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