Converge
You Fail Me
Epitaph
Violent, chaotic, overdriven, mathematical and aggressive. These words are about as close as I can come to encapsulating what it is that Converge does. They often get tagged with all sorts of monikers (screamo, metalcore, spazzcore, etc.), but this band truly defies compartmentalization. They are incredibly violent, spastic and aggressive, and You Fail Me is the logical next step in their progression towards the total destruction of everyone and everything.
Vocalist Jake Bannon’s blood-soaked screams and growls are at their finest on this album. On past releases, his screams are covered up by the cacophony of sloppy, overdriven guitars and frantic drums. He has his chance to shine with You Fail Me, as his gnarled throat becomes the star of the album.
Converge explodes on tracks like “Black Cloud,” displaying not only their power, but their talent, as well. They shift time signatures on a dime, chant during their choruses, chug-chugga from spastic verse to spastic verse and just blow the listener away with their passion for everything manic!
The album’s title track showcases just how similar their bass sound is to that of the pre-reunion Misfits: completely jagged and overdriven, full bodied and devastating. The guitars, also overdriven with natural distortion, feedback on the slightest provocation. This adds a truly gnarled aspect to an already raunchy sound coming from their amps. “In Her Blood,” my favorite track on the album, finds the band playing in a waltz-like time signature, with strange, sliding guitar sounds and pounding drums. It is on this track that Converge shows just how incredibly unique they are, when compared to the glut of bands who try to copy their style.
I discourage anyone from writing this record off without giving it a fair try. It is completely and totally amazing. It rocked my socks off from start to finish!
Epitaph: http://www.epitaph.com
