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Converge (band)

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Converge

Converge is a four-piece band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk[1][2] and extreme metal since 1990,[3][4][5] Converge has helped to define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre.[6][7][8]

Description

The group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and off-time polyrhythmic drumming leading some to describe the band as mathcore[9][10][11][12][13]. 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 "You Fail Me," "Jane Doe," and "Grim Heart/Black Rose." Jacob Bannon's vocal style is sometimes described as "ethereal"; Music reviews site Buddyhead once described it as a "dog barking through a distortion pedal."[citation needed]

History

Converge at Neumo's in Seattle, Washington, 2008

Converge was formed in the winter of 1990 by Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou. They first started by playing covers of hardcore punk, punk rock and heavy metal songs, being self-confessed "hardcore kids with leftover Slayer riffs"[citation needed]. 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 so Aaron can focus on Bane resulting in a four man group that's still intact today. 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.

According to the band's website, they are currently writing for a new album, due out in 2009 on Epitaph (vinyl on Deathwish).[14]

Influences

Converge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Negative Approach,[citation needed] The Accused[3], and Born Against;[3] metal bands like Black Sabbath, Godflesh,[3] Slayer,[15] and Entombed;[3] and proto-mathcore bands Starkweather[3] and Rorschach.[3] Jacob Bannon has also discussed an appreciation for and inspiration from grindcore on Earache Records, post-hardcore on Dischord Records, thrash metal, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Vio-lence, and Death Angel, and post-punk groups, such as Depeche Mode and the Cure.[16]

Side projects

Outside of Converge, singer Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou compose stark, ambient music under the moniker Supermachiner, with Daltonic bass player Ryan Parker, co-founder of the record label Deathwish Inc.. 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.

Bassist Nate Newton also plays guitar in Old Man Gloom and Doomriders.

Aaron Dalbec, former guitarist, and Damon Bellorado, former drummer, created a side project in 1995 called "Gateway", later renamed Bane.

Members

Current

Former

  • Aaron Dalbec - guitar (1994–2001), now in Bane
  • John DiGiorgio - drums (1999) now in The End Of The Universe
  • 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)

Discography

Full lengths

EP

Demos

  • Gravel (independently released, 1991)
  • Self-titled (FAR/Exchange Records, 1991)
  • Where Have All the Flowers Gone (independently released, 1992)
  • Dog Days (independently released, 1993)
  • Halo in a Haystack (Earthmaker/Stolnacke, 1994)
  • Unloved & Weeded Out (collection of demos and unreleased songs, Deathwish Inc, 2002)

Vinyl

  • Unloved & Weeded Out 7" EP (Heliotrope Records, 1995)
  • Downpour/Serial Killer 5" record (limited edition of 1000) (Ellington Records, 1997)

Splits

DVDs

References

  1. ^ http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=101520
  2. ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/article.html?in_article_id=216468&in_page_id=206&in_a_source=
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Converge FAQ. Convergecult.com. Retrieved on 13 may, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "faq" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ http://www.mywire.com/pubs/BassPlayer/2005/03/01/1581061?extID=10051
  5. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E3DF1E39F934A25756C0A9649C8B63
  6. ^ CitySearch, 2006: [1]
  7. ^ http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=123&csid2=844&fid1=32314
  8. ^ http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100042
  9. ^ "Converge biography". Rockdetector.com. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  10. ^ "Sum of the Score". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 2009-04-07. {{cite web}}: Text "Mathcore, a genre of music that requires heavy concentration, puts a new spin on hardcore music" ignored (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 5 (help)
  11. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/converge-no-heroes/
  12. ^ http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=103066
  13. ^ http://issuu.com/amsterdamweekly/docs/amsterdamweekly_issue26_3_july2
  14. ^ "Converge Website - News". Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  15. ^ Ramirez, Carlos (2008-02-19). "Converge: 'The Best Way To Learn Is Just Start Doing It'". UltimateGuitar.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27. I learned to play guitar by listening to Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, and Metallica
  16. ^ The groups listed in this sentence are taken from an interview with Jacob Bannon from Smother Magazine. [2] Access date: 14 June 2008.
  17. ^ Tate, Jason. "Converge Preparing New Material" AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved on November 21, 2008.
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