Converge

A hell of a lot has changed in metal since 1990 and Converge’s creative output is no exception. Since they began as Boston’s brightest underground hopes, these hardcore/punk/metal hybrids have chugged riffs and blasted minds from here to eternity with their relentless touring schedules and consistently groundbreaking albums. Trend-setting releases such as Petitioning the Empty Sky and When Forever Comes Crashing helped establish them as the metallic hardcore heavyweights they are today. But with 2000’s Jane Doe their approach took an about face into a new sun where weighty elements of rock, hardcore and even prog came together in one brilliantly violent opus. Their most recent album, You Fail Me, continues this ascent into mystic fusions.

"We just grow from record to record and don’t really pay much attention to what’s going on in the other world of contemporary heavier music. We don’t really care, we just do our own thing,” says singer Jacob Bannon. "So far it’s pretty interesting. I’m really happy with it; I think we all are, and we’re the harshest critics.” Fans eager to hear Converge’s new material should listen up at their upcoming shows, as they are known to road test their songs before finalising them for recording. "By doing that you end up weeding out a lot of the stuff in your songs that you find undesirable.” Long-renowned for their riotous live performances, when bassist Nate Newton, drummer Ben Koller and guitarist Kurt Ballou and Jacob Bannon take to the stage, unlike many in the underground currently, they bring the rock without all the posturing. "It’s a wonderful emotional outlet for all of us,” says Bannon on their live shows. "We like to have fun while we play. We don’t really take ourselves all that seriously, so we try to make it a really comfortable, inviting, positive atmosphere.”