Converge (band)

Converge
Converge performing in 2019
Background information
Also known asShattered Void[1]
OriginSalem, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Years active1990–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
  • Jeff Feinberg
  • Damon Bellorado
  • Joe Monaco
  • Aaron Dalbec
  • Stephen Brodsky
  • John DiGiorgio
Websiteconvergecult.com

Converge is an American metalcore[2] band formed by vocalist and artist Jacob Bannon and guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990.[3][4] While recording their landmark fourth album Jane Doe in 2001, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. The members have also been involved in various side-projects and collaborations, including the bands Supermachiner (Bannon), Old Man Gloom (Newton), and Mutoid Man (Koller). With their extremely aggressive and boundary-pushing sound, rooted in hardcore and heavy metal, they are pioneers of metalcore and its subgenre mathcore.[5]

Converge rose to prominence with Jane Doe, which was ranked the best album of 2001 by Terrorizer, the best album of the decade by Sputnikmusic, and later the 61st-best metal album of all time by Rolling Stone.[6][7] After, they moved from Equal Vision Records to the larger label Epitaph Records, and their record production became more elaborate and expensive. Special releases are often handled by Deathwish Inc., established by Bannon in 1999. Their latest releases are their ninth studio album The Dusk in Us (2017) and their first full-length collaboration, Bloodmoon: I (2021) with Chelsea Wolfe.[8] According to AllMusic, they are "regarded as one of the most original and innovative bands to emerge from the punk underground."[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference stereogum-11.18.20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Interview: Salem metalcore vets Converge send home the guests for an explosive new album". ALARM. February 14, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "Interview: Salem metalcore vets Converge send home the guests for an explosive new album". Alarm magazine. February 14, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Rauf, Raziq. "Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind Review". BBC. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Though they're now in their third decade as a group, Massachusetts metalcore pioneers Converge find themselves as influential as ever.
  5. ^ a b Stacia Proefrock. Converge Biography. AllMusic
  6. ^ "Rocklist.net....Terrorizer Magazine..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "About The Dusk In Us By Converge | Epitaph". epitaph.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.