Converge

Converge: All We Love We Leave BehindAll We Love We Leave Behind (2012)
Epitaph Records

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: Mrdogg45Mrdogg45
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on October 26th 2012It must be great to be married. There has to be a level of confidence that comes from knowing another person completely, and from having him or her know you. Knowing the limitations and abilities of a trusted friend and knowing that you can count on him or her to deliver must be wonderfully freeing..

It must be great to be married. There has to be a level of confidence that comes from knowing another person completely, and from having him or her know you. Knowing the limitations and abilities of a trusted friend and knowing that you can count on him or her to deliver must be wonderfully freeing.

How great it must be to be in Converge. Sporting a lineup that hasn't seen so much as an inkling of discord since 2001, the band's latest offering, All The Love We Leave Behind, is as sure and strong an album as any band has released in 2012.

By now, the incited know what to expect from Converge and, while they don't go much beyond their promised metal/hardcore/thrash songs, their work is so polished and sharp it would seem greedy to ask or expect for something else.

The album kicks off with "Aimless Arrow," a somewhat melodic metal track that gets a lot of out its restrained guitar lead and lockjaw-tight drumming before exploding with two straight-up hardcore songs in "Trespasses" and "Tender Abuse." Considering how well this band does hardcore, its the more metal songs that really make this one a near-classic. Riff-heavy tracks like "Sadness Comes Home," "Aimless Arrow" and "A Glacial Pace" prove that this band can roll with any of the modern sludge-rockers and, to borrow a phrase from Joe Pelone, make me want to choose life.

The album's highlight for me is the sludgy plod of "Coral Blue," a track that tosses all pretense of hardcore aside and goes all in on muddy metal goodness. This is a track to get lost in, one with great a great progression of rising and falling and probably one of the better heavy songs of the year.

Still, these songs wouldn't work nearly as well without the hardcore interplay of tracks like "Sparrow's Fall" and "Shame in the Way" elsewhere in the album. These more traditional punk songs do a great job of balancing the album's more monolithic moments. Basically, whichever way you prefer to have your face kicked into your head, Converge has got you.

A little overlong at 14 tracks (17 if you are going deluxe) but otherwise appropriately, gloriously brutal, All We Love We Leave Behind is another fantastic album from a band that hopefully continues its years of marital bliss.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Spazway (November 2, 2012)

Japandroids being badass as fuck = converge.

gandhisvision (October 28, 2012)

best Converge record since Jane Doe. It's easily listenable from first track to last. I feel like the bonus songs are the best on the record though.

sleepwalker (October 27, 2012)

Punk. Rock. Boner.

Forever.

cheesetits (October 26, 2012)

Too cool for school. Sadness Comes Home seems to be getting a lot of flack from ultra fans, but I kind of love that song.

gregthegreg (October 26, 2012)

Don't ya know, all the violent rioters listen to Converge...?

Thumbs (October 26, 2012)

Marriage is great.
This is alright.

davebrave4 (October 26, 2012)

The incited? Check your diction, reviewer. I don't even know what word you were trying to use there. Initiated, maybe?

SilentStorms (October 26, 2012)

I haven't been this excited since You Fail Me. I loved Axe To Fall but I think this is a tad better. Having 17 tracks doesn't hurt either.

tenwestchaser (October 26, 2012)

Discofucker, my thoughts exactly. For me, Axe To Fall has probably been their best album. Also, Jane Doe is a bit overrated and the Unloved And Weeded out studio tracks don't seem to get the praise I think they deserve. Definitely like or love everything this band has done though.

frensal (October 26, 2012)

Incredible record.

switcharoo (October 26, 2012)

I agree that this is a little long, the tracks kind of blend together when listening to the who thing, still 4/5 though

pdxtoph (October 26, 2012)

This record is so good. One of the year's best.

siren11 (October 26, 2012)

I have given converge a hundred tries. I love the genre, all my favorite bands cite them as an influence, I love bands they tour with but for whatever reason I just cannot get into them. I don't know what it is. My problem, not theirs. Carry on.

xherojuanax (October 26, 2012)

An unsurprisingly perfect album.

danwazz (October 26, 2012)

I didn't find this album overlong at all. I haven't gotten around to the 17 track version, but I always find myself wanting more when this is over. This has probably got to be one of my favorite Converge albums ever. It's straight to the point with little filler. Every riff, vocal, chorus...etc. needs to be on this album.

preston (October 26, 2012)

Great album. Not as great as Axe to Fall, but still probably one of my favorite albums of the year. Even at 17 tracks I never feel this is "overlong."

discofucker (October 26, 2012)

Great review.

As for the album, I dig it, but I was really hoping they would go more the way of the atmospheric tracks at the end of Axe to Fall. Seemed like the next natural progression for the band. This album is great, but doesn't offer any surprises. Exactly what you would expect from a Converge record.

eelsupinsideya (October 26, 2012)

Good review.

Not had a chance to give this a proper go yet (having just received it along with Oathbreaker and the new Gaza) but what I have heard sounds pretty impressive.

renaldo69 (October 26, 2012)

a bit mundane at times..but not bad at all

gr8 review btw. spot on the head

AmateurChemist (October 26, 2012)

This is my favorite sounding Converge album, hands down. Their song writing may have peaked on Jane Doe, but I just love the sound of this album.