ALBUM REVIEW: Converge - "The Dusk In Us"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 03/10/2017

Label: Epitaph Records |

Deathwish Inc.

Today, with random acts of violence, anger and pessimism dotting our timelines, maybe Converge just now seems like a soundtrack to our contemporary apocalypse

“The Dusk In Us”CD//DD//LP track listing

1. A Single Tear

2. Eye of the Quarrel

3. Under Duress

4. Arkhipov Calm

5. I Can Tell You About Pain

6. The Dusk in Us

7. Wildlife

8. Murk & Marrow

9. Trigger

10. Broken by Light

11. Cannibals

12. Thousands of Miles Between Us

13. Reptilian

The Review:

Rarely does a timeworn saying like 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' seem more apropos as it does with a band such as Converge. It has been five years since we last heard from the storied Boston quartet, together now for just south of 30 years. Their old releases feel like they only get better with time, but there is nothing quite like a new Convergealbum, and experiencing how its sound evolves from its past outings.

Converge has long been hailed as a heavy music innovator, with an impressive track record. Among its accomplishments are "Halo in a Haystack," their iconic 1994 debut, and "Jane Doe,"the band's 2001 breakthrough release. Converge's last record, "All We Love We Leave Behind"in 2012, received madly positive reviews. Never do words like "brutal" and "beautiful" get brought up so often in conversations about a group that encompasses metal, hardcore and punk as abrasively as Converge. Yet, those words are earned through intricate songwriting, disarmingly gorgeous arrangement and consistently pioneering approaches in an ecosystem that sometimes struggles to produce truly singular music in such a content-rich age. Epitaph'sannouncement of a new Converge album and the subsequent preview of the divine song "I Can Tell You About Pain" were greeted by much excitement. The clear question is what might the layoff have done for the quartet, which had previously only done two- and three-year breaks between recordings. A lot can be said for a stretch that long. "The Dusk In Us" creates that conversation even before the first listen.

Converge's greatest gift, and why it has been so universally hailed, is their ability to pour so much emotion into its vociferous musicianship. With "A Single Tear," the initial song, it feels like Massachusetts' favorite sons were never really gone, as they pick up seemingly where they left off, while managing to tread new ground. Led by Kurt Ballou's ruthless guitar, Converge's kickoff is far more sonically complex as it unfolds. It is fast and heavy, while tense and melancholy. The track, you soon learn, is about that shared experience of finding our own self-worth, and the orchestration at once creates a mood of confusion while opening up to hope. It's Converge at a brilliant clip, and seems like a promising beginning.

Vocalist Jacob Bannon has always done a masterful job of sharing such a well of anguish as well as an almost uncomfortable vulnerability. Remember his blighted words on a song like "Jane Doe"("I want out/Out of every awkward day/Out of every tongue tied loss/I want out/Out of the burdening night sweats/Out of the rising seas of blood")? Bannon's return continues his fearlessly frank tradition in the opening, and in "Eye of the Quarrel," a dredging of old hurt and self-doubt ("I still have to wonder who let dysfunction in/The little lies, distorted truths/Smeared the perspective and made me love you/Queen of the garbage, prince of the weeds/My legacy won't inherit disease"). This cut in particular also proves to be a defining moment for bassist Nate Newton and Ben Koller behind the drums. They are a dominant force as a rhythm section within this song, and, later, in "Arkhipov Calm" and "Murk & Marrow."

What is fascinating as a feature in "The Dusk In Us" is how Converge's songwriting and Bannon's performance are further inspired by a world in constant conflict. Longtime fans know Converge has taken cues from a rotting world before, such as in "Sparrow's Fall" from "All the Love We Leave Behind." Today, with random acts of violence, anger and pessimism dotting our timelines, maybe Converge just now seems like a soundtrack to our contemporary apocalypse. In "Under Duress," Bannon sings, "I will never kneel and kiss your ring/The sickness spreads under duress/Compassion bends under duress/Wouldn't need a gun if you didn't have one/Don't need you to serve or protect." The title track exudes an atmosphere of resistance and defiance, cautioning, "there are monsters among us." In "Cannibals," Bannon's lyrics feel most hopeless, reminding us that, if opportunism and parasitism are left unchecked, "we will not survive." Yet Convergecleverly avoid naming names or getting too topical. Instead, the band speaks to a more universal, perhaps even timeless, story: that of good and evil, oppression and freedom, self-destruction and redemption. Those are themes that are long a staple in metal and heavy music, and Convergedraw them out for some of their most compelling work yet.

In the book "Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth," old friends Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen and James Davis investigate the popular culture and political trends that forecast a world to be reborn from the ashes of the old. The 2012 read is relevant today, and might shape some of your understanding of tales that are brought up in "The Dusk In Us." Smashing to reveal beauty comes up in fits and spurts here. By the time the album ends with "Reptilian," a standout cut for certain, Convergebegin a journey that may be further explored during our growing days of rage. "We must lose sight of the shore to know what courage means," Bannon howls. "We must lose sight of who we are to know what we can be."

Whether the world must fail to succeed remains to be seen. What is not in doubt is how missed a legendary band has been, and just how important their return truly is.

"The Dusk In Us" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: All Pigs Must Die - "Hostage Animal"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/10/ 2017

Label: Southern Lord Recordings

The riffs are ceaseless as Wentworth and Izzi vary from much faster chords into a war chorus of tonality. And the results are gripping at every second. It, like previous selections, is potent with APMD's militancy. Best of all, APMD made the wait well worth it.

“Hostage Animal” CD//DD//LP track listing

1.  Hostage Animal

2.  A Caustic Vision

3.  Meditation of Violence

4.  Slave Morality

5.  End Without End

6.  Blood Wet Teeth

7.  Moral Purge

8.  Cruelty Incarnate

9.  The Whip

10.  Heathen Reign

The Review:

Few albums have been more anticipated this year than the return of All Pigs Must Die. Much has been made over the years of the group's pedigree – Kevin Baker, Ben Koller, Matt Woods, Adam Wentworth and now Brian Izzi boast some of the best names in metal and hardcore among their curricula vitae – and, with each release, All Pigs Must Die has grown all the more challenging. Their combination of crust punk's most ragged strands, extreme music's most booming guitars and the sort of hostility that is aberrant even in a scene where aggressive themes are the norm has drawn the attention the band richly deserves.

When the band debuted in 2010, the term 'supergroup' got floated about a bit, even if the results were tentatively solid. With "God Is War" in 2011, APMD set itself apart thematically as well as with a fury fans today know intimately, However, you might be forgiven if you were distracted by the confrontational art of "God Is War," which instead presented more than a few complicated tales, including apostasy with the unfolding of colonialism ("Third World Genocide"), child soldiers ("Pulverization") and the illicit arms trade ("Death Dealer"). Momentum only built by 2013's "Nothing Violates This Nature." At this point APMD evolved lyrically into what can best be heard as a strong death metal influence. The imagery on "Nothing…" went from heavily topical to nihilistic and gruesome. The music's heaviness matched this approach. The slight swerve did not detract fans from following APMD to its newest stage.

"Hostage Animal" has been about four years in the making and marks a significant departure for the band. Its violent style, which has been compared over time to Slayer, Morbid Angel and even punk/noise legends The Jesus Lizard, is moving into a territory where APMD uses hardcore, thrash and speed as a base for a devilish sound in which it finds few peers. Its songwriting sees a similar kind of growth. The two paths it cut – "God is War"'s sociopolitical commentary and "Nothing"'s all-out anti-religion brutality – merge on the forthcoming album. Again, APMD has only a few worthy contemporaries in this regard.

The title track starts the recording off with breakneck speed and power. Kevin Baker's ferocious vocals from the jump are a refresher on why his style has been likened to prime (read: Scratch Acid-era) David Yow. His command of the mic on "A Caustic Vision" and into "Meditation of Violence" is spellbinding in just how searing Baker is. Lyrically, APMD intersect a few themes, but the standouts are Adam Wentworth and newcomer Brian Izzi, whose guitar work on the opening trio and then the rolling "Slave Morality" are the stuff of nightmares. The riffs are ceaseless as Wentworth and Izzi vary from much faster chords into a war chorus of tonality. And the results are gripping at every second.

Also turning in a blistering performance, and deserving a lot of credit for the power of "Hostage Animal" are drummer Ben Koller (Converge) and bassist Matt Woods (Bloodhorse). If you are familiar with those acts, perhaps one of the most underappreciated aspects was the respective contributions of Woods and Koller, who are gifted in ways few in heavy music are in terms of their ability to bring out the best in a song's foundations. They stun on "End Without End," where Koller lights the rhythm and Woods pairs up with the guitars and Baker's vociferous delivery. They also manage to shift their playing as "Hostage Animal" evolves. Hear a sturdily punk track like "Blood Wet Teeth" and a song like "Cruelty Incarnate," with its elements of sludge pouring into thrash and you get a real sense of how APMD's bass and drums anchor the release.

"Hostage Animal" closes with the record's most fascinating entry, "Heathen Reign." Not only is it noteworthy for its lyrics (which you will just have to listen to – no spoilers), but it slightly variegates the bludgeoning you get in the first nine tracks into a pensive conclusion. It even leaves you wondering if this may just be where the next release picks up. It, like previous selections, is potent with APMD's militancy. Best of all, APMD made the wait well worth it.

"Hostage Animal" is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook