It would be hard to say that post-hardcore/metal maestros CONVERGE do anything but slay on their new album, All We Love We Leave Behind.
Combining hardcore punk rhythms coming from bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, heavy metal riffage reminiscent of SLAYER and BLACK SABBATH via guitarist Kurt Ballou, and a wide range of vocal styles covering the aforementioned genres and even some BAUHAUS-style goth from frontman J. Bannon, All We Love We Leave Behind may be one of the most interesting albums of 2012.
The one song that does not quite work well is the song that opens the album, “Aimless Arrow.” Not a bad song by any means, it sounds like it would fit in more with something CONVERGE’s Deathwish, Inc. labelmates TOUCHÉ AMORÉ would be more into doing, than anything else on All We Love. For the remaining 36 minutes, however, listeners’ ears are subjected to pure meanness.
Standout songs include “Trespasses,” “Sparrow’s Fall,” and “Vicious Muse,” but the best song on the album is “Sadness Comes Home,” with more styles of music being played on this one track than in the rest of the album. Ballou’s playing flawlessly alternates between technical arpeggiations more commonly found in mathcore, and thrash metal, and, to put it bluntly, Koller beets the everloving shit out of his kit.
Overall, CONVERGE has put together a fantastic metal album worthy of multiple listenthroughs and most-likely-guaranteed spots on a lot of people’s year-end top-10 lists. All We Love We Leave Behind comes out on Epitaph Records and Deathwish, Inc. October 9.
Release Date: 10/09/2012
Label: Epitaph
Score: 9/10