Converge – “The Broken Vow” MP3/download (classic track from Jane Doe)
As with a lot of great bands (Three Mile Pilot, The Melvins, The Make-Up, Hella, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dolphins Into The Future, Thee Oh Sees, Mogwai, Pink Priest, U.S. Maple) and even a few labels, when I see a Converge LP on a record-store rack I tend to commit to buy simply because one never knows how long their records will be on the shelf at all — their albums sell quickly, and for good reason: They are one of a scant-few groups that manage to meld hardcore to metal to grind to punk to death-metal without missing a beat in between. It’s quite a trick, and most bands fail attempting to pull it off (I couldn’t even estimate how many-hundreds of mediocre hardcore-to-metal bands in the Trustkill/Equal Vision/Level Plane/Deathwish axis I reviewed back in the day.).
There are several layers to the appeal of a top-tier Converge track, but, being a drummer, for me it all starts with the RIDDIMS (brother!), and these guys have pulled in some amazing percussionists over the years. Replete with blast-beats, furious, meticulous fillery, more cymbal-crashing than you can shake a drum stick at and changes of pace that blindside the ear, from a drummer-geek standpoint No Heroes ranks with the best of their albums.
Vocals-wise, however, despite Jacob Bannon‘s flawless no-throat delivery through most of Side A, there’s some filler and — SHIT, you kiddin’? — even a few melodies that knock Heroes down a few notches on the ol’ band belt. Thing is, there’s still enough intrigue to launch Converge up and away from most of the competition (Fear Before The March Of Flames, Between The Buried And Me, Zao, Lack, Wolves, Get Fucked, Integrity, etc.).
Some of these instrumental breaks are so punishing you can almost hear the necks snapping and the legs being caught in bear traps and the finger-bones breaking in the middle like pretzels and the ballsacs popping like grapes under the pressure of a heavy workboot. If I were still the moshin’ type, well, this would be the type of music I’d POUND FACE to. I can only imagine the type of sleeve-tattoo’d ruckus Converge are capable of conjuring with their material.
The production lacks the bass ‘oomph’ I’ve come to expect from modern hardcore/metal/grind records, but it’s almost a relief, as I can listen to No Heroes without turning the volume down to ’2′ late at night and revel in the trembly cymbal crashes and vocal yelp-eroos.
A great-looking, black-and-white-swirl vinyl slab rounds the package out. Probably not the best Converge record out there (Jane Doe and/or a few of the early records come to mind), but certainly one you can’t afford not to have if you want to get to metal heaven someday. BEHAVE YOURSELF!
