Album Review: Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

If hardcore had commandments, they would probably be something like: a) Wear a bandana, you will look more tough; b) Neck tattoos are ALWAYS a good idea; and c) Every new release from Converge shall be heralded as a new chapter of gospel, and shall be celebrated, revered and exalted.

If you can imagine Jesus slamming a breakdown, you get a pretty good idea of the context in which these Massachusetts heavy-hitters operate. Ever since they infused extreme metal influences into a Boston-hardcore framework and put out albums with front covers that would prove to look so damn good on T-shirts, Converge have come to be messianic figures within the global hardcore scene. And like any good messiah, Converge have the classiness to let their works rather than words speak to their position. Nowhere is that more present than on album number eight, All We Love We Leave Behind. What could so easily have been a victory lap for the band instead sees them strip back to the bare essentials and write a teeth-gnashing noisecore record. Producer/guitarist Kurt Ballou captures the tinny, frenetic maelstrom of the band's live show, burying Jacob Bannon's tortured howl amidst sheets of guitar and Ben Koller's lithe, punkish drum lines.

A lean and angular record where 2009's Axe to Fall was dense and experimental, All We Love... has Converge releasing the album their fans are going to love from the very first listen. Then again, the average Converge fan is probably falling over themselves to love anything new the band put out. Still, All We Love We Leave Behind is liable to have the hardcore world rocking a big, collective, shit-eating grin.