Converge - Axe To Fall
Rating
RIYL
CursedThe Power and the Glory
Rise and Fall
Release Date
10/20/2009
Label
EpitaphTracklist
1. Dark Horse2. Reap What You Sow
3. Axe To Fall
4. Effigy
5. Worms Will Feed
6. Wishing Well
7. Damages
8. Losing Battle
9. Dead Beat
10. Cutter
11. Slave Driver
12. Cruel Bloom
13. Wretched World
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No history lesson needed here. Having left a permanent and incalculable imprint on the underground music world, Converge is perhaps one of the most defining band of the past 20 years. Their evolution has been chronicled ad nauseum, from the early Caring and Killing days to the Petitioning the Empty Sky / When Forever Comes Crashing era to the masterpiece Jane Doe and so on to today. Say what you will about the increasingly pretentious press releases, the group’s indulgent side projects and the overly publicized leak of their newest album - Converge continues pushing themselves physically and mentally into new sonic territories that have allowed them to stay one step ahead of their countless imitators. With the pressure and hype surrounding each subsequent release, the band has evolved not consciously, but organically. Each new element introduced by the band fits within the overall framework of the group, whether it’s the incorporation of punk aesthetics, elaborate soundscapes or grittier, garage-influenced rock-and-roll. Axe to Fall, though less of an evolution and more of a refinement of the sound found on No Heroes, serves as another meticulously crafted addition to their celebrated discography.
Never ones to fuck around with drawn out introductions (“First Light” notwithstanding), Axe to Fall’s “Dark Horse” joins the ranks of “The Saddest Day” and “Concubine” as absolutely ripping opening tracks from the Converge catalog. The guitar sound is unlike anything we’ve heard in the past from the group yet instantly recognizable as a Converge track. “Reap What You Sow” incorporates more thrash influence, albeit filtered through a punk lens, than almost any other song from the band’s previous albums. The precise leads and ripping solos flow seamlessly into the album’s title track, a rabid beast of a song that shows just how intense Converge can be (the recently released video is actually fitting imagery for the dark nature of the track).
“Effigy,” a collaborative effort with Steven Brodsky, Adam McGrath, and JR Connors, combines the spacey riffing of Cave In with Converge’s typical intensity and some sparingly used keyboard glitches. The result is a terrific track that serves as a slight deviation from the usual Converge offering and a fine segue into “Worms Will Feed.” Following in the footsteps of “In Her Shadows” and “Grim Heart/Black Rose,” the track is a noisy, dark-sounding, and doom-influenced song that ultimately culminates in a guitar roar propelled by the simultaneous screaming of Kurt, Nate and Jacob. The track provides some much-needed respite from the in-your-face violence of the surrounding tracks and shows the band’s effectiveness at dabbling in a slower, doom-oriented sound.
While there are virtually no bad songs on the album, there is a slight dip in experimentation following “Worms Will Feed.” “Wishing Well” is another thrash-infused song that displays Kurt’s penchant for crafting solos that effortlessly intertwine with the group’s usual leanings, while “Damages” is a drawn-out, feedback laden track that that brings to mind Unsane while showcasing a slightly of-kilter sound before climaxing in typical Converge fashion. “Losing Battle” and “Dead Beat,” while interesting in their own right (particularly the vocals reminiscent of You Fail Me on “Dead Beat”), really don’t contribute any new elements that we haven’t heard from the band in the past. “Cutter” is yet another thrashy attack featuring punishing guest vocals from John Pettibone of Undertow and Himsa fame.
Much attention will likely be given to the closing two tracks on the album, “Cruel Bloom” and “Wretched World.” The former features a backing vocal choir, piano and the Tom Waits-esque croons of the gifted Steve Von Till from Neurosis. The result is something more beautiful and tranquil than anything crafted by the band in the past; that is, until three minutes in when the guitars pick up steam and Von Till’s powerful pipes take center stage. The track concludes in a Neurosis-like clamor that flows into the anthemic closer “Wretched World.” Featuring all three members of Genghis Tron and drummers JR Connors (Cave In) and Brad Fickeisen (The Red Chord), the seven-minute song is a haunting, dreamy conclusion that is every bit as disturbing as the 12 tracks that precede it.
Featuring 15 guest appearances, Converge effortlessly enlisted the talents of numerous friends and acquaintances to assist in creating this cohesive, magnificent album. Axe to Fall is the best collection of songs the group has written outside of Jane Doe and, with time, may even surpass the monolithic level of praise heaped upon what many consider their crowning achievement. Fighting through impossibly high expectations, negative critics and the tumult rippling through the music world, Converge has yet again proven why they are one of the most revered underground bands ever to lay music to tape. Axe to Fall isn’t just another album – it represents the anger, the sadness and the unrest faced by us all in this time of socioeconomic instability and fear. It is the sound of discontent and the cry of the masses. Let us stand together and sing its praises.
--Matt Murphy
Comments
Los Angeles
These guys can really do no wrong. Yet another strong release.
San Jose, CA
I wouldn't give it 5 stars, but it definitely deserves at least 3.5. Overall pretty solid album.
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Minnesota
Pretty much sums up my thoughts.
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Toronto, Ontario
"Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."
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Ann Arbor, MI
I cannot get enough of this cd. Definately one of the best of 2009.
DETH ROK!!!!
Somewhere in New York
After all of this talk, I'm certainly going to have to give this one a listen.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
Fishers, Indiana
There is a definite disparity between tracks 1-11 and 12 - 13 that is waaaaaaaaay too jarring. It's like a really one-sided split album on which the other band only got two tracks.
I find this album really redundant, noisy and discordant, but I've never really liked Converge-- it probably just isn't for me.
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Raleigh, NC
I guess I'm just not a big Converge guy- I don't like this.
Los Angeles
Best album of the year hands down. Top 5 of this century easily.
Admittedly, I think Converge can do no wrong, but truly this album is fantastic. This disc truly "hits you" around the third time going through it and it very quickly grows on you.
I also know what you mean by that last two songs sounding like a different band, to most they couldn't sound any less like Converge, to other they couldn't sound any more like the culmination of what Converge is capable of. Different strokes.
Cody: curious, what don't you like about it?
San Antonio, Texas
Im new to Converge and after initially not liking this album, Ive warmed up to it after a few listens. Not exactly my style but I can definitely appreciate the superb musicianship.
Raleigh, NC
I think it's just kind of stale. Not that I've ever been a Converge fan, but I just think things run together, and I'm not really interested, even after multiple listens. I like Dark Horse, and the music isn't bad, per say, I'm just not a fan of it.
Green Brook, NJ
i'd never give a new release 5 stars because i think it's tacky and fanboi-ish, but this is definitely a 4.5 record. after 2 slight missteps they're back on top like they were with jane doe. plus, i love the guest appearances.
Here's my thing with the five-star rating: if we use a rating system that goes up to five, why should reviewers act scared of giving something a perfect score? This album will likely be among my favorites this year, and though it's obviously not perfect, I feel like the quality of the album allows me to comfortably give it a 5/5.
And I can see people's point about the change of pace on the last couple of songs, but those people probably had the same problem with "Jane Doe" (the song) and "Grim Heart/Black Rose" - I personally feel like those are two of the strongest songs in the band's past few albums and add a welcome dynamic that wasn't present on their earlier albums.
Toronto, Ontario
No Heroes and You Fail Me were awesome.
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Infinitely Inwards
I like this...but not even close to the top of the year. There are just too many other releases for me to keep up with. 3/5
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Green Brook, NJ
you fail me was the worst converge record since halo in a haystack. no heroes was good but it didn't blow my mind. this one gives me the same feeling i get when i listen to jane doe: a rush of blood to the head.
West Haven, CT
Top pick right here.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Los Angeles
Many would disagree with your disdain toward You Fail Me. Personally, I adore that record; it isn't a Jane Doe or a When Forever Comes Crashing, but it's a phenomenally put together album nonetheless.
First sentence- debatable.
Second sentence- you're kidding or you're an idiot.
Alabama
This is very easily my favorite Converge album. I loved it the first time I listened and still love it on the 6th time around. I'm not die-hard Converge, but this is a great album. Top 10 of the year.
Los Angeles
Fight me, via the internet.
Los Angeles
I stand by that second sentence, but I meant to say decade (whoops), ha! You obviously have different tastes, and most of the music that I listen to is from the 80's and 90's. Sentence is valid for myself, cool if others agree but most likely not.
What are your favorite albums of this decade?
If decade is what you mean (big difference) I wont be shocked. Different strokes for different folks, I get it, I just found it striking because of the use of century. And I do like this album, but I like Jane Doe more honestly. That question would have a never-ending answer and is besides the point.
Los Angeles
Fair enough, but I didn't say that Jane was another one of my top 5s. I like Jane more than this, but I just happen to think that both are better than most of the garbage that comes out nowadays.