The Live Release Thread - The Revolution Edition

Converge - "Jane Live" (2017)

Another classic album performed in its entirety at the Roadburn Festival & a very well executed one too it has to be said. I'm certainly a big fan of 2001's highly influential "Jane Doe" record although it's worth mentioning that i prefer three or four of Converge's other releases over it so I definitely fall into the minority there. If anything though, this live album only works to strengthen that release's hold on the metalcore community as it highlights everything that makes Converge so great. It's even rawer & more chaotic than the studio version yet the amazing technical skills of the various band members are still perfectly obvious to the listener due to an easily decipherable mix. Sure, as with any live release there are a few songs where I definitely favour the studio versions & I find that these generally match up with the more chaotic material (see "Concubine", "Fault & Fracture", "Phoenix In Flames"). The opposite can be said of the simpler tracks though & I found myself enjoying hardcore stormer "Homewrecker"  for the very first time. The crunchier sludge-infused numbers are the ones that truly destroy me though with this version of the title track potentially representing Converge's crowning achievement. I'd suggest that "Jane Live" should be a no-brainer for Converge fans & essential listening for anyone partial to mathy metacore.

4/5