March 2026 Featured Release - The Revolution Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Revolution, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is the brand-new 11th album (including their collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe) by Massachusetts-based metalcore pioneers Converge, Love is Not Enough. These early kings of metalcore have returned, and they've gone back to their earlier heavier roots after the atmospheric Bloodmoon. This is true metalcore chaos for any fan of Converge, metalcore, and metal in general, and I can't thank this band enough for giving it to us all these years.

https://metal.academy/releases/66533

Here's my review summary:

Converge have a sealed lineup of Jacob Bannon (vocals), Kurt Ballou (guitars), Nate Newton (bass), and Ben Koller (drums). Aside from their poor debut Halo in a Haystack, the albums that followed are some of the greatest I've heard in non-melodic metalcore, and their new album continues that streak. Right out the gate, they launch you back into the thrashy metalcore/mathcore of their 2000s material, all in pure savagery. This all happens in 2 to 3 minute blitzes of rage plus three over 4-minute epics at the end that some of the post-sludge from Bloodmoon. September will mark the 25th anniversary of Converge's biggest album and America's biggest tragedy. I say Love is Not Enough is, well, not enough to surpass their 2000s material and All We Love We Leave Behind, but it does beat The Dusk in Us. Witness the return of the band's early hardcore as they protest against the darkness of humanity!

4.5/5

Reccomended tracks: "Love is Not Enough", "Distract and Divide", "Amon Amok", "Make Me Forget You", "We Were Never the Same"

For fans of: 90s Cave In, Cult Leader, later Nails

I have this teed up for a listen this weekend actually Andi.  Off out in the car shortly so planning on giving it a blast to clear the Sunday morning cobwebs.  There was a time when I would have never thought of even looking at a Converge album, but my issues with Bannon’s vocals have gone nowadays and I am also much more open to some strains of core.

I read somewhere recently that Jacob Bannon did not necessarily think that the world needed a new Converge record, but that the band themselves did. There was a time, not too long ago when I would have probably deemed that I never needed a Converge record at all, but that has been well documented on Metal Academy already. The tides have turned and I find myself on much less turbulent terms with some of the content of The Revolution clan, to the point where I can enjoy the harder sounding metalcore releases. As it turns out then, Love Is Not Enough is right up my street.

It sounds like a lot more of a riffy affair than I remember from previous outings with the band’s releases. The start of 'Bad Faith' shows this particular trait well I find. Likewise, the grinding sensibilities of 'Distract and Divide' is an absolute treasure. These short bursts of fury that cover the first four tracks of the album create a real sense of momentum early in the listening experience. As a result, the instrumental 'Beyond Repair' almost sucks some life from proceedings, However, I find it is a very clever little track. Its broken percussion befits the track title superbly when you take time to listen under a more critical mindset.

That raging aggression is soon back alongside those big riffs for the remainder of Love Is Not Enough. It is an accomplishment to cram such a rewarding listening experience into a little over half an hour. I find it has appeal for its scathing honesty and the bluntness of its messaging also. Love Is Not Enough as an album title tells you all you need to know really. This is a record with a lot of bitterness that is borne out of suffering, told by souls who no longer wish to stay silent on the matter. Probably the best metalcore album I have ever experienced.

4.5/5