Converge - No Heroes (2006)^{Release ID: 241}

In a world of enemies, there are no heroes, and you are destined to walk alone. With their 2006 album No Heroes, metalcore heroes Converge continue being as intense as a motherf***er. An essential thing to understand about Converge is their presence. I'm pretty lucky to be way more of an album listener than a live concert attendee because metalcore concerts are almost as berserk as a prison riot! It looks like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan both have the greatest live concert intensity.

Another successful factor of Converge is the technicality of their music. Every member is a master of what they do, and they're fine with staying with just 3 instrumentalists and a vocalist. You know the saying, "Too many cooks f*** up the broth." (well not exactly like that, but you get it) Kurt Ballou has some of the most inventive guitar skills in extreme metalcore. The same can be said for the drumming talents of Ben Koller. Bassist Nate Newton’s tone sounds so rhythmic like a rhythm guitar that no wonder the band carried on as a quartet after Jane Doe. And vocalist Jacob Bannon's screams sound like he drank a whole bottle of Hell's hot sauce before starting recording, which is good because it helps with the band's nasty attitude. With all those important factors, new thrashy ideas used since their prior album You Fail Me, and the rest of Converge's earlier history, you got another fine record from those metalcore masters.

Converge once again moves the boring sh*t out of the way for the album to begin with 5 one-to-two minute-length sucker-punches in the face, starting with "Heartache" built on different tempos and meters from neck-breaking verses to a strange rhythmic chorus. They know how to speed through without breaking. Then there's "Hellbound" with its siren-like riff. And then we have the dark chaotic atonement of "Sacrifice". Track 4 "Vengeance" is impressive but the familiarity is too much to hide. After f***ing up your eardrums with that 4-pack punch, "Weight of the World" is more of a softer interlude similar to the intro of their previous album "You Fail Me". Still it's a great segue to the killer Jane Doe leftover-ish title track with crazy good lyrics ("NO MORE HEROES!! NO MORE!! NO MORE!! In my world of enemies I walk alone!!!").

Then we have the sludgy "Plagues". But if you thought that was sludgy, listen to the album's two-part almost 10-minute centerpiece, "Grim Heart/Black Rose"! This epic once again proves the band's distinct brilliance in expanding their territory into epic horizons as they did with the title track of Jane Doe, while maintaining their identity to not sound like a Neurosis clone. The first part, "Grim Heart" is a song of evocative mourning performed by guest vocalist Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness and other bands) whose emotive vocals fit perfectly with the slow bleak march to give it a Mastodon vibe. Then at around the 6-minute mark begins the second part "Black Rose" which after calming down for a bit blasts off into rhythmic frenzy, ethereal guitar notes, and the torturous howls of Jacob Bannon. One of the most impressive Converge moments, though it can't beat the superior "Jane Doe" epic. "Orphaned" sounds a bit emo, which is a bit of a letdown after that killer epic. "Lonewolves" has more of a melodic hardcore song, though it proves how much the bad kick a** in a slightly different genre to their usual. "Versus" continues the band's ability to add speed to post-hardcore in a more formally inventive way to please the heavier modern fans.

Then we have a later highlight, the percussion/chant plaguing "Trophy Scars" which is one of the best of the album, maybe by the band. "Bare My Teeth" continue having all the instruments and vocals flying out of control, though this time the chaos isn't enough for the song because of the guitars and vocals each doing their own thing and never being able to mix. The same issue occurs with "To the Lions", not helped by the anti-climatic fade-out, though worth ending this still excellent metalcore rollercoaster ride.

Yeah, I think No Heroes would've had a perfect 5/5 if it weren't for those two ending tracks. Despite that, every other song is never bad at all with lengths ranging from one minute to ten minutes, thereby fulfilling the band's success in delivering extreme heavy metalcore. Though the ordering is another problem. The most enjoyable part of the album is the first half, then after that starts slowly going downhill. Had the album structure been more randomized in quality, maybe then it would reach that perfect 5-star rating. Still you can never criticize the top-notch lyrics and experimentation that make No Heroes another great intense Converge record. Hail the true metalcore heroes!

Favorites: "Heartache", "Vengeance", "No Heroes", "Grim Heart/Black Rose", "Lonewolves", "Versus", "Trophy Scars"