Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind (2012) Reviews
Well considering that my first Converge review didn't go so well, might as well give them another try right?
And here's the thing: when I started listening to Converge around the turn of the 2010s, I was still a relative noob in the Metalcore genre, and Mathcore specifically. I was listening to Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Protest the Hero (even though they are more Progressive Metal) and the like. I was still learning about the genre and how the best artists within this subgenre were able to craft these tunes with fluidity and beauty. Now Converge failed to deliver, at least in my opinion, through their first few albums, culminating with Jane Doe, an album revered by almost all who hear it.
So if I may be the lone voice yelling contrary into the void, so be it. Converge's All We Love We Leave Behind is significantly better listening experience than You Fail Me and Jane Doe, and is, in my opinion, Converge's best record.
For starters, the song structures found within this record are delivered with elegance. This album has a lot of tracks that are short (less than two minutes) and provide the listener with a hectic experience, but not one that feels overwhelming or overly brash. And not only that, but songs have legitimate forms and dynamic peaks and valleys. Now these occur primarily on the longer songs, such as the two most popular songs on the record "Sadness Comes Home" and the title track, but they also make their presence felt on "Coral Blue" and "Glacial Pace".
The riffing on this record sounds more pronounced and full than on any previous Converge album. Some of my personal favoutie cuts are the main verse (fast) riff on "Sadness Comes Home", and the punishing outro of "Glacial Pace". "Coral Blue" and "Veins and Veils" also have some tight grooves as well. And these ideas are developed as well, a technique seldom used in math rock/mathcore today. Sure "Sadness Comes Home" has a very quick turnaround from its intro riff into the verses, however that main riff returns as an outro. And even if it is one of the albums easiest songs to digest, it does set the table for what else is to come.
The production on this record deserves special credit. I have always been a stickler for this kind of stuff, but just because an album is supposed to be loud, aggressive, and atonal, it does not give the producers an excuse to make the songs sound like liquid ass. Bands such as Daughters have proven this in recent years and Converge helped set that band up for their success. The guitars are powerful, but not overpowering to make the bass sound like an afterthought. There are a few moments scattered throughout the album in which a rhythm guitar is surprisingly absent, leaving just a lead guitar and bass to push forward. And when those rhythm guitars do return, they hit with a greater impact knowing that their is that fundament bass line to flush out the mix. The percussion work on this album is very great. Since the album does alternate between hectic, hardcore tunes, and slower, melodic post-metal/sludge(?) ideas, Ben Koller fluidity between the contrasting styles is effective and shows enough restraint, not just in the performance, but also in the mix, not being pushed into the front ahead of the lead guitars, or Jacob Bannon. To be completely honest, the vocal performance is probably has the albums weakest moments. The quality and precision in Jacob's voice is dramatically improved from previous records, but it can feel pushed back in the overall mix a fair number of times.
When the band followed this record in 2017 with The Dusk In Us, a few people were surprised by the slower, more atmospheric change in sound and direction. But if you look at this album and my favourite song "Coral Blue", you would have already seen that change coming. Overall, All We Love We Leave Behind is a banger of a metalcore record from top to bottom. It redefines the frantic sound that Converge were known for at the time, while also laying the groundwork for where this group could go next. I never understood the mass critical acclaim for Converge...until I listened to this. Great stuff, but you probably knew that already.
Y'know, before I started listening to the Boston kings of metalcore Converge, I used to think some of the more melodic metalcore bands such as Trivium, All That Remains, Bullet for My Valentine, August Burns Red, and Parkway Drive as some of the best metalcore bands there are. Now I realize how metalcore can focus on aggression more than melody with Converge being one of those aggressive metalcore bands, and I can understand how well they turned out!
After 2009's Axe to Fall where the band enlisted a small deadly army into a ferocious battle of metalcore malevolence, the tables have turned in this album All We Love We Left Behind. Converge left behind their mercenaries and went on their own quest to summon their signature intensity.
Opening track "Aimless Arrow" drops the extreme bomb into an explosion of math-metalcore backed up by vocalist Jacob Bannon sounding more semi-melodic than his earlier atonal screaming. Then "Trespasses" punches in a full assault of blazing percussion, indecipherable screaming, and intricate guitars and bass. This is the same kind of impact as a truck crashing through a house, injuring/killing a family living a normal life until that moment, a fear as ugly and nasty as the production that gives the track an excellent advantage. The tremendous speed works much better than the first track's calculated rhythm. "Tender Abuse" continues the one-two punch that throws your fears into a sea of stylistic changes. "Sadness Comes Home" has guitar architecture so complex that it would be almost impossible to imitate the band. Let's see try to copy the band now, you dirty impersonators!
On a simpler note, "Empty on the Inside" fully displays drummer Ben Koller's talents, as he does a military march through the song's midsection that make the track another highlight. Then the tempo is more controlled before its transition back to devastation. "Sparrow's Fall" continues the band's mission to burst your veins from the inside for a minute and a half. "Glacial Pace" has a Katatonia-esque doomy shoegaze intro before switching into the band's usual abstract sound, including the screaming chorus, "If being alive is just to survive, a glacial pace comes to an end". Next song "Vicious Muse" is vicious blistering cut that ignites a chaotic cyclonic mosh-pit with relentless thrash-punk metalcore that functions perfectly. "Veins and Veils" continues the math-metalcore one-two punch to the face.
"Coral Blue" is a bit of a surprise with slow sludgy doom metal structure and melodic layered chorus. Fantastic! Next song "Shame In The Way" burns the last extreme flame for this album, providing the band's harshest moments before the calmer embers. The first part of the calm trilogy "Precipice" is a gorgeous interlude that brings to mind a few prisoners with their legs chained to one another wandering to the nearest coal mine never getting the freedom they wish for. The accessible title track has a soft intro that soon unleashes mid-tempo drumming, followed by insane catchy riff that make you hope you're getting a metalcore song. Then the vocals come and even though they sound a bit murky and a bit closer to those of the first track, the band still keep their heavy focus. Amazing! "Predatory Glow" closes the curtain on a dramatic note with intermittent drums and screams backed up by gang vocals. It's more than just a slow-burner, it's a cry of hellfire fury, warning listeners that the album is over but the band would be back with more wrath. Of course, there are a few wicked bonus tracks scattered around in the deluxe edition; "No Light Escapes", "On My Shield", and "Runaway".
All We Love We Leave Behind is absolutely packed with great chaotic songs that help the band show the true meaning of American metallic hardcore. Converge still reign as one of the greatest metalcore bands still living. Long live the true kings of metalcore!
Favorites: Aimless Arrow, Sadness Comes Home, Empty on the Inside, Glacial Pace, Vicious Muse, Coral Blue, All We Love We Leave Behind
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