Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I (2021)
Collaborative albums can cause quite some mixed reactions, but sometimes it makes a lot of sense and you see it as a dream come true that should've been done sooner but astonishing either way. After a few post-sludge bands like Neurosis and Cult of Luna have done their collaborative albums, it's Converge's turn on the 30th anniversary of their formation and the 20th anniversary of the game-changing Jane Doe. This is... Bloodmoon!
For this band's 10th studio album, they've joined forces with goth singer Chelsea Wolfe, along with her bandmate Ben Chisholm and former Converge member Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) for a 7-person team-up. The results? Something different than before...
The album's opening title track welcomes us to a haunting new world with clean vocals by Jacob Bannon, with Chelsea Wolfe joining in for her verses. A devastating riff knocks us straight into this realm, and would work well for live performances. "Viscera of Men" starts with a brief blast into Converge's chaotic past before slowing down again with more of Chelsea's vocals and the post-sludge drama. Her influence shines strongly in "Coil", a grand acoustic/orchestral rock single of heartbreak.
The spooky fun "Flower Moon" continues the grand experimentation of the album with all the creators in union, with Brodsky having some fun in his vocal performance and guitarist Kurt Ballou throwing around his guitar talents. The pummeling "Tongues Play Dead" allows Bannon to really shine in his vocals. The anguish-fueled "Lord of Liars" has some strain, but Ballou takes the strain out on his guitar with cool results. You can feel in "Failure Forever" the smoothness in Brodsky's vocals. A more bluesy-like tempo is used for "Scorpion's Sting", with stings a bit, but doesn't hurt.
The doomy "Daimon" once again executes the string/key ambience very well. "Crimson Stone" pulls off a lot without extra effort. Wolfe and Bannon sing together in an ethereal duet before a climatic grand finale (for the song anyway). The stunning goth-pop "Blood Dawn" marks an easy pleasant end to the journey, would make you wanna get your hands on Bloodmoon: II.
Yep, the title says Bloodmoon: I, so you know that a sequel might come in a year or a few. Anyway, this album's Converge expanding their comfort zone with the guidance of Wolfe and Brodsky through this gothic-ish avant-garde post-sludge darkness. A new era for this band is awaiting!
Favorites: "Blood Moon", "Coil", "Flower Moon", "Tongues Play Dead", "Daimon", "Crimson Stone"