Axe To Fall
.
Converge, who have been on the extreme music scene since 1990 and grew out
of Boston's hardcore scene, are a far more harrowing, and mongrel-like proposition than the elaborate and intricate Mastodon.
Converge bring together raw rampant punk rock; metal in all its various and heavy guises; and the muscular tension of hardcore to create a unique and volatile form of cathartic music. As a result
Axe To Fall
is unhinged, hostile, and angry. But thrilling.
Opener
Dark Horse
takes off at a disturbingly fast pace with scything guitars and Jacob Bannon's incomprehensible yowl, before continuing the slaughter on
Reap What You Sow
, but then there are slower sludgier tracks like
Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
, a two-parter that erupts (presumably when the rats come out to feast).
On an album packed with beastly tracks, the dour, Tom Waits-like guest vocals of Steve Von Till of Neurosis on
Cruel Bloom
is a highlight, and along with seven-minute last track,
Wretched World
, it offers a reflective and welcome respite from the fierce chaos elsewhere.
Axe To Fall
is an astonishing statement, especially for a band now nearly 20 years old.
Scott Kara
