Jane Doe [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Converge is generally regarded as THE hardcore/metalcore band. I don't really know what those terms mean, but this is just a beast of an album. I've listened to so much death metal, grindcore, black metal, cyber-terminator metal, and so on, now it is rare that a band impresses with its sheer heaviness. But Converge _is_ heavy enough to bring you to your knees: massive, crushing riffs with guitar distortion that could strip flesh from bones; heart-stopping grooves of exploding shrapnel; and deliriously thick walls of sound... As a compadre recently said while we were discussing this album, "When 'Concubine' kicks in, hold on to your f_cking chair." But real heaviness is not just a sound, it also has a lot to do with how that sound is manipulated and performed. For instance, King Crimson is, in my opinion, much 'heavier' than nearly any 'metal' band. Converge is an excellent example of this theory in practice, as they pound through eclectic, wrecking ball riffs and industrial-strength rhythms at breathless velocities while vocalist Jacob Bannon's inhuman screams crackle across the scorched-earth metalcore landscape with spine-tingling ferocity. (Is that a human voice? Is he hurting himself doing that?) On the moments where he sings rather than screams, he has a sort of weird-indie voice.

And part of that visceral impact Converge plasters you with comes from their gritty, rugged sound. The music is most certainly not _sloppy_ -- Converge's technique is highly refined around their frenetic, short, violent bursts, mammoth drumming, aggressive stop-starts and syncopations. But the album has a fast, dirty sound could be interpreted as "punk" were the songs not so complex, brutal, and heavy. (That's that "hardcore" factor, yo.)

And just when you think you have their sound pegged, along comes the 12-minute title track of _Jane Doe_: it first trudges through clomping heaviness for a while and then - and THEN -- it finishes with an electric crescendo that would stagger Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It's one of the most powerful moments in the world of heavy music.

Highest recommendation. And if you love DEP, you will love this I think.

On "Jane Doe," their most recent album, Converge demonstrate songwriting and instrumental chops that blow away almost anything I've heard in any genre, period. "Heaven In Her Arms" is doubtless one of the most maniacal compositions in the history of popular music, and tunes like "Concubine," "Fault And Fracture," and "Homewrecker" aren't far behind. Jacob Bannon's harsh, unintelligible shrieks may take some getting used to, but their raw power and visceral impact are undeniable. Besides, they perfectly match the music, which is nothing short of astonishing. The guitars manage to find a completely harmonious balance of math-metal heaviness and hardcore brutality, and Ben Koller's drumming is positively sick.

Remarkably, when the band slows things down, it's every bit as effective as the heavy stuff. Songs like "Distance And Meaning," "Hell To Pay," and "Phoenix In Flight" substitute a doomy, genuinely creepy atmosphere and snatches of melody for the sonic carnage that's typically on display. The result is a genre-busting album that is as eclectic as it is creative.

And then there's the closing title track, which is an awe-inspiring culmination of everything that's come before it. Clocking in at more than eleven minutes, it's a mountainous epic that grabs your attention from the first note and never lets go. Between Jacob's mix of tortured screams and soaring clean vocals, and the band's intricate and enthralling music, this song contains more power than most bands will be lucky to summon up in an entire career. With "Jane Doe" (both the song and the album), Converge have both stepped outside the hardcore genre and maintained a solid rooting in it, resulting in brilliant music that all open-minded listeners should be able to enjoy. Period.