I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new Converge record ever since news came out last year the hardcore heroes had been working on All We Love We Leave Behind. Converge have been playing music for 22 years, and they never seem to stop pushing the envelope and raising the bar. All We Love We Leave Behind is no exception. Upon first listen of the first single (and album opener), Aimless Arrow, I was a bit bewildered. The vocals weren't the usual sharp screams I had come to expect. Jacob Bannon does more of a screamo sing yell to a backdrop of crazy technical fast riffs from Kurt Ballou. Not gonna lie, from hearing this song I was quite thrown off from my expectations. The next song, Trespass, gave me more assurance that this album was going to really be worth my time. HEAVY AS FUCK! The bulk of the album is one big block of their signature focused, blistering metalcore (yeah, real metal core, not that asking alexandria hot topic garbage). At certain points though they add different elements. One addition that sticks out is the southern rock/bluesy guitar in songs such as Sadness Comes Home and Glacial Pace. As a listener it was quite refreshing to hear the tapping and the wailing because the God City overlord mixed it in very well. Another highlight of the album is the way Converge mix an occasional slow song, and yes, even when this hardcore speed vehicle pumps its brakes the result is still the same: a feeling of every dark emotion juxtaposed into a sonic assault. Coral Blue and the title track are already being acclaimed as some of the best songs on the album.
On this record Converge has, in my eyes, had a return to form. I'm not saying their past two albums are bad, because they arent, but this album is up there with Jane Doe and You Fail Me. PICK THIS UP!
Key Tracks: A Glacial Pace, Trespass.
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