Converge
I Can Tell You About Pain [single] (2017)
eatdogs
Converge are back with this two-song 7-inch ep containing the
tracks “I Can Tell You About Pain” and “Eve”. This marks the newest material
from these Hardcore legends since 2012’s excellent All We Love We Leave Behind.
“I Can Tell You About Pain” shuffles backwards just a bit to
an older sound circa Jane Doe, but
then it shifts into the more aggressive styles of their mid Epitaph Records era
showcasing the band hasn’t stopped in their creativity. They are still trying
out new ideas while expanding on their trademark sound, which is as fierce as
ever on this short track. Easy to listen to and perfect for a quick dousing of harsh
tunage for your ears.
On the other side, we have the epic seven minute and a half track
“Eve”. This is where things get interesting, and if this song is anything to go
by for perhaps a future full length, then I am very excited. Opening with a
sorta Post-Rock feel, the band quietly ushers in atmospheric workings of
ambience then soft vocals until the eruption from the human bull dog that is
Jacob Bannon. This is totally reminiscent of their classic title track “Jane
Doe” and is spliced well with the grainy, darkened production of guitarist Kurt
Ballou and his now cult production studio GodCity. I cannot say enough for Kurt’s
production workings on the many artists he has had the privilege to help. He is
becoming the next Steve Albini.
With the internet being an instant connection for people and
things, some quick reviews have already claimed that this one song sounds very
much like Neurosis. I can accept that and it is a known fact that those sludgy
maniacs inspired Converge. What Converge borrow from a legendary band like
Neurosis is not so much the idea of copying and pasting the same type of
stylings, but instead it is a creative approach to the overall tone and
atmospherics. “Inspired by” is a double-edged sword, and bands certainly can
die by that sword because they cannot seem to break away from those early
inspirations. If they happen to make radical changes in sound, often at times,
it ends up backfiring on the artists and the result is the gnashing of teeth
from the fans themselves. Then sometimes the death knell.
Converge are a band that, when something new drops, it is
always an exciting time. They certainly have not changed from their classic
roots, and these two tracks prove that notion, but as well, they also prove
that the band is ever expanding, seeking more in their realm of creative
output.
Never ones to sit back, Converge hit a home run here and
prove to all the many bands that followed that it’s not about how heavy you
sound, or how much you bend the characteristics of whatever “core” you belong
to, no, it is about how you change yourself and how it can encapsulate your own
soul which can be reflected on the outside through your own identity and personality
Converge cult forever.