YoYoMancuso
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Last Active 01-10-23 3:56 pm
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 Lists
10.26.23 New Domestic Terminal Song Boyee ♦07.28.23 YoYo Listened to Converge
03.13.23 Epic YoYo Side Project Moment ♦12.20.22 YoYo's 2022
11.22.22 Best Non-2022 Finds Of 202210.31.22 King Album And The Ranking Wizard
10.02.22 Best Soundoffs ♦08.11.22 YoYo's Devin Townsend Discog Run and Ra
06.28.22 YoYo's 2022.5 ♦06.14.22 Playlist of Sputnik Musicians
05.04.22 Favorite Drummers V2.012.19.21 YoYo’s 15K AMA ♦
12.12.21 YoYo's Top 25 of 202111.27.21 YoYo's Revolutionary Rush Ranking
05.13.21 YoYo's Excellent Every Time I Die Ranki05.01.21 YoYo's Spicy Sonic Youth Ranking
04.26.21 YoYo's Definitive Dinosaur Jr. Ranking ♦01.01.21 YoYo's Top 100 Albums of All Time
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YoYo Listened to Converge

The rumors are true. Here's my ranking which will surely go over well with all who read it.
1Converge
Jane Doe

4.5/5. Yeah, it really is that good. The two other albums in my top 3 arguably have higher highs, but Jane Doe takes the #1 spot by virtue of having no bad songs and never letting up.
BEST TRACK: "Jane Doe"
WORST TRACK: idk "Phoenix In Flames" I guess?
2Converge
All We Love We Leave Behind

4.5/5. Would have been my #1 choice if not for "Coral Blue" sucking for 5 straight minutes. From the devastating opening duo of songs, to epics like "Glacial Pace" and the title track, to blistering hardcore numbers like "Sparrow's Fall", this album has it all. Ben Koller is the MVP here for sure, and this is his crowning achievement as a drummer.
BEST TRACK: "Glacial Pace"
WORST TRACK: "Coral Blue"
3Converge
Axe to Fall

4.2/5. I'm not huge on mid-album epic "Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast", and the opening and closing thirds of this album strongly outdo the middle third. That being said, when this album is on, it is ON. You could make an argument for both Axe to Fall's opening and closing tracks as the best Converge song ever, and there's plenty of other gems in here to tide you over.
BEST TRACK: "Dark Horse" or "Wretched World"
WORST TRACK: "Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast"
4Converge
Petitioning the Empty Sky

4/5. Raw, violent, fiery, and agonized, Petitioning the Empty Sky is the perfect encapsulation of Converge's frenetic early sound. The live numbers could have been cut, though.
BEST TRACK: "The Saddest Day"
WORST TRACK: "Shingles"
5Converge
When Forever Comes Crashing

4/5. I have no idea why, but this album is where I decided to start (although I did listen to Jane Doe once about a decade ago). With the exception of the baffling "Ten Cents", this album consistently serves textbook Converge goodness, while never really veering into greatness.
BEST TRACK: "The Lowest Common Denominator"
WORST TRACK: "Ten Cents"
6Converge
No Heroes

4/5. I'm not surprised that this album isn't held in the same regard as some of Converge's others, but I am surprised that it's considered this far below them. No Heroes is yet another triumph from the band, with a noticeable level-up in production quality now that Kurt was fully in control of the record's sound. The opening 5-song stretch of the album is absolute mayhem, while the back half takes its time and unveils some of the band's strongest epics. Like my #5 pick, this is another entirely solid album that doesn't reach the heights of Converge's absolute best output.
BEST TRACK: "Lonewolves"
WORST TRACK: "Weight of the World"
7Converge
You Fail Me

3.7/5. DISCLAIMER: I LIKE THIS ALBUM. IT IS A GOOD ALBUM. Yes, I have listened to the Redux. Yes, it is better, and they even included another great song on it. I would still place it here. For its first 6 tracks, You Fail Me is an absolute monster, containing almost as much chaotic ferocity as Jane Doe did, but the quality begins to fall off a bit from there. I have no idea why the title track is considered a fan favorite. It's just a boring, rhythmically bland bass riff being repeated for 5 straight minutes while Kurt palm mutes an open string. "In Her Shadow" isn't much better, and the album does improve from there for a bit, but the closer wasn't really that great either. Uneven in quality, but I certainly understand why it's so highly regarded, with the exception of the title track.
BEST TRACK: "Black Cloud"
WORST TRACK: "You Fail Me"
8Converge
The Dusk in Us

3.5/5. I have similar feelings about this one as I do about YFM, except the first half isn't as good, and the second half is even worse. In particular, "A Single Tear" and "Arkhipov Calm" are two of the band's best songs to date, while "Trigger" might be their worst ever. Also "Eve" really should be on the tracklist, because it's much better than the title track. Why are Converge title tracks so hit or miss?
BEST TRACK: "Arkhipov Calm"
WORST TRACK: "Trigger"
9Converge
Bloodmoon: I

3.5/5. There are some truly transcendent sections on this album, but it's too long and a lot of it feels like "ok, now Chelsea gets to do her part! Ok and now this part will be a hardcore Converge section!" While it's a very cool idea for a collab, sometimes the songwriting itself feels bifurcated to me. Still a very solid album with a handful of standout tracks.
BEST TRACK: "Lord of Liars"
WORST TRACK: "Blood Dawn"
10Converge
Halo in a Haystack

2/5. Humble beginnings indeed. This thing is a mess, but it's endearing to listen to in a way. The fact that Petitioning came only 2 years after this is wild, and while it's not a good album, you can definitely hear the potential that the band has behind all the murk.
BEST TRACK: "Becoming A Stranger"
WORST TRACK: "Shallow Breathing"
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