Review Summary: The golden boys are back to rock your world once again.
Converge is a band that doesn't need an endorsement from anyone. For over 30 years, they've been the gold standard for metalcore and hardcore music with multiple genre classics under their belts. We don't need to revisit said classics, because if you're reading this, then chances are you're already a vet when it comes to this band's signature, chaotic blend of metal.
Love is Not Enough is their long-awaited eleventh full-length album and fans have been clamoring for it extremely hard, especially after 2021's
Bloodmoon: I was metal with mixed reactions because of its sludgy, and quite frankly, non-Converge styling. So how does this one stack up to the rest of their discography?
I feel confident in saying that this album is already among the best that they've ever done. Will it reach the level of
You Fail Me,
Jane Doe or
All We Love We Leave Behind? Time will tell, but as far as first impressions of a new album go, you can't really beat what Converge has going on here. There are songs and passages for fans of all eras of the band. Tracks like the title track, ‘Distract and Divide’, ‘To Feel Something’, ‘Force Meets Presence’ and ‘Make Me Forget You’ will please fans of their more spastic, riff-driven style of metalcore/mathcore. Other tracks such as ‘Bad Faith’, ‘Amon Amok’, ‘Gilded Cage’ and ‘We Were Never the Same’ will speak to fans that may prefer the darker, gloomier, downtrodden aspect of these guys’ music. And if you fall somewhere on both ends, then there won't be much here for you not to enjoy.
Converge has matured into a band that, over 30 years into the music business at this point, is playing music that makes them happy. They're not trying to please anyone other than themselves and I think the experimentation with more downtempo, sludge stylings proved as much.
Love is Not Enough is a welcome addition into a discography that is at the top of metalcore as a whole and has been for a very long time. Converge has set the bar that every band in this genre is trying to reach. They're nasty, they're vitriolic and they can be downright disgusting at times. Then there are those other times when the filthy atmosphere takes hold and, blended with many dirt-filled Kurt Ballou riffs, makes you feel as if you're buried under six feet of mud and gunk. Once again, Converge has set a standard that is impossible to compete with and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
