Converge isn't exactly for everybody. Anyone intimated enough with their sound and legacy will tell you that. Jake Bannon's vocals are grammatically indiscernible most of the time, Kurt Ballou and Nate Newton's stringed attack has a murkytone, and Ben Koller's drumming is certifiably frenetic. Throw their unique sonic style in with the often emotional and personal lyrical content, their status as one of the first progenitors of metalcore and their greater association with the hardcore community and you have a primo recipe to draw the ire from droves of douchey metal highbrows.
But I'll play the role of the inexorable ass like many before me have and state this plainly; if you at the very least don't respect Converge, you're an idiot. And if you've seen the Salem quartet live and can't concede that they still have one of the most intense and electric live shows in the game, the warden of the closest madhouse is awaiting your arrival.
Click through the jump so I can prove my point.
This is a video recorded at the turn of the millennium in Providence, RI, that you can find on Converge's live DVD The Long Road Home. It perfectly exemplifies what the best Converge shows are like; limitless in their power. Notice Mr. Bannon head-walking during the best moment of the video. It's videos like this that stand as a testament to how these dudes, a hefty twenty years into their career, still do it better than just about anyone.
- Jack
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