Review: Converge – Axe To Fall (album)

CONVERGE – AXE TO FALL (Epitaph ) – out now
Vinyl (Deathwish)
Available in full for streaming at www.myspace.com/converge

Slapping a massive label across this album with the words ‘hardcore slaying metal’ would be the only way to describe Converge’s latest album.  You can’t get a more punk thrusting, metal wrenching or intensely slick mixture of music if possibly tried.
 
Hailing from Salem this four-piece hardcore band have been knocking around the extreme metal scene for over 10 years now, carrying a devoted following of fans with them.  So releasing a new album was always going to be hard for them to please their old troop of devotees. 
 
With the title track ‘Axe To Fall’ and ‘Reap What You Sow’ you can see why this album is clearly going to be popular with likeminded fans. Some have dubbed it one of their best releases yet.   

Converge don’t always thrash out extreme songs, there are some slower tempo tracks in this collection so it checks all the boxes. 
 
‘Dark Horse’ is fantastic example of a more mellow tune, when I say mellow (it’s hardly a word used lightly around Converge!) this track is merely less extreme than others.  Even though different, it works all the same. 

However, equally slow-tempo track ‘Wretched World’ really does not go anywhere, it takes a fair while to get into and is a bit of a filler.  You expect some fantastical explosion with no outcome… SKIP… next track…
 
If you want more complex guitar work and mental drumming alongside fierce lyrics and vocals you’re in for a treat..