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i think everybody on here seems to really like them, like a lot, like A LOT A LOT. i would like to know why. not just a "cuz they rule" answer. what is it about them that you really like them?. this isn't meant to be a drama starting flame war thread, I like converge, i just dont get why they are crazy popular.

cause that one guy screams the whole "RAHHHHH RAHHH" and the stickity booms on the drum kits and also the chugga chugga weeeweeee

tylerp wrote:cause that one guy screams the whole "RAHHHHH RAHHH" and the stickity booms on the drum kits and also the chugga chugga weeeweeee

i think we have a contender for a new signature.

i dont like them

keith. wrote:i dont like them

awesome, somebody breaks away from the heard.

What a dickhead.

reece wrote:I'm a dickhead.

there you got that wrong.

aw, he got me.

this thread isnt going right, i wanted people to explain why they like converge as i never get more than maybe a two word response as to why the like them.

Because in my opinion they've never put out a bad album, and I've thought that some of their albums are just straight up musically amazing (e.g. Jane Doe, Axe to Fall [for me]). That's impressive considering how many albums they've put out.

Also, they play dem guitar things. I like dem.

Human-Demise wrote:this thread isnt going right, i wanted people to explain why they like converge as i never get more than maybe a two word response as to why the like them.

i did this on facebook. as i said EVERYTHING about them is awesome. longevity, quality control, artistically, live they actually are so tight and destroy everything possible. it goes on and on, band is awesome. if you dont agree well...you're pretty much keith.

not a fan.

they are ok from what i've heard but not really into the whole spastic/techy hardcore. obviously very talented musicians, just not my cup of tea.

see them live, you will understand.

I don't know what it is that sells me on converge.

Live is just a whole other level for them.


but yeah its the song writing the riffs that Kurt does. The way they record the albums. I can't speak for much of the earlier material but yeah lately it has all been very very solid releases that start to finish just run so smoothly. Every aspect of this band from art to lyrics to songwriting just speaks to me.

Also a Converge lover. Amazing live band, powerful records. They do a great job of writing music that balances heaviness and artiness. Love Bannon's vocals, like his (aped to death) artwork. They try to evolve musically each album while still delivering all the aspects of the music that make them great.

Petitioning and You Fail Me are my favorite records. Axe To Fall is my least fave.

I'd also like to start a band based entirely around the style/sound of Converge covering the Depeche Mode song Clean.

I liked You Fail Me and I appreciate jane doe and no heroes, but overall I rarely listen to converge, if ever, just because I don't really enjoy listening to it... but, like I said, I appreciate them for what they are.

In 2001 I saw Converge (I think they were touring for Jane Doe still). American Nightmare opened for them at the Nile, this shithole little club in downtown Mesa, AZ. It was the basement of a bigger club, the kind of place that would put raves on directly above hardcore shows, and then be absolutely flabbergasted as to why fights broke out.

Yeah, that kind of place.

Anyway, Botch and Hope Conspiracy were supposed to play as well, but decided to take off to play Gainesville, FL. I think (although my memory is hazy) that planesmistakenforstars jumped on the bill instead. I know I saw them in the basement of the Nile at SOME point, I just honestly can't remember when.

Anyway, PMS (HA) plays and rules (I think) and then AN plays and rules, but only gets about six songs in because the night before Wes had deviated his septum in Las Vegas and couldn't actually get through their set as a whole. He does the best he can and then is whisked away to the hospital. As AN tears down (and answers questions about Wes' condition), I see these four skinny tattooed fucks start setting up.

Did I mention I had never, ever EVER listened to Converge at that point? No? Oh, yeah, I didn't even know who they were.

I tend to live in my own little world.

Anyway, they start setting up and I'm kinda bored, in the back alone (LONE WOLF) playing with the buttons of my Dillinger Escape Plan work shirt when they start doing sound check. And instantly (and I do mean INSTANTLY) I pay attention. Because this is the loudest fucking sound I've ever heard ever. EVER. Fuck. I think the constant ringing I have in my ears actually started that night. Pretty shortly thereafter Converge start to play and holy shit...it's amazing. This wall of sound that somehow still encompasses the technicality that Kurt puts into every riff. Kids are hanging on the ceiling, chairs are flying around this room (which, I should add, is the size of my apartment) and mayhem is the order of the day. 3/4 of the way through their set, Jake stops everything and says

"Hold up, I just broke my nose."

Which he proceeds to set HIMSELF. Onstage. Blood is fucking everywhere, someone went home with AIDS that night but goddammit if no one gives a fuck. He pushes the last bit of ruined cartilage back into place, blows a wad of snot, blood and bone onto the stage, spits up half a tooth, picks up his mic and says

"Right. This one's called Jane Doe."

Ever seen video of Mt. St. Helens erupting? Yeah, fuck that shit. It's weak compared to the mayhem I saw when they started playing that song.

They played another three or four more and called it quits for the night. I was soaked with sweat and covered in spit. I had a copy of The Poacher Diaries and their split with Hellchild (with the aforementioned cover of Clean on it), a XL hoodie (oh, you rascally 90's) and an enduring love for this band that has yet to fade.

Hands down one of the hardest working bands in hardcore. They've been going since 1989, and they consistently push the boundaries of what hardcore means. They change just enough to remain relevant, but somehow always acknowledge their roots. They are decent, hardworking dudes that could easily have walked away from our little community a long, long time ago, but still come back year after year because they love it.

Fuck it. Converge, best band in hardcore. Period.

Hollow wrote:In 2001 I saw Converge (I think they were touring for Jane Doe still). American Nightmare opened

Saw that tour too, was for Jane Doe. GREAT SHOW. About midway through their set, Jake threw up on the stage from exertion. He looks at the puke, calmly says "There's blood in it", and starts the next song like it ain't no thing.

Andrew wrote:

Hollow wrote:In 2001 I saw Converge (I think they were touring for Jane Doe still). American Nightmare opened

Saw that tour too, was for Jane Doe. GREAT SHOW. About midway through their set, Jake threw up on the stage from exertion. He looks at the puke, calmly says "There's blood in it", and starts the next song like it ain't no thing.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I have never seen a Converge show where Jake didn't either have a pre-existing injury that he made worse (think the leg brace from the Hellfest 1 video) or injure himself during the show. Amazing.