The word ‘legend’ is bandied around far too much these days. When a programme entitled ‘Legends of Rock’ can even mention the putrid words ‘Limp’ and ‘Bizkit’ it’s time to step back and question whether we are too quick to fall arse-over-tit in love with any band with more than an ounce of attitude in them. Having said that, Converge have long been considered at the forefront of whatever scene they choose to be in, ranging from grind to hardcore to balls-out metallic mayhem but is it enough to trade continually on past glories?
‘You Fail Me’s first track proper comes in the shape of the orchestrated brutality of ‘Last Light’. It’s full of sledgehammer riffs and lightning-quick drum buzzes, and the continuous time changes keep things fresh and exciting in that bold way that only the bravest of bands can manage but while it is undeniably impressive it’s not quite as mind-shredding as you’d hope. When placed in comparison with ‘Drop Out’ it feels a touch overblown, as the latter track’s frantic pace subtitled by Jacob Bannon’s vicious screaming succeeds because of its simplicity and sheer heft. No one is disputing the fact that Converge are an evidently hugely talented band but when at their most restrained they show their power most pertinently - one listen to the crazy drop into ‘Hope Street’ (not, sadly, a Levellers cover) shows just how good they are at ripping the living fuck out of a decent riff and distilling the sound of pure brutality into musical form.
Yes, it’s undoubtedly a fine album but not one that is going to make as many waves as it perhaps could have. Where the Dillinger Escape Plan surprised everyone with the bold genius of ‘Miss Machine’, Converge are destined to have this album consigned to history behind the genre-breaking work that came before it. Maybe they’re handicapped by their own success, but as the title track shows, ‘You Fail Me’ substitutes brute force for any genuinely exciting ideas. It is a testament to their abilities that even when visibly not as revolutionary as they have been in the past they can still come up with an album that is vastly better than any of the meathead crap currently representing hardcore music today.
Yeah, ‘In Her Shadow’ is a purely acoustic track but by shifting one instrument you’re not going to change the world, especially when the guitar work is as subdued and dull as it is here. It takes almost 2 minutes for a half-decent chord change to rear its head and the end result sounds like a demo, rather than the work of Kurt Ballou, whose frankly astonishing guitar playing colours ‘You Fail Me’ in shades of red and black. So what if it’s a departure for Converge? It’s nothing special whatsoever and falls by the wayside of the exhilarating heft of ‘Eagles Become Vultures’, which follows directly afterwards. A bit of a missed opportunity, but still well worth picking up.
Ben
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