Converge set the metal-core bar so high with 2001’s Jane
Doe—a sci-fi-tinged concept album exploring the idea that
heartbreak, at times, is akin to brutal first-degree murder—that
the Salem, Mass., quartet has struggled ever since to again reach an
epic and unforgettable plateau for aggressive music.
Clearly, Axe to Fall aims to recapture a bit of the
profoundly alien sensibility and weird terror that consistently puts
Doe at the top of any metalhead/punker’s desert-island disc
list. Thanks to guitarist Kurt Ballou’s angularly nimble guitar licks,
“Dark Horse” barrels out of the gate with cosmic attitude and
effortless authority. “Reap What You Sow” and “Cutter,” meanwhile,
stand as Converge’s thrashiest numbers to date, giving Megadeth’s Dave
Mustaine a run for his peace money.
But then there’s the doomy, four-chord “Wishing Well,” a surprise
turn into Sabbath territory. Still, it isn’t until “Slave Driver,” with
Ballou’s tremolo-picking drone creating an eerie backdrop, that we
finally get a taste of the interstellar overdrive that makes Converge
impossible to ignore. It’s a short-lived moment, however.
If you can stomach the indie-folkish “Cruel Bloom” and predictably
constructed post-rock pastiche “Wretched World,” then Axe to
Fall will surely carve you up. However, if you’re hoping to get
your mind blown wide open, you may be disappointed to learn that
Converge appears more interested in assimilating diverse musical styles
into its volatile foundation.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2009.