Converge are a four-piece band based out of Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990, ^[1] this outfit helped define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre. It is notable, however, that Converge have a unique sound when compared to most other metalcore acts, such as As I Lay Dying, Bleeding Through and Killswitch Engage. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (4004 × 2675 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of Frances largest rock music festivals. ... Nickname: Location in Essex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Essex Settled 1626 Incorporated 1626 A City 1836 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Area  - City  18. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk that began in the United States. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Deathwish Inc. ... Hydra Head Records is an independent record label which was set up in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (who is also the frontman of Isis) in 1993. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, specializing (with some exceptions) in the more hardcore or punk-based rock genres. ... Old Man Gloom is a post-hardcore, alternative metal band originally formed in New Mexico, United States, but now based in Massachusetts. ... Doomriders is a hardcore band. ... Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from the Massachusetts based band Converge. ... Nate Newton Nate Newton is the bassist in metalcore band Converge. ... Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ... Aaron Dalbec is the guitarist in Bane and Only Crime. ... Nickname: Location in Essex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Essex Settled 1626 Incorporated 1626 A City 1836 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Area  - City  18. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Extreme metal is an umbrella term, somewhat loosely defined, for a variety of heavy metal subgenres developed since the 1980s. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk that began in the United States. ... As I Lay Dying is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Killswitch Engage (often abbreviated as KSE or Killswitch) is a Grammy nominated melodic metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts. ...

Description

Converge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Negative Approach, The Accused and Born Against; metal bands like Black Sabbath, Godflesh, Slayer, and Entombed; and proto-metalcore bands Starkweather and Rorschach. The group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and off-time polyrhythmic drumming, which leads some to classify them as mathcore, which is best exemplified on their album Jane Doe. Black Flag was a hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes. ... Negative Approach (commonly called “NA”) were one of the first hardcore punk bands. ... The Accüsed is a Hardcore Punk/Thrash band from Seattle, WA. // History Formed in 1981 in Oak Harbor, Washington by bassist Chibon Batterman and guitarist Tom Niemeyer. ... Born Against was a critically acclaimed left wing, hardcore punk band from New York. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Godflesh was an industrial metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick (guitar, vocals, and programming) and G. C. Green (bass). ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... Entombed is a Swedish metal band which formed in 1987 (see 1987 in music) under the name of Nihilist. ... Starkweather are a hardcore / metal band from Philidelphia that formed in the late 80s / early 90s. ... Rorschach were a New Jersey-based band that existed from 1989 to 1993, and blended hardcore and metal to create what is now known as metalcore, playing a significant role in the shaping of the genre and its aesthetic. ... Mathcore (also known as technical metalcore, technical hardcore, and math metal) is a style of metalcore recognized for a high level of technical musicianship. ... Jane Doe is a seminal album by Boston, Massachusetts band Converge. ...

There is much debate over where exactly Converge fall, genre-wise, due to their wide musical range, breaking of conventional boundaries, and willingness to try and push in new directions. Converge themselves eschew classification into hardcore or metal, the genres they are closest to, and simply define their music as "aggressive music". This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

History

Converge formed in the winter of 1990. They first started by playing covers of hardcore punk, punk rock and heavy metal songs, being self-confessed "hardcore kids with leftover Slayer riffs". The band soon graduated to playing live performances in 1991, after recording some demos on a 4-track recorder. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... “Heavy metal” redirects here. ... Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the recording of multiple sound sources, whether simultaneously or at different times. ...

In recent years, Converge have enjoyed relatively high levels of popularity, despite the esoteric feel of their music and the lack of media attention they receive. Their popularity began to rise with the release of their breakthrough album, Jane Doe, which is considered by many their best work to date. Their records have gradually become more expensively and extensively produced, having moved from the independent label Equal Vision Records to the much larger and more mainstream (yet still independent) punk label, Epitaph Records. Jane Doe is a seminal album by Boston, Massachusetts band Converge. ... Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, specializing (with some exceptions) in the more hardcore or punk-based rock genres. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Their much anticipated new album, No Heroes, was released on October 24, 2006. No Heroes is an album by Massachusetts band Converge. ...

Side projects

Aside from their primary focus with Converge, Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou compose stark, ambient music under the moniker Supermachiner, with Daltonic drummer, Seth Bannon. Bannon also has a solo side-project entitled Dear Lover and continues to run the record label he founded, Deathwish Inc., with his longtime friend and business associate, Tré McCarthy. Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from the Massachusetts based band Converge. ... Supermachiner was intended as a side project of the Boston Hardcore band Converge, which includes singer/songwriter, Jacob Bannon, and Guitarist Kurt Ballou. ... Deathwish Inc. ...

In addition to keeping himself busy with recording bands in his studio, GodCity, guitarist Kurt Ballou has participated in an array of other lesser-known bands, such as Blue/Green Heart with fellow Converge alumnus Ben Koller (Koller performed in this band with Ballou well before he joined Converge.) Ballou also played guitar for the bands Kid Kilowatt, Seven Percent Solution, and The Huguenots. Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ...

In late 2005, Ben briefly assumed the drum chores for Cave In, replacing previous drummer, John-Robert Connors. Look up cave in in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Alongside Converge, bassist Nate Newton is also a constituent of the bands Old Man Gloom and Doomriders. He plays guitar in both bands. Newton also played guitar in the band Jesuit, and was a member of the Virginia Beach, VA bands Lift and Channel. Old Man Gloom is a post-hardcore, alternative metal band originally formed in New Mexico, United States, but now based in Massachusetts. ... Doomriders is a hardcore band. ...

Members

Current

Jacob Bannon - vocals, lyrics, visuals Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2912 × 4368 pixel, file size: 1. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ...

Kurt Ballou - guitar, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, theremin Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2912 × 4368 pixel, file size: 1. ... Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from the Massachusetts based band Converge. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... “Percussion” redirects here. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...

Nate Newton - bass guitar, vocals Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (4368 × 2912 pixel, file size: 1. ... Nate Newton Nate Newton is the bassist in metalcore band Converge. ...

Ben Koller - drums, percussion Image File history File links blank picture File links The following pages link to this file: Antioquia Boyacá Cundinamarca Bolívar Department Santander Department Atlántico Magdalena Department Amazonas Department, Colombia Arauca Caquetá Casanare Cauca Cesar Chocó Córdoba Department Guainía Guaviare Huila Department Guajira Department Meta Department Nari... Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as a cowbell, wood block or tambourines, arranged for convenience playing by a single drummer. ...

Former

• Aaron Dalbec - guitar (1994-2001)
• John DiGiorgio - drums (1999)
• Damon Bellorado - drums (1991-1999)
• Stephen Brodsky - bass (1997-1998)
• Jeff Feinburg - guitar, bass (1991-1997)
• Erik Ralston - bass (1993)

Aaron Dalbec is the guitarist in Bane and Only Crime. ...

Discography

Demos

• Gravel (4-song demo, independently released, 1991)
• Self-titled (FAR/Exchange Records, 1991)
• Where Have All the Flowers Gone (independently released, 1992)
• Dog Days (Demo, independently released, 1993)
• Unloved & Weeded Out (Collection of Demos and unreleased songs, Deathwish Inc, 2002)

Petitioning the Empty Sky is a compilation of unreleased tracks & live songs release by Massachusetts Hardcore Punk band Converge. ...

Full lengths

• Halo in a Haystack, (Earthmaker/Stolnacke, 1994)
• Caring And Killing, (Hydra Head Records, 1997)
• Petitioning the Empty Sky (Equal Vision Records, 1997)
• When Forever Comes Crashing (Equal Vision Records, 1998)
• Jane Doe (Equal Vision Records, 2001)
• You Fail Me (Epitaph Records, 2004)
• No Heroes (Epitaph Records, 2006)

Halo in a Haystack is the first release from Massachusetts band, Converge. ... Caring And Killing is the first full length album by metalcore band Converge, released on November 17, 1997. ... Petitioning the Empty Sky is the second full length release by Massachusetts band Converge. ... Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, specializing (with some exceptions) in the more hardcore or punk-based rock genres. ... When Forever Comes Crashing is an album by Massachusetts band Converge. ... Jane Doe is a seminal album by Boston, Massachusetts band Converge. ... Your Fail Me is an album by Massachusetts band Converge. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... No Heroes is an album by Massachusetts band Converge. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

EP

• Y2K EP, (1999)

The Y2K EP was released in 1999 by Massachusetts band, Converge, and contains 3 tracks. ...

Vinyl

• Unloved & Weeded Out 7" EP (Heliotrope Records, 1995)
• Downpour/Serial Killer 5" record (limited edition of 1000) (Ellington Records, 1997)

Petitioning the Empty Sky is a compilation of unreleased tracks & live songs release by Massachusetts Hardcore Punk band Converge. ...

Compilations

• The Poacher Diaries with Agoraphobic Nosebleed (Relapse Records, 1999)
• Deeper the Wound with Hellchild (Bastardized/Deathwish, 2001)

The Poacher Diaries is a split album released by the bands Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Converge. ... Agoraphobic Nosebleed (abbreviated as ANb) is a grindcore band formed in 1994 in Massachusetts, United States. ... Deeper the Wound is a split LP/CD between american band Converge and Japans Hellchild which was released by Bastardized/Deathwish in 2001. ...

DVDs

• The Long Road Home (Deathwish Inc., 2003)

Deathwish Inc. ...

Trivia

• Drummer Ben Koller's former band is Force Fed Glass, a grind outfit.

• Drummer Ben Koller is also in Cave In.

• Original drummer Damon Bellorado now works for a retailer who solicits mens' suits.

• Bassist Nate Newton's previous band was Jesuit, which also featured Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Brian Benoit.

• Former guitarist Aaron Dalbec now plays guitar full-time in what was originally his side-project, Bane.

• Former bassist Stephen Brodsky is an original member of Cave In.

• Some members identify with straight edge culture, but the group itself is not a straight edge band.

• Singer Jacob Bannon, bassist Nate Newton, and drummer Ben Koller are vegetarian while guitarist Kurt Ballou is vegan.

• Singer Jacob Bannon own and operates Deathwish Inc, an established hardcore record label.

• Singer Jacob Bannon is a respected visual artist in the underground art world.

• Guitarist Kurt Ballou owns and operates GodCity Studios.

• The New Jersey post-hardcore outfit, Trophy Scars, are often mistakenly believed to be connected to the song by the same name on No Heroes released in 2006. It was a mere matter of coincidence.

• Every single album features a member of Cave In either in the band or performing on the record.

Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ... Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ... Look up cave in in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nathaniel Newton (born December 20, 1961 in Orlando, Florida) is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL who played for the Dallas Cowboys (1986–1998) and the Carolina Panthers (1999). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Brian Earn Benoit is the guitar player for The Dillinger Escape Plan. ... Aaron Dalbec is the guitarist in Bane and Only Crime. ... Bane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec (then of Converge) and Damon Bellardo. ... Look up cave in in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the drawing or cutting tool, see Straightedge. ... Ben Koller is the current drummer for Converge, as well as Cave In. ... For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from the Massachusetts based band Converge. ... Hens kept in cramped conditions — the avoidance of animal suffering is the primary motivation of people who become vegans A vegan is a person who avoids the ingestion or use of animal products. ... Deathwish is a brand started by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy in 2001. ... Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from the Massachusetts based band Converge. ... “NJ” redirects here. ... Post-hardcore; this specific genre was created by others as a sourse to relaese the emotion that builds inside, making the music intimate and touching to listeners. ... Trophy Scars is a post-hardcore band from Morristown, New Jersey. ... No Heroes is an album by Massachusetts band Converge. ... Look up cave in in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

References

is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Converge (band)

• Official website
• Official MySpace profile
• Converge's E-store
• Deathwish Inc. (Jacob Bannon's record label) website
• Interview w/ Jacob Bannon