New Styles Stacked On Layers of Metal
Formed in 1990, Converge have 27 years of pioneering under their belts. Converge are one of many bands that shaped American metalcore in the last few decades, and these 27 years have done nothing but push them to new heights. Enter 2017’s The Dusk In Us.
The four-piece metal act from Massachusetts have an impressively long discography and manage to ooze relevancy in the metal world of today. With a slight change in style and production from album to album, it is always a treat to see what Converge will produce next. Their work, while often fast and bombastic, stays fresh through most every full-length installment.
The Dusk In Us transports the metalcore giants to a new era in their musicality and production, with a groovy track listing and a chunky overall sound with thick layers. As opposed to a large amount of the Converge catalog, the songs on The Dusk In Us are more docile and brutal in their ways. Tracks like “Murk & Marrow,” “Trigger” and “Reptilian” are a refreshing tweak on the overstated pace of the group’s previous efforts. In the first half of the track, “Reptilian” even sounds like it could be a Black Sabbath song with all the old school doom metal style it displays.
The album also has moments that are even slower than the set of groovy tracks. “Thousands of Miles” and “The Dusk In Us” are exceptionally proggy and extremely unsettling in their ambiance. Yet again, Converge is not necessarily known for this style, but they proceed to absolutely pull it off here.
Converge fans that are looking for the accelerated pace the band is known for also can find solace in this work. The first song on the album, “A Single Tear,” brings Converge back to their classic frantic sound immediately out of the gates. That track along with “Arhipov Calm” both harken back to the band’s old sound and keep them under the same style umbrella as bands like Dillinger Escape Plan.
However, “Under Duress” and “I Can Tell You About Pain” serve as the real winners on The Dusk In Us. These two songs almost have more personality than the whole album. “Under Duress” brings some insanely chunky rhythms and “I Can Tell You About Pain” is a two and a half minute serving of pure bedlam and feedback. Converge definitely knew what they were doing when they chose singles, as both these tracks were available pre-release.
Although many songs stand out, many others get lost in the shuffle. “Wildlife,” “Broken by Light” and “Cannibals” among others are good songs, but they seem more like filler than part of the whole album experience. They lack many differentiating qualities and are therefore not prominent on this 13 track album.
Overall, slow and melodic looks really good on Converge. The band did a great job with expanding their style while staying true to their identity. The Dusk In Us has all the tools to go down as a metalcore classic and Converge fans will rejoice in its release.
