“Thaw” is my favorite “Jane Doe” track, too! So many critic reviews don’t even mention it. The last minute is so intense and emotional, I still get chills when I hear it. Great video, and great taste in music!
For sure. Thaw is incredible. Start to finish, it’s just brutal. And, like you said about the ending..that shit gives me chills too. It makes me want to cry honestly. For its emotion for sure. And just that it’s so incredibly amazing. It’s moving.
You did a phenomenal job with these album reviews. It’s kind of funny though, to see all of Converge’s albums discussed by someone who’s not exactly an obvious hardcore/metal fan at first glance. I mean that in a good way. 🔥
Petitioning the empty sky changed my direction in life for music when I was 12 years old, for it to see go to a rank of D I had to stop watching the rest of the video.
Top class video Molly. New viewer here. After 'When Forever Comes Crashing' the split EP 'The Poacher diaries' with Agoraphobic Nosebleed, pretty much defined that sound that was to come, and has some of the most brutal Converge songs (and my favourite). Recommendations related to Converge; Wretched World collaboration with the band Genghis Tron, a terrific band that has just recently put out a new album that is very good. Converge's Bostonian brothers Cave In, a truly spectacular band that has worked with Converge through their whole career (Stephen Brodsky lending his guitar and vocals on Bloodmoon: 1). Cheers for the content.
Highly agree with all points made, especially when reviewing You Fail Me. Jane Doe is their magnum opus and the song "Phoenix In Flames" does something to my brain I cannot articulate into words but I love it. Guitarist Kurt Ballu produced Modern Life is War's "Witness" album and if you like You Fail Me / Jane Doe, I think you'll really enjoy that one. I can see your musical taste is pretty refined so you probably already know about them, but BOTCH - WE ARE THE ROMANS is crucial listening as well. Great video!
As a huge Converge fan, I thoroughly enjoyed your video and how you broke down each album and noticed the differences in them even though the differences between them can seem to be extremely slight to most people. My rankings would be very very similar to yours, especially with Jane Doe (one of my top 10 albums of all time) being #1, All We Love We Leave Behind at #2 and The Dusk In Us being at #3. Have you ever heard any Dillinger Escape Plan? I highly, highly recommend them. They have the ferocity of Converge but with even more technicality and a bit more variety in sounds. Always happy to see people on YT that truly love music and are willing to give bands and artists they had never heard before a fair shot by listening to literally all of their releases. :D
Thanks, I appreciate that! Converge is amazing and I'm so glad I've gotten even more into their music. Dillinger Escape Plan is definitely on my list of bands to check out, a lot of others have been suggesting them to me. Sounds like I'd really enjoy their stuff!
My top 3: 1. Jane Doe - no explanation needed 2. Axe to Fall - pure converge chaos but with more melodies, this was how I got into the band 3. Bloodmoon I - the most unique album in their discog and an amazing collaboration that works much better than you'd expect
wow great breakdown of the albums. I think you summarized Bloodmoon I perfectly; the first time I heard it, I had to double check I was listening to the right band lmao. it just grows on you after a while tho, but I can only listen to it when I'm in the right mood. if I have Converge on shuffle and I'm at the gym, I just have to skip every song from the album or else it kills my motivation
I’ve loved Converge since I was introduced to them by No Heroes. I find it almost impossible to pick a favourite but I love how Dusk In Us and Bloodmoon point to continued evolution and experimentation and consistent quality.
Great video! Converge is my favorite heavy band (Mars Volta is my favorite band overall, so you can see why I like your channel so much!). It's insane how consistently awesome Converge has been over 30 years of music. They're living legends in this style of music.
I first discovered Converge when "Jane Doe" came out. I was browsing the music section at Best Buy (it's not there anymore) after listening to the Music Choice channel on TV (it's gone, too). I had never heard vocals so intense! Listening to that album is like being inside of a washing machine on heavy mode! Anyway, I kinda fell off the Converge train semi recently, but now I'll be checking out more of their albums thanks to your video! Maybe I'll get back into them with "AWLWLB." Keep up the good work, I look forward to what's next!
Your description of Jane Doe like being inside a washing machine is spot on, haha! It's pure chaotic beauty, that's for sure. Hope you enjoy All We Love We Leave Behind, it's a little less heavy than Jane Doe in my opinion. I really love the more optimistic, almost playful tone it has at points.
I'm thrilled when you put "All We Love We Leave Behind" equally impressive level, paired with "Jane Doe" because it does and it did, it stands off from other records yet it doesn't want to replicate "Jane Doe" success, instead, the album gave us incredible experiences just like "Jane Doe"... every explanation you've made is precisely as the same as me for all the records, especially for both "Jane Doe" and "All We Love We Leave Behind".
Great ranking! I think Jane Doe and All We Love We Leave Behind are my personal favorites too, but it's really hard for me to say what I like more than the other because Converge is just such an awesome band. I haven't been this obsessed with a band since I got into Swans. I'm not sure if you've done of a ranking of Swans yet but if you haven't, you totally should! They take a lot of time to get into and they're not for everyone, but they've made some just amazing, mesmerizing stuff.
@@mollyesanborn Please, Molly, please! I recommend to start from the beginning or with "Soundtracks For The Blind" (that's the on right in the middle and has almost all Swanssounds in 2 hours). Writing this, I think you should to "Filth" and "SFTB" in one session ... :-D
it's a good ranking. I started loving converge this year only. Jane Doe and AWLWLB are absolutely mindblowing, I agree with you there. I have not put enough effort into the other albums, maybe ATF. I was hoping You Fail Me might be on par with the first two, I've heard great things about it, but that would be a little too good to be true! Only thing that dissappointed me was you did not mention A Glacial Place, that song is a masterpiece. BTW, Jacob Bannon created a painting for every song off AWLWLB. It's pretty awesome.
As you can tell I’m a huge Converge fan so I’m super happy to see someone really get sucked into their stunning trip of a discography. I don’t know if anyone cares but here’s my personal ranking of their records you have here from least to most favourite: Halo In A Haystack Petitioning The Empty Sky Bloodmoon One When Forever Comes Crashing All We Love We Leave Behind Axe To Fall The Dusk In Us You Fail Me No Heroes Jane Doe (obviously)
did a review for my college's newspaper on Axe to Fall when it came out. been hooked on Converge ever since. Jane Doe, hands down, one of the most intense musical experiences out there. for those of you about to check it out: buckle up.
Absolute love everything they've put out since Jane Doe, their previous ones not so much. Definitively digging the more sludgey side on the dusk in us and the blood moon collab. The rank I didn't knew I wanted lol
Glad to provide a ranking, haha! I agree that their work from Jane Doe onward certainly takes on a more mature, well developed sound, although their first three albums certainly have some great qualities as well. It's cool to listen to their early stuff and really hear how their sound developed.
Axe to Fall is one of my favourites, alongside Jane Doe and All We Love We Leave Behind. The Blood Moon collab still hasn't sunken into my system to be honest, I'll need to spend some more time listening to it but I certainly do hope they do more stuff with Chelsea.
Yeah, Chelsea Wolfe and Converge are such a great collaboration. They really suit each others different styles so well. I'd love to hear more from them too!
Yeah I mostly agree. Albatross and dead from petitioning are really good. Each album has a few tracks that stand above the rest for me usually. Like dark horse, aimless arrow, coral blue, grim heart/black rose, heaven in her arms. I dont know if you're into the project Jesu, but that might be some fun videos if so. Pretty great discography
Saw these guys at Download Festival 2019, I'd heard about Kurt Ballou beforehand through his work with Nails and Dillinger Escape Plan, but when I saw them play live I knew they were the shit and full of integrity. I only knew some songs from Jane Doe, but their performance was amazing! A Single Tear makes me love and appreciate my young nieces so much, which I can't believe an intense and brutal song could do. I don't need a tattoo for this band, they're tattooed on my soul. \m/
Converge is definitely one of my top picks for bands I want to see live one day, their albums are all incredible and I'm sure they'd absolutely kill it live!
1. Jane Doe 2. Axe to fall 3. You fail me 4. Bloodmoon 5. The dusk in us 6. All we love we leave behind 7. No heroes 8. When forever comes crashing 9. Petitioning the empty sky 10. Halo in a haystack
Good video! I found converge ike two years ago and now they're one of my favourite bands, honestly, I think you should listen to "We Are the Romans" by Botch, one of the most underrated albums of 1999, not as aggressive as Converge but just as interesting and fun, cheers :)
Yes, Jane Doe is my favorite Converge album. Another one of those bands that’s been a staple in my life since junior high that I somehow haven’t seen live yet.
love the demo mixes on Unloved and Weeded Out more than the masters. What a band. Axe To Fall is becoming my favorite but changes. love that you know your CONVERGE.
@@mollyesanborn Dude!! The live version of Locust Reign towards the end of the album is insane lol! Yea, the demo of When Forever Comes Crashing (track) is so much better imo. First track Downpour? gotta watch that video also. Great job
@@mollyesanborn CUAD are great. most known for their are mathy LP “Unfortunately We’re Not Robots” but their last LP in 05 is super slow and very emotional between the chaos
I literally would have but the same ranking 😁maybe only swap Axe to Fall with Blood Moon. I love these dudes, they have been such a Tour de Force in hardcore and extreme music and pour everything into their art. It took my a while to get used to Jake's vocals at first but they are so important to what makes Converge be Converge. Also, their art style and production is so distinct, they really have their own identity, sound and aesthetic in a way few bands can actually achieve. You cannot mistake them for anyone else. I like their gloomy, doomy epics but also their faster songs with punk energy. It's impossible to name a favourite song but their title tracks always seem to draw me in the most. Jane Doe, You Fail Me and All we Love We Leave Behind in particular!
Yes, well said! Really a unique band that you can tell just puts everything into each and every one of their albums. As much as their sound can change from one album to the next (I mean just compare Halo with Bloodmoon, quite different!) both are still so distinctly Converge.
Curl Up And Die are worth checking out. Once labeled “poor man’s CONVERGE” but actually prefer them if I had to choose. deep lyrically but spastic and crunchy hooks on every album
Converge is such a good band. I agree with the placing of the top and bottom albums, I'd just rearrange some of the records in the middle. I definitely recommend Neurosis (Steve Von Till sings "Cruel Bloom"), Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Keep up the good work!! Your videos rule!!
I actually read that Cruel Bloom has a different vocalist on it, I realized that after filming this video haha. No wonder the vocals sounded different on that track! I'll totally have to check out those other bands you mentioned, I know a lot of people have been suggesting Dillinger Escape Plan.
So uh, Jane Doe? Nearly perfect record. Nice to see the A+ If you were lucky enough to see them live touring for that record... HOLY shit. Just excellence across the board.
Hey, Molly! Been watching your videos for a bit now and I’ve really enjoyed them. My recommendation is Down The Upside by Soundgarden if you haven’t already heard it
Thanks, I'll have to give that album a listen. I know that Soundgarden has been recommended by some others in the comments before. Glad you're enjoying the videos!
The way you talk about their songs "Wretched World", "Precipice", "All We Love We Leave Behind", "You Fail Me", and "Grim Heart/Black Rose" I'm not surprised you have Bloodmoon so high. Those songs listed are all their dark, moody, sludgey songs and that's what Bloodmoon is all about.
@@mollyesanborn If you haven't you should check out the Converge songs "Clean" which is a cover of the Depeche Mode song, and "Disintegration" which is a cover of The Cure. Very much a similar style and Steve Brodsky who does Guitar/Backing vocals on Bloodmoon is also featured on "Disintegration".
I'd definitely like to see what you think about the band Cave In's discography since it's so varied, or if you haven't given them a listen, an album reaction of theirs.
I can mostly agree with this list, I'd just place You Fail Me & Axe to Fall above The Dusk in Us & Blood Moon. Converge has been one of my favorite bands for the last 2 years or so, because there is just almost no other band in metal and hardcore with an equally consistently great discography + Kurt Ballou basically produced 75% of the best metal records of the past 10 years or so.
Converge is one of my favorite bands (along with Cult of Luna & Katatonia). Cool ranking, I only disagree with Petitioning ranked so low because it has "The Saddest Day" which is the best Converge's song. I think we all agree that Jane Doe is their best album but my personal favorite is Axe to Fall. This album has an interesting structure, 11 songs of pure madness and the last 2 are sludge and slow long songs. As for Halo, I think of the compilation Caring and Killing as their first álbum and the complete version of this one but still their weakest. Also an honorable mention would be the split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed which is brilliant as well.
one suggestion that you may not get much is the ‘black parade by my chemical romance’, it is normally written off as a cringey emo album along with the rest of their discography but its actually not that emo, its more of a rock opra that is amazingly polished and all the tracks flow perfectly and make sense for the context of the album. and if you want a louder based sound then try ‘three cheers for sweet revenge’ the concept is not as strong but it thrashes you with fast paced riffs and amazing singing not to mention the incredible instrumentation on both albums. anyways, both great reaction material but understood if you are too busy to get too it anytime soon. :)
Thanks for the album suggestions! I know My Chemical Romance has been mentioned by some others in the comments as well, so I'll definitely have to give their music a listen soon.
You know your stuff for sure, however I would put when forever came crashing as an A but maybe I'm looking at things with rose tinted glasses because it was the first converge album I listened to.
Recommend checking out Zao's latest album "The Crimson Corridor". The album is quite reminiscent of "The Dusk in Us"/"All we love we leave behind" sound that you seem to have a preference for, albeit with more of a sludgy, post-metal influence.
I've never really gotten around to listening to anything before Jane Doe. I like Converge but I have to be in the mood for them and I haven't been in a really long time. Probably why I haven't gotten around to listening to the new one yet. My tier would be: Jane Doe Axe to Fall No Heroes All We Love We Leave Behind The Dusk in Us You Fail Me
Is it Shadows & Light? I love that track! It balances out the really smooth and melodic verses with the punchy chorus that brings that wave of intensity.
An underrated quality of converge are the lyrics In particilar on albums like all we love we live behind. Its almost a shame that you can t really understand them when you listen for the forst few times but the manic screams are the perfect way to comunicate to the listener the extreme emotions of distress and lonliness. Give them a shot if you get the chance!
yes, yes, yes! Their lyricism really is amazing, as you said it definitely takes some extra listening to understand what is being said but the emotion is very palpable in their music.
Nice ranking. Personally I would have put You fail me on par with Jane Doe. This record is just pure madness with a nice melodic break with In her shadows.
I think it started with Wretched World, I stumbled on that song a while back through a TH-cam recommended video or something and was immediately hooked. That led me to Jane Doe, and then when they released Bloodmoon I with Chelsea Wolfe it really piqued my interest because I'm a big fan of Chelsea Wolfe's music. It was the album that really made me want to listen to their entire discography.
Thanks, I'll have to check out Kylesa (never heard of them before). And yeah, the Core is awesome, one of my favorite childhood movies for sure! Perhaps a bit over the top but it makes for a fun watch :)
Ok... sitting here at work bored...so here's a little list for you...these are bands that were either controversial, super original, or just plain nasty!... Cave-in(ex converge) Candiria(death metal, hardcore, jazz, hip hop mixed) 108(Krishna core!, Chaotic groove) Vision of Disorder Bloodlet Deadguy Baroness The acacia strain Overcast Coheeed and Cambria Lagwagon Jawbreaker Strung Out Pulley Propaghandi Clutch! Days of the New
I hope in the future you'll get around To reacting to Zeal & Ardor They just drop their new album And they just mix everything they can Lo fi chill with metal, like what lol Other songs are straight up metal But man what an album It honestly my favorite album from them Also hoping for some twelve foot ninja 🤘
@@mollyesanborn that's just one of the songs BTW should been more clear on that one But I feel like you'll like the album Like Wikipedia puts it "the band mixes African American spirituals with black metal"
I've come across a few of these ranking reviews and have never seen No Heroes get such disrespect in them, where everywhere else more or less everyone admits the 4 album run of Jane Doe -> Axe Fall is 10/10 stuff.
I'm glad you appreciate 'Jane Doe' not my favourite, but I feel it is their magnum opus; too heavy to listen to regularly, but hard not to just go 'WOW!'. Curious in video you called the band 'heavy metal', but in the video description you call them 'metalcore'.
Good point, although it's my favorite Converge album I wouldn't say Jane Doe is my most played from them. I'd say AWLWLB probably wins that award, it's a bit lighter of an album for sure. And about the genre thing, I feel like Converge is hard to box into one genre, they certainly have a lot of styles! I said heavy metal in the video without really thinking, but later on Wikipedia it stated Converge as being a metalcore band so I put that in the description.
I expected a shit show - sorry - but you're clever. I might not agree but boy are a true hero. Hope to support you in some way later this year, god bless.
Wretched World is one of my favorite converge songs and funny enough it’s basically not even their song it’s mostly members of the band Genghis Tron which are a underrated band other than their new album which kinda sucked
I'll have to add Suspended Animations to my list, thanks for the suggestion! And yeah, faith No More and Mr. Bungle are certainly bands I'm looking forward to hearing soon.
Haha, I know! They're awesome though, I love all of the emotion that they bring to their music. It's somehow so extreme with its sound but there's a soft vulnerability they manage to convey as well. Now I'll have to give Every Time I Die a listen!
Halo In A Haystack is the only Converge "game changer" album. Period. Ranking albums by a band out of their time context is worthless IMO. Of course the band is getting better, better sounding, better recording, in the process. Does that make a new record more important? Do Converge repeats its own gimmick since day one? What was Converge's primal scream? there you got it. The debut one is the one that matters. That idea you can repeat on most punk bands, unless they change style i.e. Neurosis : debut album, then (close) repeat and try and improve.
“Thaw” is my favorite “Jane Doe” track, too! So many critic reviews don’t even mention it. The last minute is so intense and emotional, I still get chills when I hear it. Great video, and great taste in music!
YES that is my favorite part too! Thaw just goes so hard, and there's so much emotion in its delivery as well.
I love how you can hear the guitar at the very beginning from the hard pang of the snare. Sick track, one of my favorites
Thaw was my most played track in 2021 on Spotify.
For sure. Thaw is incredible. Start to finish, it’s just brutal. And, like you said about the ending..that shit gives me chills too. It makes me want to cry honestly. For its emotion for sure. And just that it’s so incredibly amazing. It’s moving.
You did a phenomenal job with these album reviews. It’s kind of funny though, to see all of Converge’s albums discussed by someone who’s not exactly an obvious hardcore/metal fan at first glance. I mean that in a good way. 🔥
Holy shit girl, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this video. Love Converge.
Yay, another Converge fan! I agree, they're a fantastic band.
Petitioning the Empty Sky is my all time favorite!
Even though I ranked it last it's still an awesome album! Converge really knows how to make good music.
@@mollyesanborn Were a big influence on me as a guitar player for a long time. Kurt Ballou is an underrated musician for sure!
Petitioning has the best Converge's Song on it which is "The Saddest Day"
Petitioning the empty sky changed my direction in life for music when I was 12 years old, for it to see go to a rank of D I had to stop watching the rest of the video.
It’s Converge’s best album and it’s not even a contest
Top class video Molly. New viewer here. After 'When Forever Comes Crashing' the split EP 'The Poacher diaries' with Agoraphobic Nosebleed, pretty much defined that sound that was to come, and has some of the most brutal Converge songs (and my favourite). Recommendations related to Converge; Wretched World collaboration with the band Genghis Tron, a terrific band that has just recently put out a new album that is very good. Converge's Bostonian brothers Cave In, a truly spectacular band that has worked with Converge through their whole career (Stephen Brodsky lending his guitar and vocals on Bloodmoon: 1). Cheers for the content.
Jane Doe is so good it holds a special place in almost everyones heart who 'get' the album as a piece of brilliant art. I'm glad you loved it.
This was awesome. I'm just starting to get into Converge and I appreciated hearing your insights. Thanks!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy your journey into discovering Converge's music :)
Highly agree with all points made, especially when reviewing You Fail Me. Jane Doe is their magnum opus and the song "Phoenix In Flames" does something to my brain I cannot articulate into words but I love it. Guitarist Kurt Ballu produced Modern Life is War's "Witness" album and if you like You Fail Me / Jane Doe, I think you'll really enjoy that one. I can see your musical taste is pretty refined so you probably already know about them, but BOTCH - WE ARE THE ROMANS is crucial listening as well. Great video!
As a huge Converge fan, I thoroughly enjoyed your video and how you broke down each album and noticed the differences in them even though the differences between them can seem to be extremely slight to most people. My rankings would be very very similar to yours, especially with Jane Doe (one of my top 10 albums of all time) being #1, All We Love We Leave Behind at #2 and The Dusk In Us being at #3. Have you ever heard any Dillinger Escape Plan? I highly, highly recommend them. They have the ferocity of Converge but with even more technicality and a bit more variety in sounds. Always happy to see people on YT that truly love music and are willing to give bands and artists they had never heard before a fair shot by listening to literally all of their releases. :D
Thanks, I appreciate that! Converge is amazing and I'm so glad I've gotten even more into their music. Dillinger Escape Plan is definitely on my list of bands to check out, a lot of others have been suggesting them to me. Sounds like I'd really enjoy their stuff!
Final Fantasy VI fan :D
My top 3:
1. Jane Doe - no explanation needed
2. Axe to Fall - pure converge chaos but with more melodies, this was how I got into the band
3. Bloodmoon I - the most unique album in their discog and an amazing collaboration that works much better than you'd expect
bloodmoon at 3 is crazy
wow great breakdown of the albums. I think you summarized Bloodmoon I perfectly; the first time I heard it, I had to double check I was listening to the right band lmao. it just grows on you after a while tho, but I can only listen to it when I'm in the right mood. if I have Converge on shuffle and I'm at the gym, I just have to skip every song from the album or else it kills my motivation
I’ve loved Converge since I was introduced to them by No Heroes. I find it almost impossible to pick a favourite but I love how Dusk In Us and Bloodmoon point to continued evolution and experimentation and consistent quality.
Great video! Converge is my favorite heavy band (Mars Volta is my favorite band overall, so you can see why I like your channel so much!). It's insane how consistently awesome Converge has been over 30 years of music. They're living legends in this style of music.
I used to have First Light as an alarm clock on my stereo years ago. Great start to the days then.
"Thousands of miles between us" gives me chills every time I listen to it. It's my favorite song by Converve. It's just beautiful.
I first discovered Converge when "Jane Doe" came out. I was browsing the music section at Best Buy (it's not there anymore) after listening to the Music Choice channel on TV (it's gone, too). I had never heard vocals so intense! Listening to that album is like being inside of a washing machine on heavy mode! Anyway, I kinda fell off the Converge train semi recently, but now I'll be checking out more of their albums thanks to your video! Maybe I'll get back into them with "AWLWLB." Keep up the good work, I look forward to what's next!
Your description of Jane Doe like being inside a washing machine is spot on, haha! It's pure chaotic beauty, that's for sure. Hope you enjoy All We Love We Leave Behind, it's a little less heavy than Jane Doe in my opinion. I really love the more optimistic, almost playful tone it has at points.
I'm thrilled when you put "All We Love We Leave Behind" equally impressive level, paired with "Jane Doe" because it does and it did, it stands off from other records yet it doesn't want to replicate "Jane Doe" success, instead, the album gave us incredible experiences just like "Jane Doe"... every explanation you've made is precisely as the same as me for all the records, especially for both "Jane Doe" and "All We Love We Leave Behind".
You listen to converge!?!?
Okay I'm now in love.
Yes, Converge is amazing!!
Great ranking! I think Jane Doe and All We Love We Leave Behind are my personal favorites too, but it's really hard for me to say what I like more than the other because Converge is just such an awesome band. I haven't been this obsessed with a band since I got into Swans. I'm not sure if you've done of a ranking of Swans yet but if you haven't, you totally should! They take a lot of time to get into and they're not for everyone, but they've made some just amazing, mesmerizing stuff.
Thanks for watching! I know Swans has been suggested before, I'll have to take a dive into their catalog soon.
@@mollyesanborn Please, Molly, please! I recommend to start from the beginning or with "Soundtracks For The Blind" (that's the on right in the middle and has almost all Swanssounds in 2 hours). Writing this, I think you should to "Filth" and "SFTB" in one session ... :-D
My first time seeing Converge was in Philly right after Jane Doe came out
it's a good ranking. I started loving converge this year only. Jane Doe and AWLWLB are absolutely mindblowing, I agree with you there. I have not put enough effort into the other albums, maybe ATF. I was hoping You Fail Me might be on par with the first two, I've heard great things about it, but that would be a little too good to be true!
Only thing that dissappointed me was you did not mention A Glacial Place, that song is a masterpiece.
BTW, Jacob Bannon created a painting for every song off AWLWLB. It's pretty awesome.
Must investigate Chelsea as well...her voice fit so well with the Blood Moon record; Jane Doe was a gamechanger ala Calculating Infinity
Converge are simply the best and most consistent metal/hardcore band out there.
Kicking asses over 4 decades.
As you can tell I’m a huge Converge fan so I’m super happy to see someone really get sucked into their stunning trip of a discography. I don’t know if anyone cares but here’s my personal ranking of their records you have here from least to most favourite:
Halo In A Haystack
Petitioning The Empty Sky
Bloodmoon One
When Forever Comes Crashing
All We Love We Leave Behind
Axe To Fall
The Dusk In Us
You Fail Me
No Heroes
Jane Doe (obviously)
Nice ranking, thanks for sharing! Love how you put "obviously" at the end of Jane Doe, haha :)
did a review for my college's newspaper on Axe to Fall when it came out. been hooked on Converge ever since. Jane Doe, hands down, one of the most intense musical experiences out there. for those of you about to check it out: buckle up.
Converge fan since about 2000. AIMLESS ARROW my favorite track. one of 4 bands that got me to stagedive.
Imo, Jane Doe is the greatest metalcore album of all time! It's damn near perfect!! 👌
Yep, a solid 10/10 for me!
The Deftones and Converge!
Awesome, Molly.
I love both of them so much!
Can’t wait to watch this vid later!
Hope you enjoy it :)
Insane. Petitioning/When Forever/Jane Doe are the holy trinity. None of their other work even sniffs those three.
At some point I realized I don't even listen to metal as a genre. I just listen to Converge and Agalloch, but mostly Converge.
in my genuine opinion halo is their best album it genuinely feels so raw and it has some of converges best work
Absolute love everything they've put out since Jane Doe, their previous ones not so much.
Definitively digging the more sludgey side on the dusk in us and the blood moon collab.
The rank I didn't knew I wanted lol
Glad to provide a ranking, haha! I agree that their work from Jane Doe onward certainly takes on a more mature, well developed sound, although their first three albums certainly have some great qualities as well. It's cool to listen to their early stuff and really hear how their sound developed.
Still killing it! If you haven't yet and get a chance, check out Converge if they are in your area. They put on such an amazing show!
I will certainly have to do that! I'm sure they're amazing to see live.
Axe to Fall is one of my favourites, alongside Jane Doe and All We Love We Leave Behind. The Blood Moon collab still hasn't sunken into my system to be honest, I'll need to spend some more time listening to it but I certainly do hope they do more stuff with Chelsea.
Yeah, Chelsea Wolfe and Converge are such a great collaboration. They really suit each others different styles so well. I'd love to hear more from them too!
Yeah I mostly agree. Albatross and dead from petitioning are really good. Each album has a few tracks that stand above the rest for me usually. Like dark horse, aimless arrow, coral blue, grim heart/black rose, heaven in her arms.
I dont know if you're into the project Jesu, but that might be some fun videos if so. Pretty great discography
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll be sure to add Jesu to my list!
Saw these guys at Download Festival 2019, I'd heard about Kurt Ballou beforehand through his work with Nails and Dillinger Escape Plan, but when I saw them play live I knew they were the shit and full of integrity. I only knew some songs from Jane Doe, but their performance was amazing! A Single Tear makes me love and appreciate my young nieces so much, which I can't believe an intense and brutal song could do. I don't need a tattoo for this band, they're tattooed on my soul. \m/
Converge is definitely one of my top picks for bands I want to see live one day, their albums are all incredible and I'm sure they'd absolutely kill it live!
I would love to see you go through the Norma Jean catelog
1. Jane Doe
2. Axe to fall
3. You fail me
4. Bloodmoon
5. The dusk in us
6. All we love we leave behind
7. No heroes
8. When forever comes crashing
9. Petitioning the empty sky
10. Halo in a haystack
Axe to Fall two tiers below All We Love is quite the odd take imo. You really like the word "cohesive"! Love converge, nice video
Converge is fantastic, it's so hard to rank their projects because they've got such a solid discography. Thanks for checking out the video :)
Good video! I found converge ike two years ago and now they're one of my favourite bands, honestly, I think you should listen to "We Are the Romans" by Botch, one of the most underrated albums of 1999, not as aggressive as Converge but just as interesting and fun, cheers :)
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to give that album a listen.
Yes, Jane Doe is my favorite Converge album. Another one of those bands that’s been a staple in my life since junior high that I somehow haven’t seen live yet.
I guess you could say that I love them all...
Good answer :)
@@mollyesanborn Excellent vid Molly, great job!
love the demo mixes on Unloved and Weeded Out more than the masters. What a band. Axe To Fall is becoming my favorite but changes. love that you know your CONVERGE.
I still have to get to Unloved and Weeded Out, looking forward to hearing some of their demos.
@@mollyesanborn Dude!! The live version of Locust Reign towards the end of the album is insane lol! Yea, the demo of When Forever Comes Crashing (track) is so much better imo. First track Downpour? gotta watch that video also. Great job
@@mollyesanborn CUAD are great. most known for their are mathy LP “Unfortunately We’re Not Robots” but their last LP in 05 is super slow and very emotional between the chaos
I literally would have but the same ranking 😁maybe only swap Axe to Fall with Blood Moon. I love these dudes, they have been such a Tour de Force in hardcore and extreme music and pour everything into their art. It took my a while to get used to Jake's vocals at first but they are so important to what makes Converge be Converge. Also, their art style and production is so distinct, they really have their own identity, sound and aesthetic in a way few bands can actually achieve. You cannot mistake them for anyone else. I like their gloomy, doomy epics but also their faster songs with punk energy. It's impossible to name a favourite song but their title tracks always seem to draw me in the most. Jane Doe, You Fail Me and All we Love We Leave Behind in particular!
Yes, well said! Really a unique band that you can tell just puts everything into each and every one of their albums. As much as their sound can change from one album to the next (I mean just compare Halo with Bloodmoon, quite different!) both are still so distinctly Converge.
Curl Up And Die are worth checking out. Once labeled “poor man’s CONVERGE” but actually prefer them if I had to choose. deep lyrically but spastic and crunchy hooks on every album
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to give them a listen!
Converge is such a good band. I agree with the placing of the top and bottom albums, I'd just rearrange some of the records in the middle. I definitely recommend Neurosis (Steve Von Till sings "Cruel Bloom"), Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Keep up the good work!! Your videos rule!!
I actually read that Cruel Bloom has a different vocalist on it, I realized that after filming this video haha. No wonder the vocals sounded different on that track! I'll totally have to check out those other bands you mentioned, I know a lot of people have been suggesting Dillinger Escape Plan.
Thoughts on The Poacher Diaries? Might be some of my favourite stuff Converge have done
I haven't heard that one yet! I need to check that out.
@@mollyesanborn They've just announced a remastered version coming out next month!
So uh, Jane Doe? Nearly perfect record. Nice to see the A+ If you were lucky enough to see them live touring for that record... HOLY shit. Just excellence across the board.
You Fail Me is a perfect album for me. Top 20 for sure
You Fail Me was my introduction to Converge. That album will always hold a special place in my heart.
Jane Doe is my favorite but the album with Chelsie Wolfe is amazing too, but great band with strong output....
Agreed, Bloodmoon I has a really well developed sound to it. Chelsea Wolfe and Converge really complement each other so well on that album.
@@mollyesanborn yes they do I'm a big fan of both.... So really pleased they collaborated with other for a supurb album....
I realized that have very similar band tastes! But we also have very similar song preferances and reasoning. that is cool :)
Nice! :D
Hey, Molly! Been watching your videos for a bit now and I’ve really enjoyed them. My recommendation is Down The Upside by Soundgarden if you haven’t already heard it
Thanks, I'll have to give that album a listen. I know that Soundgarden has been recommended by some others in the comments before. Glad you're enjoying the videos!
The way you talk about their songs "Wretched World", "Precipice", "All We Love We Leave Behind", "You Fail Me", and "Grim Heart/Black Rose" I'm not surprised you have Bloodmoon so high. Those songs listed are all their dark, moody, sludgey songs and that's what Bloodmoon is all about.
Absolutely, the dark and sludgy songs always seem to be the ones I gravitate toward from any band. Bloodmoon really embraces that sound so well!
@@mollyesanborn If you haven't you should check out the Converge songs "Clean" which is a cover of the Depeche Mode song, and "Disintegration" which is a cover of The Cure. Very much a similar style and Steve Brodsky who does Guitar/Backing vocals on Bloodmoon is also featured on "Disintegration".
Funnily enough i mentioned about converges latest track in a community post 4-ish months ago, think it was about a deftones cover.
Thaw is my favourite Converge song!!
Yes, such an amazing song!!
Hell yeah Converge rules.
Such a fantastic band!
I'd definitely like to see what you think about the band Cave In's discography since it's so varied, or if you haven't given them a listen, an album reaction of theirs.
No, I haven't heard anything from Cave In yet. I'll check them out!
I can mostly agree with this list, I'd just place You Fail Me & Axe to Fall above The Dusk in Us & Blood Moon. Converge has been one of my favorite bands for the last 2 years or so, because there is just almost no other band in metal and hardcore with an equally consistently great discography + Kurt Ballou basically produced 75% of the best metal records of the past 10 years or so.
you have good taste :)
I recommend checking out Botch if you like Converge.
We are the Romans & Anthology of dead ends are their best albums.
Good to know, I'll have to give them a listen. Thanks for the suggestion!
Rank the dvds on your shelf 😀
Ha, that would be fun!
Do you like The dillinger escape plan? Since we are talking about mathcore.
Nice ranking again totally unexpected. I really enjoy your channel
Never heard Dillinger Escape Plan actually, but they are on my list of bands to check out. Glad you liked the video! :)
Converge is one of my favorite bands (along with Cult of Luna & Katatonia).
Cool ranking, I only disagree with Petitioning ranked so low because it has "The Saddest Day" which is the best Converge's song. I think we all agree that Jane Doe is their best album but my personal favorite is Axe to Fall. This album has an interesting structure, 11 songs of pure madness and the last 2 are sludge and slow long songs.
As for Halo, I think of the compilation Caring and Killing as their first álbum and the complete version of this one but still their weakest. Also an honorable mention would be the split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed which is brilliant as well.
Best albums ever Jane Doe & AWLWLB 🤘
one suggestion that you may not get much is the ‘black parade by my chemical romance’, it is normally written off as a cringey emo album along with the rest of their discography but its actually not that emo, its more of a rock opra that is amazingly polished and all the tracks flow perfectly and make sense for the context of the album.
and if you want a louder based sound then try ‘three cheers for sweet revenge’ the concept is not as strong but it thrashes you with fast paced riffs and amazing singing not to mention the incredible instrumentation on both albums. anyways, both great reaction material but understood if you are too busy to get too it anytime soon. :)
Thanks for the album suggestions! I know My Chemical Romance has been mentioned by some others in the comments as well, so I'll definitely have to give their music a listen soon.
You know your stuff for sure, however I would put when forever came crashing as an A but maybe I'm looking at things with rose tinted glasses because it was the first converge album I listened to.
Recommend checking out Zao's latest album "The Crimson Corridor". The album is quite reminiscent of "The Dusk in Us"/"All we love we leave behind" sound that you seem to have a preference for, albeit with more of a sludgy, post-metal influence.
Ooh, it sounds like something I'd really like! Thanks for the suggestion :)
I've never really gotten around to listening to anything before Jane Doe. I like Converge but I have to be in the mood for them and I haven't been in a really long time. Probably why I haven't gotten around to listening to the new one yet. My tier would be:
Jane Doe
Axe to Fall
No Heroes
All We Love We Leave Behind
The Dusk in Us
You Fail Me
Nice list! Definitely check out Bloodmoon I whenever you find yourself back in a Converge mood, it's a really great album.
@@mollyesanborn I shall! Have you given Pig Destroyer a listen yet? I think you might like them considering how much you like Converge.
No, I haven't! I'll have to check them out.
If you like Converge & Slipknot, you’ll have to check out the album Errorzone by Vein!
I'll have to check that one out!
I'd really like to see you do album reviews of Chelsea Wolfe, and hear what you think of her discography
I'll definitely consider that, I really love her music.
@@mollyesanborn I subbed to your channel, I've seen many of your Deftones videos...Chelsea actually did a song with Chino, she loves Deftones
Is it Shadows & Light? I love that track! It balances out the really smooth and melodic verses with the punchy chorus that brings that wave of intensity.
@@mollyesanborn yes, that's it 👍🙂
An underrated quality of converge are the lyrics In particilar on albums like all we love we live behind. Its almost a shame that you can t really understand them when you listen for the forst few times but the manic screams are the perfect way to comunicate to the listener the extreme emotions of distress and lonliness. Give them a shot if you get the chance!
yes, yes, yes! Their lyricism really is amazing, as you said it definitely takes some extra listening to understand what is being said but the emotion is very palpable in their music.
Converge is amazing! I’d recommend Dillinger Escape Plan next
Yeah, they're on my list for sure!
Nice ranking. Personally I would have put You fail me on par with Jane Doe. This record is just pure madness with a nice melodic break with In her shadows.
Another recommendation if it hasn't been made before, not necessarily for a video but because it's a great album -- Adore by Numernorean
Yeah, I think someone else has suggested that one too! I'll have to give it a listen :)
How do you know about converge?... that's amazing!...are you from the hardcore scene?
I think it started with Wretched World, I stumbled on that song a while back through a TH-cam recommended video or something and was immediately hooked. That led me to Jane Doe, and then when they released Bloodmoon I with Chelsea Wolfe it really piqued my interest because I'm a big fan of Chelsea Wolfe's music. It was the album that really made me want to listen to their entire discography.
OMG...you replied!!!...😎
Ok... I'm an ex hardcore kid...I have bands for you to checkout for days!!!...the first one I'd recommend is Kylesa(exhausting fire)
Oh yeah...nice Core DVD...I love that movie...super underrated!
Thanks, I'll have to check out Kylesa (never heard of them before). And yeah, the Core is awesome, one of my favorite childhood movies for sure! Perhaps a bit over the top but it makes for a fun watch :)
10:42 beachy?
Please react to Ghost's first album
Also...Converge is one of the longest running hardcore bands to this day....
Personally prefer the pre-remastered version of specifically "The Lowest Common Denominator" for atmospherics :)
Ok... sitting here at work bored...so here's a little list for you...these are bands that were either controversial, super original, or just plain nasty!...
Cave-in(ex converge)
Candiria(death metal, hardcore, jazz, hip hop mixed)
108(Krishna core!, Chaotic groove)
Vision of Disorder
Bloodlet
Deadguy
Baroness
The acacia strain
Overcast
Coheeed and Cambria
Lagwagon
Jawbreaker
Strung Out
Pulley
Propaghandi
Clutch!
Days of the New
Nice, thanks for the list!
I hope in the future you'll get around
To reacting to Zeal & Ardor
They just drop their new album
And they just mix everything they can
Lo fi chill with metal, like what lol
Other songs are straight up metal
But man what an album
It honestly my favorite album from them
Also hoping for some twelve foot ninja
🤘
Nice, I'll have to check that one out. Lofi chill mixed with metal sounds like something I'd really enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@mollyesanborn that's just one of the songs BTW should been more clear on that one
But I feel like you'll like the album
Like Wikipedia puts it
"the band mixes African American spirituals with black metal"
Kurt Ballou of Converge mixed the album Stranger Fruit btw
My heart broke seeing petitioning fall into D lol
I've come across a few of these ranking reviews and have never seen No Heroes get such disrespect in them, where everywhere else more or less everyone admits the 4 album run of Jane Doe -> Axe Fall is 10/10 stuff.
No Heroes is very underrated
When she's actually not like other girls
You gotta listen to Hushed and Grim by Mastodon that is by far my favorite album of all its sooo good
I'm glad you appreciate 'Jane Doe' not my favourite, but I feel it is their magnum opus; too heavy to listen to regularly, but hard not to just go 'WOW!'. Curious in video you called the band 'heavy metal', but in the video description you call them 'metalcore'.
Good point, although it's my favorite Converge album I wouldn't say Jane Doe is my most played from them. I'd say AWLWLB probably wins that award, it's a bit lighter of an album for sure. And about the genre thing, I feel like Converge is hard to box into one genre, they certainly have a lot of styles! I said heavy metal in the video without really thinking, but later on Wikipedia it stated Converge as being a metalcore band so I put that in the description.
@@mollyesanborn 1. Yeah I feel the same way with 'You Fail Me'. Catchier and easier to listen to. 'Drop Out' has possibly the sickest breakdown I've ever heard.
2. I wasn't gate keeping; I didn't want to be That Guy© pointing out that they're metalcore and not metal. Metal fans in particular can be so freaking obnoxious. I feel that you listen to the music 'cold': just listen without reading up on the albums which is the way to do it. Keep up the good work! 👍
Wait- did she skip The Poacher Diaries?? I’m confused
That one is a split album with Agoraphobic Nosebleed. It's essential Converge, in my opinion.
I expected a shit show - sorry - but you're clever. I might not agree but boy are a true hero. Hope to support you in some way later this year, god bless.
I like your movie collection
Thanks! :)
Wretched World is one of my favorite converge songs and funny enough it’s basically not even their song it’s mostly members of the band Genghis Tron which are a underrated band other than their new album which kinda sucked
dude that song is fucking haunting.
i can´t listen to it that much, cause it brings something inside of me, that is really heavy and sad.
Thx 4recommend
if you love this type of noisy metal i reccommend you jam to suspended animations by fantomas. its very abstract and detailed
I'll have to add Suspended Animations to my list, thanks for the suggestion! And yeah, faith No More and Mr. Bungle are certainly bands I'm looking forward to hearing soon.
Saddest day is probably the best pre Jane Doe song they have, that and color me blood red
Both great tracks, I think The Saddest Day is my favorite from Petitioning The Empty Sky.
@@mollyesanborn You should check out The Dillinger Escape Plan. They’re in the same vein as Converge, but quite different too.
I can't believe you just started reviewing rock albums and then go straight to Converge
I got in to Converge when I was a teenager when I saw them on a Hellfest 2000 DVD that I got for free from a friend who worked at a music store
Next check out and rank the discography of Every Time I Die
Haha, I know! They're awesome though, I love all of the emotion that they bring to their music. It's somehow so extreme with its sound but there's a soft vulnerability they manage to convey as well. Now I'll have to give Every Time I Die a listen!
@@mollyesanborn If you react to ETID - be sure to have the lyrics handy - Keith Buckley's writing is genius
Halo In A Haystack is the only Converge "game changer" album. Period.
Ranking albums by a band out of their time context is worthless IMO. Of course the band is getting better, better sounding, better recording, in the process. Does that make a new record more important? Do Converge repeats its own gimmick since day one? What was Converge's primal scream? there you got it. The debut one is the one that matters. That idea you can repeat on most punk bands, unless they change style i.e. Neurosis : debut album, then (close) repeat and try and improve.
That's somehow dumb. I mean, who would rank Radioheads "primal scream" on 1?
I miss Caring and Killing...I think to believe its the first and best Album :)
I didn't include that one just because it's a compilation album but I'll definitely have to check it out!
Do a reaction to Miss Machine by Dillinger Escape Plan ; )
All their albums are great, but if I have to recommend just one for someone to listen too...Jane Doe.