Converge - You Fail Me [LP]

Tracklist
First Light 1:02
Last Light 3:34
Black Cloud 2:19
Drop Out 2:32
Hope Street 1:07
Heartless 2:28
You Fail Me 5:37
In Her Shadow 6:26
Eagles Become Vultures 2:10
Death King 2:08
In Her Blood 4:07
Hanging Moon 2:04

Every body knows Converge are on the short list of the world's finest heavy bands, and this latest release should only solidify their already lofty reputation. While slightly less brilliant than its predecessor Jane Doe, You Fail Me is an effortless continuation of this band's signature metal/hardcore/noisecore sound. With bands like Candiria, the Dillinger Escape Plan, and Neurosis unveiling some pretty radical makeovers on their recent new releases, Converge have instead done an admirable job of sticking with what they're good at without running in

place, a difficult achievement indeed. Just in case anyone needed another reminder of how terrible all the legions of nu-metal clones are, this one should suffice pretty well.

First of all, just in case anyone doubted it, You Fail Me proves once and for all that Converge are virtually flawless in terms of pure skill. Although his voice does take on a slightly milder intonation every now and then, Jacob Bannon's demented shriek still easily places him among the best vocalists in all of heavy music. Kurt Ballou does the work of two or three people on guitar, churning out an unpredictable, ever-shifting assault of churning riffs and screeching noises. Top marks for this album, though, would have to go to Ben Koller, whose drumming is both relentlessly maniacal and surgically precise. Just listen to him hit about 5,000 times in three minutes on Last Light and you should have a pretty good idea what I mean.

What really elevates these guys above the plain, though, is the

craftsmanship and sheer emotion they put into their music