Converge - No Heroes

Tue 14th Nov, 2006 in Music Reviews

From the very beginning, Converge’s No Heroes is a confronting and polemic album. From the initial silence, the listener is quickly greeted by a collection of aggressive and strange sounds. The shrieks and squeals are only the start though, as the band delivers an album crowded with violent and unpredictable percussion and riffless guitar lines, capped off by vocals that sit somewhere between growling, spitting and shrieking. Deliberately mixed in with the instruments rather than in front of them, the vocals become one more layer of sound, equally important as any other. Time signatures are barely considered where they have not been dismissed outright, with the rhythm section, guitar and vocals all seeming to do their own thing, yet still managing to remain coherent as a band.

Track distinctions seem almost arbitrary, as Converge seem reluctant to employ anything approaching song structure as we know it. Instead, they offer a collection of rapidly-changing percussion rhythms with apparently free-form guitar and vocal arrangements. This uncommon approach to song-writing creates an animalistic sense to Converge’s sound, a primal feeling of uncontained fury that is expressed through the barely-relenting intensity and sudden shifts in tone.

Converge’s startling and often disconcerting sound is thrown into sharp relief by the first half of the track grim heart/black rose, where the near-incomprehensible vocals and challenging absence of traditional rhythms are replaced by a more conventional rhythmic structure and melodic vocals. It should be noted, though, that grim heart can only be called conventional in comparison to the preceding tracks; any song that brings to mind Tool’s Sober would still be considered unusual by many.

No matter what comes after, No Heroes will always be a challenging album, one that divides listeners into distinct groups of love and hate. It is safe to say that many people would fall into the latter category, struggling to even reconcile their idea of music with the chaotic blasts of sound that emanate from the speakers.

Conversely, there will be those that love it for the same reasons, because it is unpredictable and bestial.

For everyone but the most intense fans of hardcore punk and metal, No Heroes will probably sound like a mess at the first listen. This is to be expected, with such utter disregard for conventional ideas of what constitutes music, and for structural components like rhythm and the like. After a few spins in the CD player, though, something new will appear, as No Heroes begins to come clear. Those who are willing to invest the time will reap the rewards.