2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Converge’s astounding album, Jane Doe. This was the bands first album with bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, as well as the bands first with guitarist Kurt Ballou behind the board. This album not only put Converge on the map it was a commercial breakthrough and received immediate acclaim, with critics praising its poetic lyrics, dynamics, ferocity and production. Through the years this album has gone on to inspire and influence countless bands. The intensity on this album is often copied but you can’t match the original. The title track on the album is quite interesting. Singer Jacob Bannon stated in an interview that many of the songs on Jane Doe came from the side project Supermachiner. That project was claimed to inspire Jane Doe‘s experimental side.The title track “Jane Doe” as well as “Phoenix in Flight” were initially intended for the Supermachiner album Rise of the Great Machine. I personally remember hearing this album for the first time. A friend recommended I check it out. At first I wasn’t too into it but, I opened up the booklet, put on some headphones listened again and read the lyrics as the album played and it all made sense. This album is an absolute modern masterpiece. The title track is epic and ahead of its time! Converge is a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.
Converge- Jane Doe:
Lyrics:
These floods of you are unforgiving
Pushing past me spilling through the banks
And I fall Faster than light and faster than time
That’s how memory works
At least in the dark where I’m searching for meaning
When I’m just searching for something I want out
Out of every awkward day
Out of every tongue tied loss I want out
Out of the burdening night sweats
Out of the rising seas of blood
Lost in you like Saturday nights
Searching the streets with bedroom eyes
Just dying to be saved
Run on girl
Run on
Over the years, Converge has established themselves as an influential and underrated band. Musically, they are powerful and enigmatic. Vocally and lyrically they are passionate and ferocious. The entire package of the band is approached with a “take no prisoners” type of attitude and it shows in every album they’ve released. Converge are also one of the few bands that seem to get better and better as time goes on just like a fine wine. Recently, Converge released two new songs to wet the appetite of their fans and those two songs are full of what you’d want from Converge. So, with all that in mind here is a ranking of their albums from not their best to the best.
audioeclectica 