Search - Converge :: You Fail Me

(Metal) album of the year

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 09/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anybody who knows anything (which, regrettably, seems to be an increasingly minute percentage of the population) 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. Sure, they don't make it a point to beat you over the head with their feelings like some lame emo band, but you can still feel the emotion in every note of the vocals and music here. And although they typically shift tempo every ten seconds or so, the songs on this album are still imbued with a combination of epic sweep and righteous grooves that's almost impossible to find anywhere. Indeed, no band working right now combines aggression, musicality, and technicality as well as Converge: not Meshuggah, not the Dillinger Escape Plan, not Mastodon, nobody (of course, this is not to say the aforementioned

bands don't rule, only that Converge do so in their own distinctive manner). After all, you've got to respect a band that can follow the bludgeoning doom of "You Fail Me" with the atmospheric acoustic tune "In Her Shadow," and then jump right back into the fray with the warp-speed thrash of "Eagles

Become Vultures."



So, yeah. This album rules all creation, and must be added to your collection immediately. Since Meshuggah's "I" is a really long song rather than an actual album, "You Fail Me" has jumped into the front-runner's spot for my coveted "Album of the year" designation. This CD is sure to offend normal, well-adjusted people everywhere, which in and of itself is sufficient to make it a classic."

One of the Best Heavy Albums Ever Recorded

Chase Landers | Seattle, WA | 05/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First and foremost: Converge are not an accessible band. I had and hated their previous relase, Jane Doe, for two years before I was once again encouraged to listen to it by a friend. Even for veterans of hardcore/grind/thrash/death/doom/metal, Converge takes more than a few listens to get into. So, if these flowery reviews have inspired you to purchase this album, I would strongly encourage you to be patient, and to listen carefully to what you're hearing.



This album is tremendous. Converge have once again managed to stay ten steps ahead of the current hardcore and metal trends, which were in many ways started by them in the first place. This is my favorite Converge album, and has remained my favorite heavy album of all time since its release. It has the furious pace of all their previous work, as well as the awesome dirge of Doe; so fans of both elements are sure to be pleased. Guitarist Kurt Ballou has traded in the blurring, needly riffs for a chunkier, lower, chord-based heaviness (although the high end riffage is still present and lovely) in the wake of the departure of former Converge guitarist Aaron Dalbec, but you'll never miss them. Bassist Nate Newton carries on in much the same fashion as Doe, accenting the wonderful riffs and rhythms with a low, scratchy, abrasive tone that is one of the best I've heard in years - his work on the title track is absolutely incredible. Vocalist Jacob Bannon continues to deliver his trademark panther shriek, this time with a little less distortion, but still every bit as intense and energetic as Jane Doe and all previous releases. But the member who stands out most this time around is definitely Ben Koller on the drums. In every single song on the entire album, with the exception of In Her Shadow, Ben destroys his entire kit in the most beautiful way you will ever hear.



This entire album is top knotch, but there are a few parts that I think deserve special attention, especially if you aren't all that into Converge in the first place:



The entirety of Blackcloud. The drum progression during the verse parts will drop your jaw, and the many time changes in the breakdown will make you never want to play the drums again. If you think you're good at drums, never listen to this song.



The stampede breakdown of Dropout. One of the best moments on the album, and the coolest, most original breakdown on the cd.



Heartless. This song has several short buildups in it, but you'll want to rewind the final one over and over and over. Seriously incredible.



You Fail Me. This is the best sludge Converge has done. Jake's delivery in the first three words ("YOU FAIL ME") is sure to summon shivers from the deepest part of your spine. Listen carefully to this song. Every few measures something changes: either a new layer is added or an existing part is tweaked, and it just gets better and better. At the end of the song, you can hear Jake whispering "thinking we fail you, you fail yourself" under the yells and screams of Kurt and Nate. Epic.



These are just subtle moments of the cd that I think are often overlooked by listeners; the rest of the cd is brilliant too. All these pretty reviews aren't just bullshit. This album is ridiculous in the best way possible. Go buy it!"

Converge doesn't fail me! (lame joke, I know)

MaratsBathing | NY | 05/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to imagine a Converge album that is an outright disappointment. Even at their worst, they rock a million times harder than your average metalcore band. A lot of people claim that You Fail Me is a disappointing follow-up to their masterpiece, Jane Doe, but I personally couldn't disagree more. You Fail Me stands on its own as a fine addition to the Converge canon.



"First Light," a short, Godspeed You Black Emperor!-esque instrumental opener, and "Last Light," are a fantastic one-two punch to open You Fail Me. "Last Light" has a positively colossal sound and a great sense of dynamics. Jacob Bannon begins the song in an oddly conventional sounding yell until the breakdown kicks in and he revitalizes his trademark venom-spewing shriek. Goosebumps every time. The next four tracks are all great Converge cuts with the chaos, speed, and volume cranked up to 11. It's at the title track where You Fail Me begins to take a noticeably different turn.



"You Fail Me" is a sinister dirge set at an excruciatingly (in a good way) slow pace. It runs for over five minutes (not at all weird for Converge considering Jane Doe's title track broke 11) and the atmosphere is completely suffocating. "In Her Shadow" is the other "ballad" on You Fail Me, and features acoustic guitar, piano, and Bannon at his creepiest. Despite the aforementioned instrumental elements, the track is not weak at all, but rather is highly effective due to its entirely unsettling tone and slowly building (but never really climaxing) structure. "In Her Shadow" stretches for over six minutes, and along with the title track make up a third of You Fail Me's running time. The tracks may seem like fish out of water, but I think their irregularity makes the album all the more dynamic.



The album's last four tracks aren't as strong as the first two-thirds of the record, but still round out You Fail Me nicely. Sure, it's technically flawed and not as brilliant as Jane Doe (if you don't own that, buy it IMMEDIATELY), but You Fail Me is still an amazing effort and yet another testament to the greatness of Converge. Scrap your Atreyu and Bleeding Through records and get hip to the real deal, punks.

"