Converge
Biography
Converge is an American metalcore band formed in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1990. The group consists of vocalist Jacob Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. Drawing on hardcore punk, metal and experimental noise, their music moves between fast, dissonant passages and slower, more spacious arrangements.
Their debut album, Halo in a Haystack, appeared in 1994. Petitioning the Empty Sky began as a four-song EP in 1996 before being expanded into a longer release, and When Forever Comes Crashing followed in 1998. Newton joined in 1998 and Koller in 1999; both made their first full-length studio recordings with the band on Jane Doe (2001).
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Bannon drew on the breakdown of a relationship for Jane Doe’s lyrics and accompanying artwork. The album was recorded with two guitarists, Ballou and Aaron Dalbec, but Dalbec departed shortly before its release. Converge continued with the four-piece lineup that has remained together since.
You Fail Me (2004) began the band’s partnership with Epitaph Records. It was followed by No Heroes (2006), Axe to Fall (2009), All We Love We Leave Behind (2012) and The Dusk in Us (2017).
The members’ work beyond performing is closely connected to the band. Ballou has recorded and mixed many Converge releases at his GodCity Studio in Salem, while Bannon creates their visual artwork. Bannon also co-founded Deathwish Inc. with Tre McCarthy in 2000; the label has released Converge recordings alongside the band’s work with Epitaph.
For Bloodmoon: I (2021), the group expanded to seven musicians with Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm and former Converge bassist Stephen Brodsky. The recording grew out of live collaborations that began in 2016.
Converge released two albums in 2026: Love Is Not Enough on February 13 and Hum of Hurt on June 5. They developed from the same period of writing but took different directions. Bannon described Love Is Not Enough as more metal-oriented and Hum of Hurt as leaning toward emotional hardcore. Both were recorded and mixed by Ballou at GodCity.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.