One of the biggest albums of 2017 for sure has to be The Dusk In Us, Converge’s first album since 2012’s All We Love We Leave Behind. 2017 finds Converge to be much more of a punk rock band than in years past and just as pissed off as ever. The band also incorporates much more noise rock into their repertoire than memory serves.
“A Single Tear” flies through the gate with a fervor and raw punk energy to make Epitaph head man Brett Gurewitz blush. “Under Duress” and “Trigger” are songs that stand out due to their pacing and is reminiscent of the amazing album put out earlier this year by noise pioneers Unsane on their own amazing album Sterilize. Overall the songs have a slow pace and let the guitars do their own work, which at times is awfully subtle. However, on repeated listens it hits harder and harder.
On the other side of the coin there is “Arkhipov Calm,” which is anything but. This is a song that is their staple metalcore that they helped put on the map. In the middle of all this chaos the title track is an ambient dirge into Jacob Bannon’s consciousness, and at over 7 minutes long is one of the longest songs Converge have ever recorded. The Dusk In Us is more varied affair than most Converge albums.
As is the usual for this prolific institution, Converge’s new album has been ballyhooed since a few tracks were put out over the summer. In a time where seemingly everybody is pissed off about the overall direction of society, a new Converge album was sorely needed. Thankfully The Dusk In Us is an album fitting of the band’s massive repertoire and stature.
(released November 3, 2017 on Epitaph Records)
