Converge

Let's get this straight right off the bat: All We Love We Leave Behind is not Jane Doe. It's not You Fail Me, nor No Heroes. It's not even Converge's last album, Axe to Fall. And this is specifically because they don't want it to be. While the group could choose to emulate their past, to rest on their laurels would mean certain death for this act of 23 years. And if constant evolution has worked that long, why change the (lack of a) formula? Granted, their newest masterpiece certainly touches upon all their previous work ― the fastest moments of Axe to Fall are played against the sludgier, stranger moments of You Fail Me, while the sheer unrelenting metallic ferocity of No Heroes is never far off. All of this is tied together by a memorability the band hasn't touched since Jane Doe and despite matured songwriting preventing appearances of the unhinged chaos of the band's pre-'00s material, equally poignant, though more controlled, forays into sonic pandemonium explode throughout. But somehow it's more. "Coral Blue" contains one of the strongest hooks the band have ever crafted, while in complete contrast, "Trespasses" is straight crushing, in the way a bulldozer is ― no subtlety or beating around the bush. In a world contested by none, Converge have managed to once again best their only competition: themselves. With an album as engrossing as All We Love We Leave Behind, the question isn't whether you'll fall in, it's how long it will take you to crawl out, or if you'll even want to.