Converge is an American metalcore band formed by vocalist and artist Jacob Bannon and guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990. While recording their landmark fourth album Jane Doe in 2001, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. The members have also been involved in various side-projects and collaborations, including the bands Supermachiner (Bannon), Old Man Gloom (Newton), and Mutoid Man (Koller). With their extremely aggressive and boundary-pushing sound, rooted in hardcore and heavy metal, they are pioneers of metalcore and its subgenre mathcore.
Kurt Ballou is an American musician and record producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.
Ben Koller is an American drummer who has played with Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14.
Board Up the House is the second full-length album by the experimental metal band Genghis Tron. The album was recorded and mixed at Godcity Studio from August 29 to September 21, 2007, in Salem, Massachusetts, by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. It was mastered at New Alliance East by Nick Zampiello. The album was released on February 19, 2008, by Relapse Records on CD and on March 25 by Lovepump United on vinyl.
The Armed are an anonymous American hardcore punk musical collective, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. Although no official members of the group are known for absolute certain, the collective has been represented in the media by advertising creative and director Tony Wolski – formerly known as Adam Vallely. The project often features guest collaborators on their releases, which have included musicians such as Chris Pennie, Nick Yacyshyn, Ben Koller, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Urian Hackney. Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou has also been involved in the recording and production of most of their releases.
Axe to Fall is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 20, 2009, by Epitaph Records. It is the band's most collaborative album, featuring a number of guest musicians, including members of Cave In and Genghis Tron and Steve Von Till of Neurosis, who performs lead vocals on the slow, Tom Waits-esque track "Cruel Bloom". The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.
Venerable is the fourth studio album by Canadian noise rock band KEN mode, released on 15 March 2011 through Profound Lore on compact disc and Init Records on vinyl. Venerable won in the Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year category at the 2012 Juno Awards.
All We Love We Leave Behind is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 9, 2012, via Epitaph Records. The album did not feature any guest collaborators, unlike the band's previous album Axe to Fall. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon.
Meir is the second studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Kvelertak. It was released on 25 March 2013 via Sony Music Scandinavia in Scandinavia, Roadrunner Records in the rest of the world, and by Indie Recordings on vinyl. The album was produced by Kurt Ballou.
Mutoid Man is an American heavy metal band formed in 2012 in Brooklyn, New York City by Cave In vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky, Converge drummer Ben Koller and bassist Nick Cageao. They have released two EPs and three studio albums to date. AllMusic described their sound as metalcore but noted that it engages not just with hardcore punk and heavy metal but also rock and roll, math rock, progressive rock, and psychedelic music. Pitchfork celebrated their debut album Bleeder for "[embracing] both numbskull hard rock and cerebral progressive metal, at a time when the two approaches have become almost mutually exclusive in heavy music."
Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician, best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Genius.
Nails is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California. The group was formed in 2009 by frontman Todd Jones, formerly the guitarist of Terror, along with bassist John Gianelli and drummer Taylor Young of Disgrace. They released their debut EP Obscene Humanity in 2009, followed by the studio albums Unsilent Death (2010), Abandon All Life (2013) and You Will Never Be One of Us (2016), and a split EP with Full of Hell. Nails have achieved widespread notoriety and critical acclaim for their savage and intense sound.
Crossover Ministry is the third studio album by American crossover thrash band Iron Reagan, released in 2017 by Relapse Records. As with previous entries, many of its lyrics contain social and political commentary, with the title track, "Megachurch", and "Dogsnotgods" in particular targeting organized religion.
Ritual is the sixth studio album by American rock band In This Moment, released on July 21, 2017, by Atlantic Records and Roadrunner Records. This marks the band's fifth release collaborating with producer Kevin Churko.
The Dusk in Us is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on November 3, 2017, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc, and is the band's first studio album in five years since 2012's All We Love We Leave Behind. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon.
War Moans is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Mutoid Man, released on June 20, 2017 through Sargent House.
Weeping Choir is the seventh studio album by the American grindcore band Full of Hell. The album was released on May 17, 2019 and serves as the band's debut release through Relapse Records. Weeping Choir was engineered by Kurt Ballou of Converge, who previously produced Full of Hell's 2017 studio album Trumpeting Ecstasy.
Dream Weapon is the third studio album by American experimental metal band Genghis Tron, released on March 26, 2021. The album is the band's first studio album since 2008's Board Up the House and the first with vocalist Tony Wolski and drummer Nick Yacyshyn, marking the first time the band has ever used a drummer.
Fluid Existential Inversions is the sixth studio album by American progressive metal band Intronaut. It was released February 28, 2020, through Metal Blade, their first release through the label and since leaving Century Media.
Bloodmoon: I is the tenth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, and a collaboration album with Chelsea Wolfe. It was released on November 19, 2021, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc, the band's first studio album in four years since 2017's The Dusk in Us. Converge's longtime collaborator Stephen Brodsky and Wolfe's longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm also contributed. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon. It was met with universal critical acclaim, receiving an average score of 89 based on 10 reviews aggregated by Metacritic.
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