| Rise of the Great Machine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 28, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1994–2000 | |||
| Studio | GodCity, Salem, Massachusetts | |||
| Length | 60:33 | |||
| Label | Undecided | |||
| Producer | Kurt Ballou | |||
| Supermachiner chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Scene Point Blank |   [1] |
| Stereo Killer | 4/5 [2] |
Rise of the Great Machine is the debut and only studio album by the project Supermachiner. It was released on November 28, 2000, through Undecided Records. [3] The album features artwork created by Jacob Bannon.
"In 1994, we started experimenting with this and people [in Boston] would be like what the hell are you doing? We were trying to get really simple, powerful songwriting down, crafting a more experimental, minimalist kind of writing, and it was just a unique approach at the time."
Writing for the album began in 1994 and soon after became a collection of four track recordings, however the project remained inactive for a number of years. When Converge had about six months of down time as the band searched for a drummer, Jacob Bannon and Ryan Parker found the time to resurrect the project. They entered GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou in the winter of 1999, to take on the piles of old four track tapes they had. During the sessions, Ballou contributed a great deal to the album material both as an engineer and musician. [5] [6]
Bannon stated in an interview that many of the songs off Converge's Jane Doe came from Supermachiner, the project was claimed to inspire Jane Doe's experimental side. [4] The songs "Jane Doe" and "Phoenix in Flight" were initially intended for the Supermachiner but Bannon thought "it made sense for Converge to play them." [4]
Rise of the Great Machine was released on compact disc by Undecided Records in the summer of 2000. [7] [8] [9] A 2xLP version was scheduled to be co-released by Undecided Records and Temperance Records in late 2000, but after continuous delays it was ultimately cancelled. [10] [11] In 2005, Undecided Records repressed the compact disc edition with a slightly updated layout.
In 2004, Icarus Records, a subsidiary of Bannon's Deathwish, Inc. record label, hand-made 50 copies of Rise of the Great Machine on compact disc. [12] The release was sold exclusively at Converge's merch table during their You Fail Me 2K4 Tour (promoting You Fail Me ) in September and October 2004. [13]
The album was reissued in 2008 by French record label E-Vinyl on a double LP, limited to 1000 copies. [14]
| Rust | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | March 16, 2009 | |||
| Studio | GodCity, Salem, Massachusetts | |||
| Length | 114:44 60:33 (disc 1) 54:11 (disc 2) | |||
| Label | Deathwish | |||
| Producer | Kurt Ballou | |||
| Supermachiner chronology | ||||
| ||||
Eight years after the release of Rise of the Great Machine, Deathwish Inc. announced the release of Rust, a 30 track double CD that featured remastered versions of the Rise of the Great Machine tracks along with b-sides of forgotten songs and additional audio experiments done by the band. [15] Rust was released on March 16, 2009. [16]
The music was much different than Bannon's band Converge, having more in common with influences Swans, Bauhaus, and others. [5] [6] The lyrical content is built around the rise of technology and the death of the individual. [17]
All lyrics are written by Jacob Bannon; all music is composed by Supermachiner
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rise of the Great Machine" | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Flight of Vultures" | 0:44 |
| 3. | "I Am Legend" | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Declaration One" | 2:12 |
| 5. | "Above You" | 1:11 |
| 6. | "The War We'll Never Win" | 2:58 |
| 7. | "Vicious Circles" | 1:04 |
| 8. | "By the Roadside" | 6:01 |
| 9. | "I Am Oblivion" | 2:08 |
| 10. | "Treading in the Wake of It All" | 5:15 |
| 11. | "Below You" | 4:03 |
| 12. | "Bitter Cold" | 6:33 |
| 13. | "A New Day" | 1:06 |
| 14. | "A New Loss" | 3:18 |
| 15. | "Fireflies Light the Way" | 4:40 |
| 16. | "Remember My Name" | 4:37 |
| 17. | "A New Precipice Before Us" | 1:18 |
| 18. | "Declaration Two" | 4:11 |
| 19. | "Reign of the Great Machine" | 2:12 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Hearts Degrade / We Rust" | 4:19 |
| 21. | "Pick Up the Pieces (Driven Version)" | 4:52 |
| 22. | "Diamond Bullet" | 8:29 |
| 23. | "Declaration (Disrupted Version)" | 2:56 |
| 24. | "Slow Is the Pace of Burden" | 7:23 |
| 25. | "Grant Me To the Strength" | 5:02 |
| 26. | "Our Ground Is Sour" | 2:31 |
| 27. | "Memoriale Rituum" | 2:30 |
| 28. | "Avalanche" | 4:36 |
| 29. | "Pick Up the Pieces (Broken Version)" | 4:47 |
| 30. | "End of the Line" | 6:46 |
Supermachiner
Additional musicians
Production and recording
Artwork
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.
Deathwish Inc. is an American independent record label conceived by Jacob Bannon of Converge and Tre McCarthy in 2000. Their first release was Deeper the Wound, a split album between Converge and Japanese band Hellchild on April 23, 2001. Deathwish established itself quickly, working with a diverse group of bands and eventually becoming one of the most respected and innovative labels in contemporary hardcore punk and aggressive music in general.
You Fail Me is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 21, 2004 by Epitaph Records. The band's first release for the label, it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou, with the artwork created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.
Petitioning the Empty Sky is the second studio album by American metalcore band Converge. However, contrary to many sources, the band considers this a compilation album, being a collection of songs recorded at different times. While tracklists differ between releases, this album features studio recorded tracks along with live recordings of three songs. Petitioning the Empty Sky was released and distributed through several different labels beginning in the mid 90s.
When Forever Comes Crashing is the third studio album by American metalcore band Converge, on April 14, 1998, through Equal Vision Records.
Jane Doe is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 4, 2001 by Equal Vision Records. The album was produced by Matthew Ellard alongside guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was designed by lead vocalist Jacob Bannon. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, and the last to feature guitarist Aaron Dalbec; Converge's line-up has remained stable since.
The Poacher Diaries is a split album released by the bands Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Converge in 1999. It was remastered by Scott Hull in 2006 and re-released by Relapse Records.
Witness is the second album released by Iowa hardcore quintet Modern Life Is War, released in 2005 via Deathwish Inc. This is the last M.L.I.W. album to feature Chris Honeck on bass and Matt Hoffman on guitar, as both members would leave the band after the album's release. The album cover was created by Converge singer J. Bannon, and features an image of Main Street, Marshalltown - the city in Iowa where the band members are from - taken in 1896.
Supermachiner was an experimental music project that Jacob Bannon and Ryan Parker began writing for in 1994 and soon became a collection of four track recordings. When Converge had about six months of down time as the band searched for a drummer, Bannon and Parker found the time to resurrect that project. Bannon and Parker named the project "Supermachiner", a play on the term "Supermachinder" the compound word for Japanese giant robot toys from the 1970s. The music was very different from Converge's, having more in common with influences Swans, Bauhaus, and others.
Unloved and Weeded Out is a compilation by American metalcore band Converge, released on January 28, 2003, through Deathwish Inc.
Deeper the Wound is a split album between American band Converge and Japanese band Hellchild. The album was released through Deathwish Inc. in America on April 23, 2001. Deeper the Wound was also the first album released through Deathwish. It was later released by Bastardize Records in Japan in 2006. The album features one new track from each artist, one cover song from each artist, and a few live versions of previously released tracks. The new track "Thaw" was later re-recorded and released on Converge's 2001 album, Jane Doe.
Jacob Bannon is an American musician who is the vocalist, lyricist and graphic artist for the metalcore band Converge. He is the co-founder and owner of the record label Deathwish Inc. and the author of many visual works for independent punk rock and heavy metal musicians. Bannon has also composed and performed experimental music as Supermachiner with Ryan Parker and more recently as Wear Your Wounds.
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.
"On My Shield" is a single released by American metalcore band Converge. It was originally made available during the band's European tour in July 2010. The single was self-released by the band, though it was distributed by Converge's labels, Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc. The physical release does not contain a label catalog number, however Deathwish lists the single as CONCULT01. The song was recorded and produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou at his own GodCity studio between the band's 2010 US and European tours in support of Axe to Fall.
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.
WYW is the debut studio album released by Jacob Bannon. It was released on April 7, 2017 through Deathwish Inc. WYW has multiple guest musicians such as Kurt Ballou, Mike McKenzie, Chris Maggio, and Sean Martin.
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.
Beautiful Ruin is an EP by American metalcore band Converge. it was released on June 29, 2018, via Epitaph and Deathwish. It consists of four tracks that were recorded during the sessions for The Dusk in Us. It was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and features artwork created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon.
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.