Converge drummer Ben Koller has offered an update on the metalcore heroes’ upcoming album, comparing it to bands as far-flung as punks Fugazi, prog rockers The Mars Volta and death metal outfit Entombed.
Koller made the comparison on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday (May 5), where he also said Converge’s 11th record “could be our best album yet”.
“There is A LOT of new [Converge] material,” Koller wrote.
“I feel like I’m at Old Country metalcore Buffet and all the foods are RIFFS.”
He added in a reply: “It’s all over the place.
“We have crowdkilling, Fugazi, Mars Volta, Entombed, mathcore madness, slow Nate riffs where I play too fast, shitty riffs, emo riffs… This could be our best album yet no joke.
“We should proably [sic] ditch the shitty riffs though”
Koller continued to hype up the new album in a response to a fan, who asked what the music will sound like in comparison to Converge’s 2006 album No Heroes.
“Hard to say what the finished product will be but I will say that this feels like the most evolved, natural and fully realized bunch of material we have ever written,” the drummer answered.
“It’s tough to try and compare it to other albums. No Heroes feels like another lifetime at this point.”
Koller teased in an Instagram post last year that Converge’s next album, the followup to 2021 Chelsea Wolfe collaboration Bloodmoon: I, contains the heaviest riff the band have ever composed.
“Converge may have just written the heaviest riff of our career,” he put.
“Bunch of new songs in the slow cooker. Smelling real good so far.”
Guitarist Kurt Ballou told The New Scene in 2023 that he was unsure of the timeframe for new Converge music.
However, the album will likely be produced by Ballou at his studio God City in Salem, Massachusetts, which the band have used since their 1998 record When Forever Comes Crashing.
Chelsea Wolfe recently told Metal Hammer that Converge are working on a sequel to the Bloodmoon: I album.
“I’m not positive if I’ll be part of it, but there are plans to make Bloodmoon 2… I just don’t know when,” the gothic solo artist said.
Converge have a handful of tour dates booked for 2024. See below for details.
It's all over the place. We have crowdkilling, Fugazi, Mars Volta, Entombed, mathcore madness, slow Nate riffs where I play too fast, shitty riffs, emo riffs...This could be our best album yet no joke. We should proably ditch the shitty riffs thoughMay 5, 2024
Hard to say what the finished product will be but I will say that this feels like the most evolved, natural and fully realized bunch of material we have ever written. It's tough to try and compare it to other albums. No Heroes feels like another lifetime at this point.May 5, 2024
Converge 2024 tour dates:
Jul 31: Brasov Rockstadt Extreme Fest, Romania
Aug 01: Budapest Dürer Kert, Hungary
Aug 02: Munich Free & Easy Festival, Germany
Aug 03: Düdingen Bad Bonn, Switzerland
Aug 04: Saint-Maurice-De-Gourdans Sylak Open Air, France
Sep 21: Worcester New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, MA
Nov 02: Mexico City Foro Veintiocho, Mexico
Nov 03: San José Casa Rohas, Costa Rica
Nov 05: Bogotá Zona 16, Colombia
Nov 07: Santiago Blondie, Chile
Nov 09: Abasto Uniclub, Argentina
Nov 10: São Paulo Cine Joia, Brazil
