Converge: Love Is Not Enough

 

"The only thing more powerful than hate is love." That was the phrase Bad Bunny launched into the world from the Super Bowl stage just a few days ago. A powerful message, or perhaps just words. But Converge, with nearly four decades of existence and a career built on the courage to experiment, responds with something harder to hear: love is not enough if there is no action, no courage, and no fight.

That's what their new album says. Love Is Not Enough was ironically released the day before Valentine's Day, the first one the band has recorded alone in nearly a decade, since their previous work was a collaboration with singer Chelsea Wolfe. And in just over 30 minutes, Converge makes it clear that they are back and in full command of their art.

This is a return to essence. No unnecessary experiments, no fat. Pure muscle. An album that should be seriously considered among the best this group has created since their beginnings, once again traversing the worlds of metalcore and mathcore with an intensity that few artists have the courage to wield.

The opening is superb and extreme. The title track is a whirlwind from the very first second, with Jacob Bannon's brutal vocals taking us from total catharsis to primal screams, bathed in guitars that refuse to sound predictable. Kurt Ballou delivers work as brutal as it is emotional, as powerful as it is transcendent.

Bad Faith hits hard. A wall of impenetrable guitars and a rhythmic section that gives no quarter for even an instant. And just when you think the band has already come out at full gallop from the start, Distract and Divide arrives, a direct message about the current state of the world and a musically devastating exercise, with a bass that at times recalls Lightning Bolt with its mind blowing speed.

The band operates impeccably track after track, unleashing surprising ideas in a constant cascade. To Feel Something is anguishing in the best possible sense. Amon Amok is monumental: the band allows itself an elegance in execution, even if just for a couple of minutes, in a slow but powerfully advancing track that is undoubtedly one of the album's highest points.

But the hardcore identity surfaces almost immediately with Force Meets Presence, a leap into the void that makes it clear this isn't just about manifesting. It's about acting. Another surprise comes with Gilded Cage, slow and heavy at the start, with colossal bass and drums, and guitars that gradually push the listener to the limit. Fury and power turned into music of the highest caliber.

The album ends quickly, but it leaves a deep mark. There isn't a single weak or unfocused track on all of Love Is Not Enough. Make Me Forget You is wonderful, and the finale arrives with We Were Never the Same, a gem the band saves for the grand closing. Total devastation. A track that will surely leave many wishing the album had been longer. Converge makes it clear that love is not enough and that, in their world, less is always more.