Heavy Song of the Week: Converge Deliver Vicious Statement of Intent on “Love Is Not Enough”

Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, we highlight Converge’s “Love Is Not Enough.”

Converge returned with their first non-collaborative track in four years this week, and it’s a statement of intent from the metalcore veterans — a raw and real document of the band laying down a vicious take in the studio. No gimmicks, no studio shortcuts.

“I think that realism is missing from a lot of modern music of any genre, but especially our genre,” said singer Jacob Bannon in the song’s press release. “Things either go super raw and almost chaotic to the point where it’s distracting, or bands take the life out of what they’re doing by editing every aspect. Sometimes the perfect take is the one that has some wildness to it.”

Metalcore is pretty flooded at the moment, and it’s a genre that has begun to favor a clean and digitized production aesthetic — particularly among the more prog-oriented purveyors of the style. It’s also a genre that requires serious chops, so a track like “Love Is Not Enough” is incredibly refreshing in that it presents pure musicianship of an almost athletic degree, getting to the core of what makes extreme music — whether it’s death metal or metalcore (this track might lean closer to the former) — so captivating in the first place.

Honorable Mentions:

Bad Omens – “Left for Good”
Bad Omens get a little gothy on “Left for Good,” continuing a string of singles that’s resulted in chart success for the L.A. group. There has been a decisive pop inflection to these songs, which comes through during the melodic flourishes in the chorus here, no doubt expanding Bad Omens’ mainstream appeal. The musical backbone remains heavy, but the band is wary to let the soundstage breathe, giving maximum emphasis to Noah Sebastian’s croon.

Jay Weinberg – “Sandstone (feat. George Clarke)”

Jay Weinberg lays into a thick, Nirvana-style groove on his debut single “Sandstone.” Of course, there’s plenty of propulsive skin pounding from the veteran drummer, who also plays guitar and bass. Vocally, Deafheaven’s George Clarke provides his talent, enhancing the song while also lending quite a bit of artistic credibility to Weinberg’s maiden solo voyage. Meanwhile, an EP is in the works with other vocalists collaborating with the former Slipknot stickman.

Worm – “Necropalace”

Extreme metal act Worm have inked a new deal with Century Media for their newly announced album Necropalace, and the band marked the occasion with the unveiling of the LP’s 11-minute title track. The sprawling piece successfully continues Worm’s tradition of being unclassifiable in regards to whether they’re black metal or death metal or neoclassical symphonic, though the modifiers technical and progressive could certainly apply to whatever you want to call this tapestry of sonic madness. Worm have many similar lengthy works to their name, as they clearly have an affinity for this ambitious brand of metal songcraft.