This collaborative piece builds an exciting foundation for an new direction with those involved, but not without occasional missteps.
Given Converge has been largely silent since 2018’s Beautiful Ruin EP, this return comes with great fanfare. Their last full-length The Dusk In Us dropped with critical acclaim in 2017, and the band could do no wrong over the past twenty-some years. However, their upcoming release, Bloodmoon: I, diverges from their classic sound.
“We wanted to do something grander than the typical four-piece Converge music,” says vocalist Jacob Bannon. What does “grander” look like to a band that is the absolute peak of the metalcore genre? Add gothic and folk heroine Chelsea Wolfe to the equation. Ben Chisholm and Cave In‘s Steve Brodsky also are featured, making this release a true supergroup experience.
Recorded in large part remotely, Bloodmoon: I retains that sense of distance amongst its styles at times. The blend fails to come across as naturally as one might expect in some moments, but the excellence each brings to the table remains vividly underneath it all.
Blood moon ascends in the night
Cosmic unblinking eye
Gazing through flesh and bone
Into the glow of our souls
The opening, title track showcases what the listener has in store for the album at large. At its best, Wolfe is seamlessly interwoven into the Converge-gone-gothic routine, with a veritable wall of sound to envelop the stage. This interplay comes alive most strongly towards the end of the track, with the classic chaos we come to expect from Converge and Wolfe playing along to sound almost demented in her wails. Loud and punishing, but also layered and complex, the track provides a lens into the possibilities its creators are capable of.
The album’s third track, “Coil”, pulls off the combination excellently from its intro, which shows Bannon and Wolfe trading vocal lines and harmonizing to great effect. We’re treated to some of the album’s finest performances from both parties. The whole track acts as one massive crescendo, progressing and getting louder after each subsequent section. In this case, the collaboration fires on all cylinders, and potentially the highlight of the album overall.
Sign of the sacred song
Slithering sweetly
Odd with intention
This coil furls on and on
Significantly, the single selection heavily leans towards the front half of the album. Across the near hour-long runtime, not all tracks meet the bar they’ve set. “Tongues Playing Dead” in particular sounds like a solid Converge song on its own right, but doesn’t add much to the album. Contrasted to “Lord of Liars”, the very next one, which features Wolfe in a prominent role and is stronger for it.
The album works best with the new players as major contributor and performers on a given track. If relegated to a background or supporting role, then it’s a formula for disappointment. We already know Converge can do more melodic music effectively, and we’re well aware Chelsea Wolfe can hold her own in heavier segments. When the album feels overly segmented, like here’s this artist, here’s that artist, it fails to maximize its own potential and comes across as more awkward than expected. Thankfully though, these moments are the album’s minority, in spite of the weight of incredibly lofty expectations for its contributors. “Failure Forever”, for example, has Brodsky‘s fingerprints all over it, and shines as the much-teased “Verge-In” sound. Even better, all parties seem to contribute heavily to “Daimon”, the anchor of the album’s second half.
Ultimately, the talent level remains unquestionable. At its core, this album features well-constructed songs, staggering textures and built-up progressive passages. With more actual studio time, I would expect this kind of collaboration to bear healthier fruit, and if there’s a Bloodmoon: II, we already have a solid launch point. For now, Bloodmoon: I will take some time to deconstruct.
8.5/10