Originally published in Verbicide issue #5

By the time this zine gets into the readers’ hands, I’m pretty sure there will be nothing left to say about the newest Converge record.  However, if you haven’t read the numerous raves about Jane Doe, here is another one: Converge absolutely blows every other hardcore and metal band out of the water.  They are, hands down, one of the most influential bands out there today (hence the bazillion Converge rip-off bands scattered across the northeast) and, honestly, I think they defy any description or definition.  It definitely takes a person with nerves of steel and an iron stomach to listen to the entire recording in one sitting, and I mean that in the nicest way — that’s just how intense they are.  The info sheet states that “Jane Doe is a 12-step conceptual journey into the deepest depths of loss, emotional depravity, and the gift of grief.”  My only complaint is that I just have to take their word for it, because the lyrics in the liner notes are very hard to read, and I like to be able to read lyrics.  Well, despite that, Converge have released a full-length gem.

(Equal Vision Records, PO Box 14, Hudson, NY 12534)