Knockdown Center

Converge is an American metalcore band formed by vocalist and artist Jacob Bannon and guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1990. While recording their landmark fourth album Jane Doe in 2001, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. The members have also been involved in various side-projects and collaborations, including the bands Supermachiner (Bannon), Old Man Gloom (Newton), and Mutoid Man (Koller). With their extremely aggressive and boundary-pushing sound, rooted in hardcore and heavy metal, they are pioneers of metalcore and its subgenre mathcore. Converge rose to prominence with Jane Doe, which was ranked the best album of 2001 by Terrorizer, the best album of the decade by Sputnikmusic, and later the 61st-best metal album of all time by Rolling Stone. After, they moved from Equal Vision Records to the larger label Epitaph Records, and their record production became more elaborate and expensive. Special releases are often handled by Deathwish Inc., established by Bannon in 1999.