A hardcore band usually doesn't invite its friends to sing a Tom Waits-style ballad, but that's exactly what Converge did on Axe to Fall. The Massachusetts metalcore pioneers turned their seventh album into a collective effort, a record where guest musicians from Cave In, Genghis Tron, and Neurosis helped shape the band's most progressive work yet. Converge released Axe to Fall on October 20, 2009.
Epitaph release and Ballou's ambition
Released in October 2009 on Epitaph Records, Axe to Fall arrived after Converge had spent years discussing the idea of a collaborative album. The band's guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou had long wanted to break from the trilogy he felt the previous three records formed. This time, he aimed to push the group's boundaries, and the presence of outside players was key to that shift.
The roots of the collaboration went back half a decade. Around 2004, Converge and Cave In had recorded a batch of songs they called the 'Verge In' sessions, but those tapes sat unreleased. When work on Axe to Fall began in earnest in late 2008, the band finally found a way to use that old material. Instrumental parts from Cave In's sessions became the backbone of 'Effigy', while 'Cruel Bloom' and 'Wretched World' also grew from those recordings.
Recording took place from May to July 2009 at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with Ballou producing. The album's artwork and booklet were handled by vocalist Jacob Bannon, who drew a separate illustration for each song. That visual detail mirrored the music's own variety: no single lyric theme tied the tracks together, as each song was meant to stand as its own story from Bannon's life since the previous album.
Guest turns and rejected songs
Not every idea made the cut. Bannon wrote several songs that were rejected because they were too slow and didn't fit the album's energy. Yet some slower moments did survive, like 'Damages' and the guest-heavy 'Wretched World'. On that track, Genghis Tron added melodic structure, while Brad Fickeisen of The Red Chord played drums. The most striking guest turn came from Steve Von Till of Neurosis, who sang lead on 'Cruel Bloom', a song reviewers compared to Tom Waits.
The band tested the new material early. In March 2009, during a short tour with Ceremony, Coliseum, Pulling Teeth, and Rise and Fall, Converge played some of the songs live for the first time. By August, 'Dark Horse' was available as a free download, and in September the title track followed. A week before the official release, the entire album streamed on the band's MySpace page.
The MetalSucks leak incident
Then came an unexpected twist. On October 4, 2009, a watermarked digital copy of Axe to Fall leaked online, pointing to a staff member at the metal site MetalSucks. Converge's response on Twitter was not anger but amusement: they thanked MetalSucks and told people to enjoy the record. The site apologized, saying the leak was unintentional. The incident only added to the album's buzz before its official release on October 20.
Converge's response on Twitter was not anger but amusement: they thanked MetalSucks and told people to enjoy the record.
The album's visual side matched its adventurous music. A video for the title track, directed by Craig Murray, was shot in Ronda, Spain, using stop-motion animation influenced by horror films. It featured people tied to a car and biomechanical creatures, all packed into one minute and forty seconds. The clip premiered on MTV2's Headbangers Ball in November 2009.
Axe to Fall reached number 74 on the Billboard 200, a solid showing for a band this uncompromising. The touring that followed was equally ambitious: a run with Mastodon and Dethklok, then a headlining tour with Coalesce, Harvey Milk, Gaza, Lewd Acts, and Black Breath. For the European leg, Converge released a limited 7-inch single, 'On My Shield'. The album proved that opening the door to friends didn't weaken the band's attack—it made it more dangerous.