All We Love We Leave Behind

All We Love We Leave Behind is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 9, 2012, via Epitaph Records. The album did not feature any guest collaborators, unlike the band's previous album Axe to Fall. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon.

All We Love We Leave Behind
Studio album by
Converge
ReleasedOctober 9, 2012 (2012-10-09)
RecordedFebruary 2012
StudioGodCity, Salem, Massachusetts
Genre
Length38:32
LabelEpitaph
ProducerKurt Ballou
Converge chronology
Axe to Fall
(2009)		 All We Love We Leave Behind
(2012)		 Thousands of Miles Between Us
(2015)

All We Love We Leave Behind peaked at number 70 on Billboard 200 chart in the United States,[6] it was the band's most commercially successful record until their next album, The Dusk in Us reached number 60 on the same chart in 2017.

Writing and recording

On January 1, 2012, Converge announced that they had completed writing for the album.[7] The following day, Kurt Ballou announced plans via his Facebook page to begin recording with the band in January 2012. The album was recorded and mixed at Kurt Ballou's GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts.[8] Unlike the band's last few albums, All We Love We Leave Behind did not feature collaborators. The album's sound has been described as "raw" and "live-sounding". The album was mastered by Alan Douches, noted for former contributions to Converge recordings as well as mastering for bands such as Death, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Japandroids.[9] Former Give Up the Ghost drummer Alex Garcia-Rivera was brought in as a drum technician.[9]

Release and promotion

All We Love We Leave Behind was first announced on August 28, 2012. On that same day, a Max Moore directed music video for the track "Aimless Arrow" was released.[10] On October 3, 2012, the album was available to stream in its entirety on YouTube, a week before its official release.[11] On April 17, 2014, a second music video was released for the album, "Precipice / All We Love We Leave Behind", making it the first Converge album to have more than one music video. All We Love We Leave Behind was released through Epitaph Records on October 9, 2012, in digital and CD formats. The vinyl edition of the album was released through Jacob Bannon's own independent record label, Deathwish Inc.[12] The deluxe edition came with three additional tracks: "On My Shield," which was originally released as a single; "Runaway," which was originally released on the Dropdead split; and "No Light Escapes," which was originally released on the Napalm Death split.[12] The album was available to stream in its entirety on YouTube, a week before its official release.[11] The deluxe edition featured a hardcover 48-page book that included art drawn by vocalist Jacob Bannon.[13] The band made an appearance at Los Angeles’ FYF Fest on September 1, 2012. Then after a short break the band began touring for support of the album on October 12, 2012, the band toured the US with Torche, Kvelertak, Nails and Whips/Chains.[14]

Musical style and themes

Bannon said "All of our albums are emotional but I feel this is our most potent album to date," Bannon continues. "For me songs like 'Predatory Glow' and ‘Empty on the Inside’ have a tone and resonance that communicates in a new way for our band," he adds, chalking up this ability to the fact that the group have become better songwriters by spending so much time on the road and in the studio perfecting their craft. "Success to me is creating something that's moving and fulfilling and I truly feel both of those things when I experience this album from start to finish".[15]

Converge wanted All We Love We Leave Behind to sound more "organic" compared to their previous releases. This means there is no artificial distortion, triggers, or Auto-Tune on the album. Ballou explains, "it's all organic, it’s real sounds that capture the way the band performs live".[15]

Lyrically, Bannon approached All We Love We Leave Behind by once again writing about his own personal experiences, however there's no question that this time around his vocals are more direct and decipherable than they've been in the past. "This is a personal record and all of the songs tell their own stories", Bannon explains. "Every song is rooted in real life, documenting what I have experienced over the past few years". Correspondingly the title of the album is an apology letter to everything he has had to leave behind to pursue his path in art and music. Bannon explains that he feels like it's important to acknowledge these sacrifices to be "a self aware individual".[15] The album's title track is about the death of Bannon's longtime dog, whom he regretted not spending more time with because of his busy touring.[16]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[17]
Metacritic88/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
The A.V. ClubB+[20]
Chicago Tribune[21]
Consequence of Sound[22]
Kerrang![23]
Loudwire[24]
NME6/10[25]
Pitchfork8.6/10[3]
Q[26]
Spin8/10[27]

All We Love We Leave Behind was met with rave reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 88, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media gave the album a Best New Music designation, writing "There's never a dull moment across AWLWLB's 38 minutes. It's all peaks." Stosuy continued: "AWLWLB is an example of building on and mastering the music you loved when you were younger-- something that became more than music, ultimately-- so that it has a chance to grow old with you without becoming any less vital". Sputnikmusic also praised the album, writing "All We Love We Leave Behind is yet another successful achievement to add to Converge’s lauded canon. It lacks the novelty to reach the heights of some of its earliest predecessors, but it continues to drive nails into the coffins of competing hardcore/metal bands."[28] David von Bader of Consequence of Sound called All We Love We Leave Behind "[..] yet another glowing example of how to make art out of aggression", while Tiny Mix Tapes described the album as one that "entices kinetic release in every possible way, irrational and otherwise, allowing unchecked ventilation as means for escape through a medium that has never sounded so engaging".[29] The A.V. Club's Jason Heller wrote that while the album lacked cohesion in some spots, the album "solidifies Converge’s position as one of hardcore’s most progressive yet soulful stalwarts".

NME's John Calvert, on the other hand, was more mixed to the album, writing "[...] [B]y trading nonsensical time signatures and atonal bursts for fluidity and stadium rock, they’ve subtracted from their former wretchedness".

All We Love We Leave Behind was named the best album of 2012 by Decibel, while Pitchfork Media ranked the album No. 2 on its list of the 40 best metal albums of 2012.[30][31] The album was also listed 40th on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2012.[32] Metacritic ranked All We Love We Leave Behind at number 5 on its "25 best-reviewed albums of 2012" list[33] and number 27 "critics pick the best albums of 2012" list.[34]

Charts

It peaked at number 70 on the Billboard 200, which was the band's highest chart performance until The Dusk in Us was released in 2017.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jacob Bannon, all music composed by Converge.[35]

No.TitleLength
1."Aimless Arrow"2:23
2."Trespasses"2:43
3."Tender Abuse"1:25
4."Sadness Comes Home"3:12
5."Empty on the Inside"2:29
6."Sparrow's Fall"1:27
7."Glacial Pace"4:25
8."Vicious Muse"1:52
9."Veins and Veils"2:32
10."Coral Blue"4:48
11."Shame in the Way"1:57
12."Precipice"1:47
13."All We Love We Leave Behind"4:07
14."Predatory Glow"3:25
Total length:38:32
Deluxe edition[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Aimless Arrow"2:23
2."Trespasses"2:43
3."Tender Abuse"1:25
4."Sadness Comes Home"3:12
5."Empty on the Inside"2:29
6."Sparrow's Fall"1:27
7."Glacial Pace"4:25
8."No Light Escapes" (bonus track)0:51
9."Vicious Muse"1:52
10."Veins and Veils"2:32
11."Coral Blue"4:48
12."Shame in the Way"1:57
13."On My Shield" (bonus track)4:14
14."Precipice"1:47
15."All We Love We Leave Behind"4:07
16."Runaway" (bonus track)2:03
17."Predatory Glow"3:25
Total length:45:40

Personnel

The following people contributed to All We Love We Leave Behind:[9]

Converge

Recording personnel

Artwork and design

  • Jacob Bannon – artwork, design and illustrations

Chart performance
Chart Peak
position
Japanese Albums Chart[36] 126
UK Albums Chart[37] 186
US Billboard 200[38] 70
US Billboard Independent Albums[38] 16
US Billboard Hard Rock Albums

[39]

 9
US Billboard Rock Albums[38] 32
US Billboard Tastemakers Albums[38] 13

References
  1. "Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 23, 2016. As far as thematic intent and sonic structures are concerned, the band continues to integrate a rich tapestry of hardcore punk, metal, and mathcore
  2. Leak, Brian (October 3, 2012). "Stream Converge's 'All We Love We Leave Behind' LP In Full". Prefix Magazine. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  3. Stosuy, Brandon (October 12, 2012). "Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  4. McCallum, Andy (October 25, 2012). "All We Love We Leave Behind". Tone Deaf. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  5. Welton, Ben (December 17, 2012). "Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind". In Your Speakers. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017. From start to finish, All We Love We Leave Behind is a blistering, frenetic record oscillating between bone-crushing heaviness and the noise rock grindcore – the hallmark of Converge's catalog.
  6. "Converge – Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  7. "Converge Finishing Up Writing New Album | Theprp.com – Metal And Hardcore News Plus Reviews And More". Theprp.com. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  8. Epitaph Press Release: Converge "All We Love We Leave Behind" out Oct 9th Archived 2012-12-21 at the Wayback Machine. convergecult.com. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  9. All We Love We Leave Behind – Converge: Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  10. Ramirez, Carlos (August 28, 2012). "Converge Unveil New Video, Release Date and Cover Art for New Album". Noisecreep. AOL. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  11. EpitaphRecords (2012-10-03), Converge – 'All We Love We Leave Behind' (Album Stream), retrieved 2016-08-21
  12. Adams, Gregory (August 28, 2012). "Converge Detail 'All We Love We Leave Behind,' Premiere New Video". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  13. Stosuy, Brandon. Converge Share Album Info, New Song/Video, Tour. Pitchfork Media. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  14. "Converge Announce Fall 2012 U.S. Tour With Torche, Kvelertak + More". Loudwire. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  15. "Deathwish Estore: Converge "All We Love We Leave Behind" CD". store.deathwishinc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  16. "Time's Arrow". Pitchfork. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  17. "All We Love We Leave Behind by Converge reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  18. "Reviews for All We Love We Leave Behind by Converge". Metacritic. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  19. Monger, James Christopher. "All We Love We Leave Behind – Converge". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  20. Heller, Jason (October 9, 2012). "Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  21. Kot, Greg (October 15, 2012). "Album review: Converge, 'All We Love We Leave Behind'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  22. Von Bader, David (October 11, 2012). "Album Review: Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  23. "Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind". Kerrang!: 53. October 6, 2012.
  24. Hartmann, Graham (October 9, 2012). "Converge, 'All We Love We Leave Behind' – Album Review". Loudwire. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  25. Calvert, John (October 5, 2012). "Converge – 'All We Love We Leave Behind'". NME. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  26. "Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind". Q (317): 109. December 2012.
  27. Grow, Kory (October 9, 2012). "Converge, 'All We Love We Leave Behind' (Epitaph)". Spin. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  28. "Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind". Sputnikmusic. October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  29. Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  30. Decibel‘s Top 40 Albums Of 2012. Stereogum. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  31. Stosuy, Brandon. The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2012. Pitchfork Media. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  32. "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". Stereogum. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  33. Dietz, Jason (December 21, 2012). "The Best Albums of 2012". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  34. Dietz, Jason (December 30, 2012). "2012 Music Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  35. All We Love We Leave Behind (CD booklet). Converge. Los Angeles, California: Epitaph Records. 2012. 86827–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. "コンヴァージのアルバム売上ランキング". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  37. "Zobbel 2012" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  38. "All We Love We Leave Behind – Converge". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  39. "Converge Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved 2017-11-10.
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