Okay, I seem to be monopolizing the Converge and Deathwish related posts here on Heavy Blog (wait for the Code Orange review by Ryan coming shortly!) but I am always going to jump at the chance to share anything to do with this lovely, lovely band. The band recently released an isolated version of the majority of the drum tracks from their 2006 masterpiece You Fail Me. If you are a musician or someone who simply cannot get enough of the hardcore acts unique brand of ferocity then this is something you need to hear. Get it after the hop, skip and jump.
Ben Koller may be one of the most unsung drum heroes of metal and hardcore and this insight into the multi-faceted stick work of this percussion god goes a long way towards proving that. There is so much going on throughout You Fail Me that the drums could easily be overlooked or ignored. His driving beats and ridiculous battery of toms and cymbal snaps push the songs forward in such a way that it is hard to imagine tracks like ‘First Light’ or ‘Heartless’ having quite the same impact were any other drummer to have been behind the kit. The scratch guitar track that accompanies them is rough and ready which casts a light on the recording process of what is still one of my favorite albums some eight years on. Listen and cry because you know you are not this talented.
-MM