Converge / Napalm Death

Napalm Death are no strangers to hardcore split seven-inches, having shared wax previously with S.O.B., Electro Hippies, Nasum, & Coalesce. I admit indifference to their latest full-length (Utilitarian) being of the minority opinion that it is one of N.D.'s weakest albums. As for cohorts Converge, they came to hardcore popularity around the time I was leaving the scene. I've investigated their discography somewhat but nothing they've released has struck me as particularly exciting. We'll see how this seven-inch shakes out.

Converge open up with fifty-seconds of pulsating hardcore. "No Light Escapes" is a violent pulpy mash of driving beats and coalescing guitar mayhem that unfortunately doesn't come together. The opening terror is sweet, especially with the underlying leads, but the half-time surf-rock interlude just fails as an idea. The finish comes out of nowhere. Jacob Bannon's vocals are ordinary, unequal to the menace hinted at in his music. As for their cover of "Wolverine Blues," it's pale. Not as burly or heavy or threatening or loose-limbed as the original. They tighten up the riff too much. The drums don't swing as hard. It's like they took a needle, stuck it into the original, and sterilized it. As for the cavalcade of guest vocalists, they're a distraction at best. Not one of them touches LGP's visciously unhinged snarl.

The Napalm side, suffice to say, is better. But I still don't dig it. "Will By Mouth" has a very familiar riff. Can't quite pinpoint it but I know Napalm's used it somewhere before. This self-cannibalization has become a problem for them recently. Otherwise the blasting, shrieking ninety-second march of this tune is acceptable if generally uninspired. There's no sense of having not heard this before. "No Impediment to Triumph (Bhopal)" is better. I dig the crusty off-time riffs, the scattered drum patterns, and general noise-rock atmosphere. Way more unique and interesting, it held my attention repeatedly. Once they start thrashing away with the double-bass, you feel refreshed and excited. A good track that's hurt by mitigating factors. The first one is Barney's voice: tight, airless, lacking power, it has aged poorly. Compare this painful constriction to the deep, throaty, powerful roars of Order Of The Leech to hear the damage a decade can do. Another problem is the production. I realize they're going for a lo-fi, old-school four track demo-ish sound but this attempt has rendered them paper thin, almost brittle. Between this split and their last two records, I feel like Napalm has passed their resurgent second prime.

"Will By Mouth"/"No Impediment to Triumph (Bhopal):" 56%
"No Light Escapes"/"Wolverine Blues (Entombed cover):" 45%
Total: 50.5% (rounded up)