Converge

Converge were formed in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1990 by vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou; bassist Jeff Feinberg and drummer Damon Bellorado soon completed the early line-up. Second guitarist Aaron Dalbec joined in 1994, the year the band released their debut album, Halo in a Haystack.

The late 1990s brought a run of line-up changes. Feinberg left in 1997 and was briefly replaced by Stephen Brodsky, before Nate Newton took over on bass in 1998. Bellorado departed in 1999 and, after a short stint by Jon DiGiorgio, Ben Koller became the band’s drummer. In between, Converge released When Forever Comes Crashing (1998) through Equal Vision Records.

Jane Doe, released by Equal Vision on 4 September 2001, was the first Converge album with Newton and Koller; much of it was recorded at Q Division Studios with engineer Matthew Ellard. Dalbec left the band shortly before its release and was not replaced, leaving Converge as a four-piece. The band then signed to Epitaph Records, which released You Fail Me (2004), No Heroes (2006), Axe to Fall (2009) and All We Love We Leave Behind (2012). Bannon also co-runs the label Deathwish Inc., which has co-released the band’s later records.

After a five-year gap, Converge returned on 3 November 2017 with The Dusk in Us, issued by Epitaph and Deathwish and recorded at Ballou’s GodCity Studio in Salem.

In 2026 the band released two new studio albums within four months. Love Is Not Enough was announced in November 2025 and came out on 13 February 2026 through Deathwish and Epitaph; like The Dusk in Us, it was recorded and mixed by Ballou at GodCity. It was followed on 5 June 2026 by Hum of Hurt, again recorded at GodCity and released by the same two labels. The line-up of Bannon, Ballou, Newton and Koller has remained unchanged since 2001.

Current line-up: Jacob Bannon (vocals), Kurt Ballou (guitar), Nate Newton (bass, vocals), Ben Koller (drums)