Converge "Petitioning the Empty Sky" CD
[Equal Vision]
In their astounding 15 years as a band, Converge has amassed one of the most confusing discographies in the history of mankind.  Demos, compilations, EP's, splits, limited edition rarities, and of course the collections and re-releases galore.  Adding to that massive catalog of work is this remixed and remastered edition of what I believe was their second full-length (I could be wrong, hell if I can keep track), originally released by Ferret Music in 1996, with a re-release on Equal Vision Records following in 1997.  Regardless, this record seems to be widely regarded as the "real" beginning for Converge.  That is to say that it is with this full-length that the band truly started to develop the immediately identifiable sound that they possess today.  After all, anyone who's heard any of Converge's early-90's material knows that within five years they had sonically reinvented themselves as an entirely different unit.  Admittedly I was not a fan of Converge when this record originally came out.  A few weak compilation tracks in the early-90's were enough to steer me the other way, so it wasn't until six to eight months after "When Forever Comes Crashing" came out that I started to take note.  Therefore, this is honestly the first time I've heard "Petitioning the Empty Sky" from start to finish.  The verdict?  It's an almost shockingly disjointed and inconsistent record.  Is that a bad thing?  No.  I probably would've really liked this if I had picked it up eight or nine years ago.  Are there weaknesses?  Sure, but listening to it with a fresh year so long after the fact makes it a pretty interesting experience.  Opener "The Saddest Day" is a seven-minute whopper that runs through some of the chunky midpaced dissonance, frantic and jarring chord progressions, and rugged Slayer riffs and leads that the band has continued to refine for years - all the while with Jacob Bannon's unmistakable screams, shrieks, and howls; thus making for one of the few tracks on the disc that has a pretty logical tie to where Converge rests today.  Some of the material also still retained a few hints at more traditional (metallic) hardcore chord progressions and breakdowns ("Forsaken"), with hints of the twisted singing the band has utilized more in recent times surfacing in the brief yet eerily melodic "Albatross", which is quite energetic and almost out of place for the band, and actually points to some of the most unexpected influences that populate a number of these tracks.  Just check out "Dead", another at times shockingly melodic piece complete with some harmonics and octave chords that would, dare I say, be fitting of your average contemporary emo/screamo band these days.  The same goes for the even more straightforward "Buried But Breathing", and I swear to god (figure of speech) I could easily argue that there are some pop-punk riffs blended into that shell of melodic hardcore!  And how about the awesome "Farewell Note to This City", which is a little longer and more developed dynamically around that same core!?  Since I never heard the original release in its entirety I can't speak to how well the sound has been improved, but this does sound pretty damn good considering its age, so they must've done something right.  The mix feels pretty balanced and for the most part things are clear despite a hint of muddiness in there, but you can only do so much with existing recordings, so the end result here is pretty beefy and effective for my money.  The drums are a little rigid but I think the guitar tone is nice, the vocals sound great, and you can hear the distorted bass pounding away in there as well.  Tacked on as a bonus are three live tracks recorded on WJUL in 1995, thus representing the band's more simplistic and chugga chugga styled direction at the time.  To my surprise the sound quality is quite listenable, and I have to say that I'm quite digging the moshiness this time around, so maybe a CD collection of all those early demos and compilation tracks would really hit home, too!?  Ha!  The last track is an alternate version of "Love as Arson" from "When Forever Comes Crashing", which is cool, but a little less curious than the live tracks for whatever reason.  There's also a CD-ROM video for "Forsaken" consisting of live footage from various performances set to studio audio, which is also a little less than interesting for what you'd expect from Converge standards.  The all new layout looks pretty nice and includes quality black and white band photos amidst the lyrics and brief liner notes.  The outer slip sleeve is more colorful and visually interesting than the booklet itself, but as expected it's all quality.  The lyrics can definitely be pretty harsh.  Probably blunter than the band's current state of affairs, but certainly no less emotionally wrenching: "As long as I dream some things will always be.  Gun in my mouth.  I pray for the sunshine.  Gun in my mouth.  I pray for the sunshine."  I'd say this actually stands the test of time pretty damn well overall.  Some of the chaotic metalcore stuff was pretty typical even at the time of its original release, which was always one of the things that sort of turned me off from the band back then (even if they were among the leaders of the pack with that whole approach), and I do find the other influences to be the highlights of this particular release... but it's really interesting to look back on this and realize how wide ranging the band's influences were.  They were definitely still coming into their own with this one, but it does hold up today, and the way they've handled the reissue and the bonus cuts is definitely admirable. (8/10)
Running time - 47:32, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Albatross, Dead, Buried But Breathing, Farewell Note to This City, Antithesis (live)]
Equal Vision Records - http://www.equalvision.com

This review has been displayed 6203 times.