Converge

Converge are a four-piece band based out of Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the rudiments of the metalcore genre. Converge's influences range from hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Negative Approach, The Accused and Born Against; metal bands like Black Sabbath, Godflesh, Slayer, and Entombed; and proto-metalcore bands Starkweather and Rorschach. The group's musical style consists of complex guitar work and off-time polyrhythmic drumming, which leads some to classify them as mathcore, which is best exemplified on their album Jane Doe. There is much debate over where exactly Converge fall, genre-wise, due to their wide musical range, breaking of conventional boundaries, and willingness to try and push in new directions. Converge themselves eschew classification into hardcore or metal, the genres they are closest to, and simply define their music as "aggressive music". However at a 2004 live performance, lead singer Jacob Bannon responded to a fan's comment, stating "We don't play metal; we're a fu*king hardcore band."