All We Love We Leave Behind

Writing and recording

On January 1, 2012, Converge announced that they had completed writing for the album. The following day, Kurt Ballou announced plans via his Facebook page to begin recording with the band in January 2012. The album was recorded and mixed at Kurt Ballou's GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. Unlike the band's last few albums, All We Love We Leave Behind did not feature collaborators. The album's sound has been described as "raw" and "live-sounding". The album was mastered by Alan Douches, noted for former contributions to Converge recordings as well as mastering for bands such as Death, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Japandroids. Former Give Up the Ghost drummer Alex Garcia-Rivera was brought in as a drum technician.

Release and promotion

All We Love We Leave Behind was first announced on August 28, 2012. On that same day, a Max Moore directed music video for the track "Aimless Arrow" was released. On October 3, 2012 the album was available to stream in its entirety on YouTube, a week before it's official release. On April 17, 2014, a second music video was released for the album, "Precipice / All We Love We Leave Behind", making it the first Converge album to have more than one music video. All We Love We Leave Behind was released through Epitaph Records on October 20, 2009, in digital and CD formats. The vinyl edition of the album was released through Jacob Bannon's own independent record label, Deathwish Inc. The deluxe edition came with three additional tracks: "On My Shield," which was originally released as a single; "Runaway," which was originally released on the Dropdead split; and "No Light Escapes," which was originally released on the Napalm Death split. All We Love We Leave Behind was first announced on August 28, 2012. On that same day, a music video for the track "Aimless Arrow" was released. The album was available to stream in its entirety on YouTube, a week before it's official release. The deluxe edition featured a hardcover 48-page book that included art drawn by vocalist Jacob Bannon. The band made an appearance at Los Angeles’ FYF Fest on September 1, 2012. Then after a short break the band began touring for support of the album on October 12, 2012 the band toured the US with Torche, Kvelertak, Nails and Whips/Chains.

Musical style and theme

Bannon said "All of our albums are emotional but I feel this is our most potent album to date," Bannon continues. "For me a songs like 'Predatory Glow' and ‘Empty on the Inside’ have a tone and resonance that communicates in a new way for our band," he adds, chalking up this ability to the fact that the group have become better songwriters by spending so much time on the road and in the studio perfecting their craft. "Success to me is creating something that's moving and fulfilling and I truly feel both of those things when I experience this album from start to finish".

Converge wanted All We Love We Leave Behind to sound more "organic" compared to their previous releases. This means there is no artificial distortion, triggers, or Auto-Tune on the album. Ballou explains, "it's all organic, it’s real sounds that capture the way the band performs live".

Lyrically Bannon approached All We Love We Leave Behind by once again writing about his own personal experiences, however there's no question that this time around his vocals are more direct and decipherable than they've been in the past. "This is a personal record and all of the songs tell their own stories", Bannon explains. "Every song is rooted in real life, documenting what I have experienced over the past few years". Correspondingly the title of the album is an apology letter to everything he has had to leave behind in order to pursue his path in art and music. Bannon explains that he feels like it's important to acknowledge these sacrifices in order to be "a self aware individual".

Critical reception

All We Love We Leave Behind was met with rave reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 88, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media gave the album a Best New Music designation, writing "There's never a dull moment across AWLWLB's 38 minutes. It's all peaks." Stosuy continued: "AWLWLB is an example of building on and mastering the music you loved when you were younger-- something that became more than music, ultimately-- so that it has a chance to grow old with you without becoming any less vital". Sputnikmusic also praised the album, writing "All We Love We Leave Behind is yet another successful achievement to add to Converge’s lauded canon. It lacks the novelty to reach the heights of some of its earliest predecessors, but it continues to drive nails into the coffins of competing hardcore/metal bands." David von Bader of Consequence of Sound called All We Love We Leave Behind "[..] yet another glowing example of how to make art out of aggression", while Tiny Mix Tapes described the album as one that "entices kinetic release in every possible way, irrational and otherwise, allowing unchecked ventilation as means for escape through a medium that has never sounded so engaging". The A.V. Club's Jason Heller wrote that while the album lacked cohesion in some spots, the album "solidifies Converge’s position as one of hardcore’s most progressive yet soulful stalwarts".

NME's John Calvert, on the other hand, was more mixed to the album, writing "[..] [B]y trading nonsensical time signatures and atonal bursts for fluidity and stadium rock, they’ve subtracted from their former wretchedness".

All We Love We Leave Behind was named the best album of 2012 by Decibel, while Pitchfork Media ranked the album #2 on its list of the 40 best metal albums of 2012. The album was also listed 40th on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2012. Metacritic ranked All We Love We Leave Behind at number 5 on its "25 best-reviewed albums of 2012" list and number 27 "critics pick the best albums of 2012" list.

Charts

It is their most commercially successful album to date, peaking number 70 on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jacob Bannon, all music composed by Converge.

Personnel

The following people contributed to All We Love We Leave Behind:

Converge

Recording personnel

Artwork and design