ALBUM REVIEW: Love Is Not Enough – Converge
2021’s Bloodmoon: I, the collaborative effort alongside gothic songstress CHELSEA WOLFE was considered a triumph on all accounts by CONVERGE‘s fiercely loyal fanbase, but as admired as it was, it did not contain the feverish anarchy which has brought them such acclaim. Almost a decade has passed since 2017’s The Dusk in Us, so the announcement of their eleventh full-length effort, Love Is Not Enough, making its arrival this year, left many a palate salivating. Available now via Epitaph Records, the iconic quartet have returned with an earth-shattering bang.
Love Is Not Enough begins in brutish fashion. Frenetic instrumentation and grisly vocal sequences merge in unhinged synchronicity. Bad Faith sustains the onslaught with hefty riffing leading the charge. Abrasive heaviness meets dark lyrical narratives in a head-on collision. Distract and Divide is somehow more explosive and chaotic than its predecessors. Frenzied drumming sends your eyes spinning into the back of your skull.
To Feel Something provides little respite from the elements. Formidable intensity and harrowing vocal bursts of “I just wanted to feel something” surge down your ear canals like a tidal wave. Beyond Repair offers up a haunting instrumental interlude that tees up the menacing hooks of Amon Amok. Whilst not as maniacally paced as its counterparts, the seismic stomping and gritty grooves are equally as alluring. Force Meets Presence adopts a similar bludgeoning mentality before delving into a swift thrash-like assault.
Gilded Cage builds a tense, gripping soundscape with chunky bass lines and impassioned vocal flows. Rasps of “Past is behind us, future defines us” are delivered with searing aggression. Stirring melodic swathes perfectly accompany the vicious undertones. Make Me Forget You ups the ante with dynamic layering, emphatic rhythmic segments, and evocative riff patterns. The addition of another emotive vocal performance courtesy of the enigmatic Jacob Bannon sends shivers down your spine. We Were Never the Same asks the poignant question, “Why do we all gather to mourn yet not to cherish?” amidst a volley of boisterous musicianship, concluding this impressive outing in determined fashion.
CONVERGE have proven time and time again why they are one of the most essential collectives to ever emerge in the field of metalcore, and this instalment is no different. Love Is Not Enough provides an incendiary spike in adrenaline from front to back, exhibiting all the vigour and passion of a band half their age. The remarkably consistent outfit succeed once again with one of the most blisteringly potent releases you’ll hear in 2026.
Rating: 9/10
Love Is Not Enough is out now via Epitaph Records.
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