Release Date: 5th June 2026
Label: Deathwish / Epitaph
Deciding there was still plenty left to say following their return to the studio this year, metalcore royalty and certified cult classics Converge threw fans a curveball back in April with the announcement of the surprise album Hum of Hurt. This follow up to Februarys critically acclaimed Love Is Not Enough came with little forewarning, but when you give over thirty years to creating art, it’s no surprise that the writing process would offer up a wealth of material to work with.
Whilst remaining as volatile as it’s come to be expected from the musings of Jacob Bannon (vocals), Hum of Hurt stands as a distinct addition to their earlier release rather than as an additional sequel. Birthed with the spirit of a noise rock album in mind, this record ends up leaning more towards emotional hardcore in terms of melodic output. With its own individual identity exploring “the culmination of all the pain in the world”, in an attempt to conceptualise the real-world phenomenon known as ‘The Hum’, these ten tracks offer yet another bleak assessment of the human condition.
Sprinting out of the gates with mastodonian chugs and frenzied drum fills is our album opener ‘Slip the Noose’. This short and intense introduction to the group’s twelfth full length is classic Converge, squeezing out as much aggression as they can in less than two minutes.
Next up is lead single ‘Doom in Bloom’. With a much more melodic approach to the vocal duties, and a swaggering guitar line tying the rhythmic spikes together is a welcome venture into near groove metal territory, that stands almost reminiscent of ‘Worms Will Feed / Rats Will Feast’ off of 2009’s Axe to Fall.
‘It’s Not Up to Us’ plays out like a panic attack, supercharged with abrasively hypnotising mathcore elements and foundation rattling rhythms, while ‘Dream Debris’ gives a chance to catch your breath with a six minute long cavernous slow burn that ditches all the frills for some straight forward head banging fodder.
The album even finds room for a tactical instrumental that could have very easily been left on the cutting room floor. ‘It Used to Matter’ is gloomily sparse and resonant, focusing on cymbal splashes and a single looping guitar melody before leading into title track ‘Hum of Hurt’. A stampeding Goliath of a single, that feels like a chosen nod back to fan favourite ‘Dark Horse’. Drummer Ben Koller’s double kick is relentless throughout, galloping without respite towards the decadently brooding closer ‘Nothing is Over’, of which finds the band riffing in unison to curtain call.
Crafted to perfection in Kurt Ballou’s (guitars) studio God City, Hum of Hurt stands to be the seismic event that interrupts the very heartbeat highlighted within the album’s stylised EKG artwork. Unforgivingly raw and intensely true to their vision, Converge continue to set their own standard high.
FFO: Botch / Full of Hell / Every Time I Die
Recommended Track: Doom in Bloom