Convergence - "One" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 172nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and continuing our impressively long backlog of new album releases this year, we are looking at local progressive metal duo Convergence's debut EP "One" on this snowy Halloween! Backdated with a December 20th, 2022 release date on Bandcamp, the album proper seemed to initially go live on their (now-deleted) Wix website in June 2023, when the former Kraken Mara announced their name change. While this is Convergence's first paid EP release, they did post two EPs named "Press Start" & "Game Over" on their website under their original name in 2021, but neither was buyable despite appearances, and "One" is comprised of final versions of 5/8ths of the songs from them. The EP has seen tweaks to the songs over time, and even briefly had a sixth song ("The Ebb") appended to it, but it was moved to their "Dead & Dreaming" single.

The two permanent members of Convergence are ex-Late & Loud guitarist Brendan Christie and his brother-in-law Jake Valois (who specifically plays bass is not credited), with programmed drums on most songs. Guest musicians include Kelowna, B.C.-based drummer Cliff Aubut (from the band Stasis) on "The Woodward" & "Moon's Haunted", and former State of Misery/Valentine's Day Massacre singer Steve Errington-Rhodes (now of Prosector) on the opening track. With their Wix site down, you can now exclusively buy "One" on Bandcamp for $5 and stream it for free there as well (upon release, it initially cost $9.99). With five tracks running for about 25 minutes, let's begin this EP review!

"One" begins with "Stratus", which begins with Steve screaming overtop some strong progressive metal instrumentation, and while it's been over a decade since we last saw him on a local stage, it is very cool to hear his deathcore stylings again, which have grown so much! Convergence don't stick to a traditional song structure here, with it jumping from djent-laden metal to softer passages multiple times, but we get some strong soloing and a nice technicality, and Brendan & Jake have a strong chemistry throughout! I am admittedly more used to the instrumental version of this song, but it comes through very nicely with Steve's intensely diverse vocals, and hopefully they work with him again! Track #2 is "The Woodward", which is the EP's longest song. Electronic beeping leads into a slow drum intro from Cliff (you can tell that these are real drums) as the band proper builds things steadily in heaviness and aggression.

While not as heavy at its peak as "Stratus", it does have more of a techno influence via that intro beeping recurring, and it does gradually get heavier with more of a groove metal riff late. I wouldn't have shoved the guitar solo so late, let alone have it be so short, and I do think that this song was getting oddly repetitive despite the freedom of progressive metal, but Convergence showed their talents nicely here! "Miscreant" marks the EP's midpoint, and it's a more in-your-face song from the off, with strong chugging guitar work and more impressive technical songwriting, but the hammering of the programmed drums at two points was a little much. The quiet bridge is well placed, if with an oddly low volume to it, and it's a highlight track overall for prog metal fans, but the drum track and abrupt ending are noted. Fourth on "One" is its shortest track, "Antipath", which is the second and final song with just Brendan & Jake. 

A solid prog metal riff is balanced out with softer, more droning guitar here, and I don't find that the two balance each other very well, especially with how repetitive the soft guitar line gets. As such, this song works best when the heavier riffing is dominating the proceedings, especially in the first minute and in the 2:00 stretch. While solidly composed, the structure and repetitive rhythm guitar doesn't make this a favourite track for me on this EP. The last song on offer is "Moon's Haunted", which has another electronic opening (almost retro video game-y) before Cliff's drumming kicks in, so fans of "The Woodward" will be familiar with how this opens! A definite improvement on "Antipath", this brings things to more of a normal tract with technical, fuller guitar work and a well done structure, but the ending is very abrupt as it pixelates out, and that really  caught me off guard. Still a solid closer!

So, what are my final thoughts on "One"? While not perfect for my preferences, this is a strong debut for Convergence that shows some impressive musicianship and songwriting! Don't go into this expecting Late & Loud 2.0, as Brendan has more to offer as a technical musician, and he and Jake have a lot of heavy and well composed riffs, breakdowns, and solos across these five tracks, and fans of progressive and djent metal will want to take notice A.S.A.P.! Granted, I'm not the best at being specific about more complex songs like these, but these hit way more often than they miss! Having guests helped flesh out most of the EP, and between Steve's deathcore vocals and Cliff's skilled drumming, hopefully they (and more?) turn up on future recordings! That said, I wasn't a fan of the droning background guitar in "Antipath", the repetitive percussion on "Miscreant", or some abrupt song endings.

Convergence seem like a modular band that can adapt and be built on/tore down as song needs and availability dictate, which bodes well for the future, and hopefully new material and plans from them live up to their considerable talent! If you like progressive metal, do check out Convergence and "One" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, we will be looking at local punk trio Hails' debut EP "Rock and Rolls", so watch for that in the coming weeks, and stay tuned for more news and notes as we enter November! Thanks everyone!