Axe to Fall

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| quote = "For a very long time, we've wanted to do a collaboration album where we could include people we're close with or friends with and who we gel with musically and socially. Now, we did that and it's pretty seamless. [Axe to Fall] doesn't feel like a big rock record where the guest vocalists come out and a spotlight is being thrown on them. It's much more involved than that. It's much more refined."

| source = Jacob Bannon interview with Spin{{cite magazine| last = Marchese| first = David| title = Q&A: Converge's Jacob Bannon | magazine = Spin| date = September 9, 2009| url = https://www.spin.com/2009/09/qa-converges-jacob-bannon/| access-date = September 15, 2009}}

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Converge began writing Axe to Fall in November 2008.{{cite magazine|url=http://altpress.com/news/5149.htm|title=Converge writing, planning new album for 2009|last=Shultz|first=Brian|date=November 22, 2008|magazine=Alternative Press|access-date=September 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516065518/http://www.altpress.com/news/5149.htm|archive-date=May 16, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aversion.com/news/news_article.cfm?news_id=11777|title=Converge Writing New Album|date=November 24, 2008|publisher=Aversion|access-date=September 15, 2009}} With Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou and Nate Newton all living within a half a mile of each other in Boston and Ben Koller living a couple hours away in Brooklyn, the band could easily practice for weeks at a time. Though most songs originated from a guitar or bass riff from Ballou or Newton, all members had equal input on the writing process, with each member proposing different songs. Bannon wrote a few songs for Axe to Fall, but they were scrapped because they were slower than the rest and did not fit the energy of the album.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/crossfade/2009/10/jacob_bannon_converge_mastodon_dethklok_pompano_beach_amphitheater/257342|title=Q&A With Converge, Playing With Mastodon and Dethklok November 8|last=Castillo|first=Arielle|date=October 30, 2009|publisher=New Times Broward-Palm Beach|access-date=November 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111061156/http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/crossfade/2009/10/jacob_bannon_converge_mastodon_dethklok_pompano_beach_amphitheater/257342|archive-date=2009-11-11|url-status=dead}}

Following a short tour in March 2009 with Ceremony, Coliseum, Pulling Teeth, Rise and Fall, Converge entered the studio to begin recording in May 2009.{{cite magazine|url=http://altpress.com/news/5749.htm|title=Converge / Ceremony / Coliseum / Rise And Fall / Pulling Teeth tour announced|last=Shultz|first=Brian|date=January 25, 2009|magazine=Alternative Press|access-date=September 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516065614/http://www.altpress.com/news/5749.htm|archive-date=May 16, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} The band had debuted some new material live during the tour.{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=125466|title=CONVERGE: New Song Available For Streaming|date=August 18, 2009|work=Blabbermouth.net|access-date=September 15, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/03/31/new-converge-songs-new-converge-songs-new-converge-songs/|title=New Converge songs! New Converge songs! New Converge songs!|last=Rosenberg|first=Axl|date=March 31, 2009|publisher=MetalSucks|access-date=September 15, 2009}} As with several of their previous albums, Axe to Fall was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Massachusetts. Throughout the recording process, the band updated their fans via Twitter of their progress in the studio.{{cite web|url=http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1027032|title=Converge Twitter About New Album|last=Tate|first=Jason|date=April 29, 2009|website=AbsolutePunk|access-date=September 15, 2009}}

During recording, Converge tried to challenge themselves creatively as artists. Ballou stated that with each new Converge album, he "always [wants] to create a new listening-experience", and continued with the concept of "pushing [themselves] forward and not repeating [themselves]".{{cite web|url=http://www.noisecreep.com/2009/08/18/converge-dark-horse-track-teases-a-new-progressive-direction/|title=Converge 'Dark Horse' Track Teases a New Progressive Direction|last=Wiederhorn|first=Jon|date=August 19, 2009|website=Noise Creep|access-date=September 15, 2009}} Bannon stated, "We appreciate our past albums, but we're very much about forward movement and challenging ourselves musically and expressing ourselves emotionally". Bannon has stated that he felt that the main artistic difference between Axe to Fall and previous albums was the large number of guest musicians, which included various members from Cave In, Neurosis, and Genghis Tron, among others. Most of the guest-musicians already had an existing relationship with one or more Converge members prior to recording or the band had "admired in some way".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rocksound.tv/features/article/converge|title=Interview with Converge|magazine=Rock Sound|access-date=September 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091017083438/http://www.rocksound.tv/features/article/converge|archive-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=live}} Converge had previously thought of the idea of creating a collaborative album with many guest artists for some years, but felt that the "time to execute it [had] never been there". Bannon stated that working with a number of different artists was difficult and something that the band was not used to, but the finished product was "an extremely focused album".

Though writing did not officially begin until November 2008, work on some songs from Axe to Fall began four to five years earlier. In 2004, Converge collaborated with Cave in and recorded some songs together. Dubbed the "Verge In" sessions,{{Cite magazine|last=Bennett|first=J.|date=December 2009|title=A Cut Above|url=https://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=339255|magazine=Decibel|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|publisher=Red Flag Media Inc.|issue=62|pages=69–74|issn=1557-2137|access-date=October 17, 2010|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211214154/http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=339255|archive-date=February 11, 2010}} the material from this period was never released, and the project later dissolved. The instrumental parts that Cave in contributed to the track "Effigy" were from the original recordings in 2004. Converge took the parts they contributed to the project to create the foundation for what would become "Cruel Bloom" and "Wretched World". While producing their album Board Up the House, Ballou gave Genghis Tron a rough mix of "Wretched World" to contribute their talents. According to Ballou, Genghis Tron "embellished it and created a whole new melodic structure on top of the song that we would've never come up with". Brad Fickeisen from the Red Chord also later added his own drum track to "Wretched World". Much of the song "Plagues" from No Heroes also originated from the "Verge In" sessions. With the release of Axe to Fall, everything Converge contributed to the sessions was finally released in some form.{{cite web|url=http://www.scenepointblank.com/features/251|title=Interview: Converge|last=Phillips|first=Michael|year=2009|publisher=ScenePointBlank|access-date=January 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123051717/http://www.scenepointblank.com/features/251|archive-date=23 January 2010 |url-status=live}}

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| quote = "Anytime anybody writes a song, that's one less thing that you can do and still be original. You can't come along and write "Iron Man" today. All the heavy riffs that are that simple are already taken. So, you've gotta find new riffs, and as more of those become taken, there's fewer places to go."

| source = Kurt Ballou interview with Decibel

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Converge took their music in a more progressive direction with Axe to Fall. Ballou noted that drummer Ben Koller had been listening to more progressive rock over the last few years, and that he tried to complement this sound on the guitar. He went on to say that he was getting the "more straightforward, raw punk aggression out in a yet-to-be-named hardcore side project that I started. So that leaves me free to get weird and progressive with Converge". Ballou considers the band's previous three albums (Jane Doe, You Fail Me and No Heroes) to be a trilogy in regards to their sound, and hoped to push their musical boundaries on Axe to Fall.{{cite web| last = Ferris| first = D.X.| title = Axe to Grind – Hardcore heroes Converge unleash metallic new album| publisher = Cleveland Scene| date = October 14, 2009| url = http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/axe-to-grind/Content?oid=1678531| access-date = October 14, 2009}} The tracks on the album have been noted to range from "drone-and-pummel" to atmospheric. Bannon said that this album is "not about being as loud and vicious as possible".{{cite magazine| last = Ortenzi| first = Rob| title = UP & AUTUMN: The AP 2009 Fall Preview – DISCS| magazine = Alternative Press| date = August 3, 2009| url = http://altpress.com/features/Fall_09_DISCS.htm| access-date = September 26, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090810025655/http://altpress.com/features/Fall_09_DISCS.htm| archive-date = August 10, 2009| url-status = dead| df = mdy-all}} Feeling that 40 to 50 minutes of metallic hardcore would be difficult for some, Converge used softer tracks, or "slow jams", such as "Damages" and "Wretched World", to take the listener "to some other places".

Unlike Converge's previous albums, the songs on Axe to Fall do not have a central and consistent lyrical theme. Each song was meant to be a "standalone song" about Bannon's life between this album and No Heroes.{{cite magazine| last = Sutherland| first = Sam| title = Aggressive Tendencies: Converge – Axe to Fall| magazine = Exclaim!| date = November 2009| url = http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=138&csid2=846&fid1=41971| access-date = November 29, 2009}} Bannon has said that he uses his lyrics and Converge to "vent about things in a healthy way so [he's] not a person that walks around with a lot of negative energy".{{cite news| last = Slevin| first = Patrick| title = Interview with Jacob Bannon of Converge: Unfelled, Unchanged| newspaper = The Aquarian Weekly| date = October 22, 2009| url = http://www.theaquarian.com/2009/10/22/interview-jacob-bannon-converge-unfelled-unchanged/2/| access-date = November 23, 2009}} The opening track "Dark Horse" was written about the passing of a close friend of Bannon, and how he died while trying to succeed as the "underdog".{{cite web|last=F |first=Jeanne |title=Track By Track: Converge's Axe to Fall with J. Bannon |publisher=Decibel |date=October 20, 2009 |url=https://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=337708 |access-date=October 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811225815/http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=337708 |archive-date=August 11, 2010 }}{{cite magazine| last = Thomas| first = Andy| title = Q&A with Jacob Bannon of Converge| magazine = Westword| date = November 18, 2009| url = http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2009/11/qa_with_jacob_bannon_of_conver.php| access-date = November 29, 2009| archive-date = October 1, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111001041617/http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2009/11/qa_with_jacob_bannon_of_conver.php| url-status = dead}}

The artwork for the cover and liner note booklet of Axe to Fall was designed and created by Jacob Bannon. The booklet features a different piece of artwork for each song on the album.{{cite web| last = Andersen| first = Eric| title = Hardcore metal band returns| publisher = The Daily Iowan| date = September 28, 2009| url = http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/09/28/Arts/13171.html| access-date = October 2, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091101173201/http://dailyiowan.com/2009/09/28/Arts/13171.html| archive-date = 1 November 2009| url-status = dead| df = dmy-all}} Bannon tried to create images that "encapsulated some of the emotion of each song" in contrast to more literal imagery, such as avoiding an axe literally falling for the title track. He also experimented with a technique where a single image would be repeated within a frame, but the copies would be distressed or slightly different. This could be seen in the cover art, where a single image of a woman's profile was broken down within the repetition, and some of the copies showed the woman's teeth through her cheek. Bannon stated that for the cover art, he "just wanted to have something that felt timeless and sort of embodied the whole emotional gamut of the record, something that was explosive and powerful but also something that felt poetic and soft at the same time. It could look violent and beautiful at the same time".{{cite magazine|last=McQueen |first=Valerie |title=Web-Exclusive Interview: Converge's Jacob Bannon on his band's new album and his friendship with Cave In and Neurosis |magazine=Revolver |date=October 2009 |url=http://www.revolvermag.com/content/web-exclusive-intervew-converges-jacob-baonnon-his-bands-new-album-and-his-friendship-cave-a |access-date=October 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101042214/http://revolvermag.com/content/web-exclusive-intervew-converges-jacob-baonnon-his-bands-new-album-and-his-friendship-cave-a |archive-date=January 1, 2010 }}

In August 2009, two months prior to the release of the album, Converge made the opening track "Dark Horse" available for streaming and as a free download.{{cite web|url=http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-converge-dark-horse_086071.html|title=New Converge – 'Dark Horse'|date=August 25, 2009|publisher=Stereogum|access-date=September 15, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/08/18/holy-shit-the-new-converge-song-is-fucking-amazing/|title=Holy Shit, the New Converge Song Is Fucking Amazing|last=Rosenberg|first=Axl|date=August 18, 2009|publisher=MetalSucks|access-date=September 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828175756/http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/08/18/holy-shit-the-new-converge-song-is-fucking-amazing/|archive-date=2009-08-28|url-status=dead}} The song was noted for being one of the few tracks lacking guest musicians, and was met with a very positive reaction from reviewers. The title track was also made available for free download in September 2009.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.spin.com/2009/09/download-awesome-metal-converge/|title=DOWNLOAD: Awesome Metal from Converge!|last=Zakorchemny|first=Chris|date=September 16, 2009|magazine=Spin|access-date=September 29, 2009}} The entire album was available for streaming one week before the official release date on Converge's MySpace page.{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=128656|title=CONVERGE: Entire New Album Available For Streaming|date=October 13, 2009|work=Blabbermouth.net|access-date=October 13, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}} Axe to Fall was released on October 19, 2009 (Europe) and October 20, 2009 (USA), by Epitaph Records on CD and digital formats. The vinyl edition of the album was released through Jacob Bannon's own independent record label Deathwish Inc., shortly after the release of the CD version.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/arts/music/13poplist.html?_r=4&pagewanted=6&sq=alec|title=Hope and Regret, Recorded and Live|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=September 9, 2009|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 15, 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2009-09-03/music/parks-and-inspiration/|title=FYF Fest 2009: Parks and Inspiration|last=Wood|first=Mikael|date=September 2, 2009|newspaper=LA Weekly|access-date=September 15, 2009}}

File:Axetofallvideo.jpg

In October 2009, a music video for the album's title track, directed by Craig Murray, was released.{{cite web| last = Burkart| first = Gregory| title = FEARnet Exclusive: Prepare for Converge's Axe to Fall| publisher = FEARnet| date = October 7, 2009| url = http://www.fearnet.com/news/b16865_fearnet_exclusive_prepare_converges_axe.html| access-date = October 7, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091010140118/http://www.fearnet.com/news/b16865_fearnet_exclusive_prepare_converges_axe.html| archive-date= 10 October 2009 | url-status= live}} The short video (1:40 in duration) shows a man and a woman strapped to a machine, a television that gives birth to a bio-mechanical creature and several disturbing clips in between. The video features stop motion animation influenced by horror films, and was referred to as "terrifying", "seizure-inducing",{{cite web| title = New Converge Video – Axe To Fall| publisher = Stereogum| date = October 8, 2009| url = http://stereogum.com/archives/video/new_converge_video__axe_to_fall_094461.html| access-date = October 9, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091009211247/http://stereogum.com/archives/video/new_converge_video__axe_to_fall_094461.html| archive-date= 9 October 2009 | url-status= live}} "nightmarish",{{cite web | title = Converge Premieres New Video For "Axe To Fall" On FEARNet| publisher = Epitaph Records| date = October 7, 2009| url = http://www.epitaph.com/news/news/3244/Converge_Premieres_New_Video_For_Axe_To_Fall_On_FEARNet| access-date = October 9, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091010193543/http://www.epitaph.com/news/news/3244/Converge_Premieres_New_Video_For_Axe_To_Fall_On_FEARNet| archive-date= 10 October 2009 | url-status= live}} "excruciating",{{cite web| title = CONVERGE Premiere New "Axe to Fall" Video Online| publisher = Metal Kult| date = October 8, 2009| url = http://www.metalkult.com/news/converge-axe-to-fall-video-online/| access-date = October 13, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091019034457/http://www.metalkult.com/news/converge-axe-to-fall-video-online/| archive-date = 19 October 2009| url-status = usurped| df = dmy-all}} and "gross".{{cite magazine| last = Harper| first = Kate| title = Converge — "Axe To Fall"| magazine = Chart| date = October 8, 2009| url = http://www.chartattack.com/media/video/75415/converge-axe-to-fall| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607204844/http://www.chartattack.com/media/video/75415/converge-axe-to-fall| url-status = usurped| archive-date = June 7, 2011| access-date = October 13, 2009}} It was filmed in Ronda, Spain with the intent of making "a film in which we see a cycle. This cycle will study an idea of new creation without pleasure and the art of numbing for progression". Murray was inspired and influenced by artists Chris Cunningham, Gaspar Noé, Nine Inch Nails. and the films Ringu, A Clockwork Orange, and Hardware while making the music video.{{cite web| last = Murray| first = Craig| title = Converge: Axe to Fall| publisher = Vimeo| date = August 2009| url = http://www.vimeo.com/6882774| access-date = November 6, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091011130853/http://vimeo.com/6882774| archive-date= 11 October 2009 | url-status= live}} On November 7, the "Axe to Fall" video debuted on MTV2's heavy metal music program Headbangers Ball.{{cite web| last = Arthur| first = Ty| title = Tonight's Headbangers Ball Line-Up Details Revealed| publisher = MetalUnderground.com| date = November 7, 2009| url = http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=49991| access-date = November 7, 2009}}

On October 4, 2009, a digitally watermarked advance copy of Axe to Fall was leaked onto the internet. The watermark was linked to the advance copy given to Shaun Hand, a staff member of the music news and reviews website MetalSucks.net. Converge posted a number of Twitter messages regarding the leak, one of which read, "Special thanks to Shaun Hand at Metal Sucks for leaking our album," and another one was posted shortly thereafter directed at MetalSucks' Twitter account stating, "have fun with that".{{cite web|url=http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1360441|title=Axe to Fall on Alleged Leaker?|last=Beringer|first=Drew|date=October 5, 2009|website=AbsolutePunk|access-date=October 6, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.musicianforums.com/news.php?newsid=10976|title=Converge Accuse Leaker|last=de Sylvia|first=Dave|date=October 5, 2009|website=Sputnikmusic|access-date=October 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129004315/http://www.musicianforums.com/news.php?newsid=10976|archive-date=January 29, 2016|url-status=usurped|df=mdy-all}} The source of an album leak is rarely discovered or publicly announced. Converge's method of dealing with their album leaking, referred to as "street justice" by Every Time I Die and Jamey Jasta, avoided a costly lawsuit but still inflicted damages upon MetalSucks by means of viral negative publicity.{{cite news|url=http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2009/10/07/converge-invents-new-use-for-twitter-street-justice-for-album-leaks.aspx|title=Converge invents new use for Twitter: "street justice" for album leaks|last=Carioli|first=Carly|date=October 7, 2009|newspaper=The Boston Phoenix|access-date=October 8, 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/10/news_roundup_an.php|title=News Roundup: Animal Collective's Fall Be Kind EP Details, Converge's Axe to Fall Leak, New Arcade Fire?|last=Baron|first=Zach|date=October 9, 2009|newspaper=The Village Voice|access-date=October 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014102738/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/10/news_roundup_an.php|archive-date=14 October 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} The staff of MetalSucks issued a formal apology stating that the leak was completely unintentional and the first incident since the website's inception.{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/06/regarding-the-leak-of-converges-axe-to-fall/#more-22011|title=Regarding the Leak of Converge's Axe to Fall|last=Rosenberg|first=Axl|date=October 6, 2009|publisher=MetalSucks|author2=Neilstein, Vince|access-date=October 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009021800/http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/06/regarding-the-leak-of-converges-axe-to-fall/|archive-date=9 October 2009 |url-status=live}} They went on to say:

{{cquote|We are also deeply embarrassed and regretful. We would never knowingly betray the trust of any band or label. And if you've been following this site, you know that we're huge fans of Converge and Axe to Fall. That this happened with a band and record we hold in such high regard makes the whole thing especially upsetting to us. [...] And for what's it's worth, we'd like to re-emphasize that we think that Axe to Fall is a terrific album, and absolutely worth PAYING FOR when it is released on October 20.|||Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks{{cite web| last = Rosenberg| first = Axl|author2=Neilstein, Vince| title = Regarding the Leak of Converge's Axe to Fall| publisher = MetalSucks| date = October 6, 2009| url = http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/06/regarding-the-leak-of-converges-axe-to-fall/#more-22011| access-date = October 6, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091009021800/http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/06/regarding-the-leak-of-converges-axe-to-fall/| archive-date= 9 October 2009 | url-status= live}}}}

Converge's first tour in support of Axe to Fall was the Metalocalypse tour in late 2009. Alongside High on Fire, Converge held an opening slot for co-headliners Mastodon and Dethklok.{{cite web|last=Breihan |first=Tom |title=Mastodon Tour With Dethklok, Converge, High on Fire |work=Pitchfork Media |date=August 3, 2009 |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/36104-mastodon-tours-with-dethklok-converge-high-on-fire/ |access-date=March 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211053909/http://pitchfork.com/news/36104-mastodon-tours-with-dethklok-converge-high-on-fire/ |archive-date=February 11, 2010 |url-status=live }} The band's first headlining tour in support of the album started in April 2010, with Coalesce, Harvey Milk, Gaza, Lewd Acts and Black Breath. The first week of the tour also featured Thursday and Touche Amore.{{cite web| last = Conoley| first = Ben| title = Tours: Converge| work = Punknews.org| date = February 15, 2010| url = http://www.punknews.org/article/37072| access-date = March 24, 2010}} Converge began the European leg of their world tour in July 2010 with Kylesa, Gaza and Kvelertak.{{cite web| last = Yancey| first = Bryne| title = Tours: Converge / Kylesa / Gaza / Kvelertak (Europe)| work = Punknews.org| date = March 16, 2010| url = http://www.punknews.org/article/37501| access-date = August 7, 2010}} For this tour, the band released a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single called "On My Shield", which was recorded between the US and European legs.{{cite web| last = Shotwell| first = James| title = Converge self release limited edition 7| work = Alternative Press| date = July 10, 2010| url = http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/converge_self_release_limited_edition_7/| access-date = August 7, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100713014419/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/converge_self_release_limited_edition_7/| archive-date= 13 July 2010 | url-status= live}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AbsolutePunk

| rev1score =

| rev2 = Allmusic

| MC = 77/100

| rev1Score = 90%{{cite web| last = Beringer| first = Drew| title = Review: Axe to Fall| website = AbsolutePunk| date = October 14, 2009| url = http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1377162| access-date = October 15, 2009| archive-url= https://archive.today/20091019090546/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1377162| archive-date= 19 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web| last = Freeman| first = Phil| title = Review: Axe to Fall| website = Allmusic| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1656374|pure_url=yes}}| access-date = September 15, 2009}}

| rev3 = Alternative Press

| rev3Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine| last = Pettigrew| first = Jason| title = Concrete Minds (Mixed and Set)|magazine= Alternative Press| issue = 256| page = 105| date = November 2009| issn = 1065-1667}}

| rev4 = Decibel

| rev4Score = 10/10{{cite web|last=Parks |first=Andrew |title=Fire Up the Blade |publisher=Decibel |date=Nov 2009 |url=http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=333398 |access-date=September 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009010409/http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=333398 |archive-date=October 9, 2009 |url-status=live }}

| rev5 = Drowned in Sound

| rev5Score = 8/10{{cite web| last = Gardner| first = Noel| title = Axe to Fall review| publisher = Drowned in Sound| date = October 21, 2009| url = http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14782/reviews/4138211| access-date = October 21, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091023061649/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14782/reviews/4138211| archive-date= 23 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

| rev6 = Mammoth Press

| rev6Score = 10/10{{cite journal| last = Diniz| first = Juan| title = Review: Axe to Fall| journal = Mammoth Press| date = October 20, 2009| url = http://www.mammothpress.com/index.php?area=readreview&pid=1737| issn = 1556-1216| access-date = October 20, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181056/http://www.mammothpress.com/index.php?area=readreview&pid=1737| archive-date = March 3, 2016| url-status = dead| df = mdy-all}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 8.5/10{{cite web| last = Lee| first = Cosmo| title = Axe to Fall Review| publisher = Pitchfork Media| date = October 29, 2009| url = http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13625-axe-to-fall/| access-date = October 29, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091029230814/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13625-axe-to-fall/| archive-date= 29 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

| rev8 = PopMatters

| rev8Score = {{Rating|9|10}}{{cite magazine| last = Begrand| first = Adrien| title = Castle Walls of Blood and Bone| magazine = PopMatters| date = October 14, 2009| url = http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/112747-castle-walls-of-blood-and-bone/| access-date = October 14, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091015100042/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/112747-castle-walls-of-blood-and-bone/| archive-date= 15 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

| rev9 = Rock Sound

| rev9Score = 9/10{{cite magazine| title = Review: Axe to Fall| magazine = Rock Sound| date = October 2009| url = http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/converge-axe-to-fall| access-date = October 19, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091022133320/http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/converge-axe-to-fall| archive-date= 22 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

| rev10 = Sputnikmusic

| rev10Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |author= Xenophanes |title= Review: Axe to Fall| website = Sputnikmusic| date = October 14, 2009| url = https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/32893/Converge-Axe-to-Fall/| access-date = October 14, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091024034150/http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=32935| archive-date= 24 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

}}

Axe to Fall was met with positive reviews from critics. On review aggregation website Metacritic, the album holds a score of 77 out of 100 based on ten reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.{{cite web| title = Axe to Fall by Converge| website = Metacritic| url = http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/converge/axetofall| access-date = October 24, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091025194714/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/converge/axetofall| archive-date= 25 October 2009 | url-status= live}} Citing a wider range of styles on the album, many reviewers found Axe to Fall to be Converge's most accessible album to date. The album features songs like the "doomy [and] noisy" track "Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast", the "synth-drenched shoegazing" track "Wretched World", and "Kerry King-admiring" solos on "Reap What You Sow" in addition to hardcore tracks like "Effigy" and "Cutter". Andrew Parks of Decibel commented on the album's wide range of sounds, stating "it strikes the perfect balance between dry-heaved hardcore – blunt-trauma-tracks that bleed into one another and hover around the 1:40 mark – and post-metal-opusses that embrace Converge's experimental impulses". Juan Diniz of Mammoth Press noted that the album flowed really well, stating that "every track compliments and balances out the one prior and after. To skip tracks would be foolish as it's a compendium of aggression, frustration, beauty, and brutality," and that the album "demands to be taken in as a whole". Cosmo Lee of Pitchfork Media called Converge "this generation's Black Flag", comparing Axe to Fall to Black Flag's 1984 album My War; Lee noted that Converge combined abrasiveness with "slower, abstract sludge", much like how Black Flag mixed "equal parts lightning and Black Sabbath" on My War. Several reviewers compared the Axe to Fall to Converge's highly praised 2001 album, Jane Doe.{{cite magazine| last = Bezer| first = Terry| title = Converge Bury The Ghost Of Jane Doe| magazine = Metal Hammer| date = October 22, 2009| url = http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/converge-bury-the-ghost-of-jane-doe/| access-date = October 25, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091026053421/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/converge-bury-the-ghost-of-jane-doe/| archive-date= 26 October 2009 | url-status= live}}

Axe to Fall also received some negative criticism. Jared W. Dillon of Sputnikmusic, who had previously given No Heroes a 4.5 out of 5,{{cite web| last = Dillon| first = Jared W.| title = Review: No Heroes| website = Sputnikmusic | date = October 26, 2006| url = http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=9709| access-date = October 25, 2009}} gave the album a score of 2.5 out of 5, citing his distaste for the large number of guest musicians. Dillon stated that Converge "seems out of ideas as they enlisted a group of musicians associated with the band to fill in at various points of the record", and rhetorically asked, "why replace the band on a decent portion of their new record with far less talented, less interesting musicians?" He also criticized the album's longer and slower track "Wretched World". When compared to Converge's similar previously released-tracks, (No Heroes's "Grim Heart/Black Rose" and Jane Doe's "Jane Doe") Dillon claimed that the song "never builds to anything" and "cuts off seemingly just as it should've started". Noel Gardner of Drowned in Sound also found Axe to Fall's two closing tracks underwhelming and felt that it "would have been a better album for finishing at track 11". Jason Pettigrew of Alternative Press criticized both the lyrics and overall sound of Axe to Fall as sounding too familiar when it "could've been more alien", and that "in many aspects, Converge took the road most traveled for the majority of Axe to Fall".

Axe to Fall debuted at number 74 on the Billboard 200, with 7,400 copies sold in its first week,{{cite web| title = News Bit Archives: Search for Converge| publisher = LambGoat| url = http://lambgoat.com/news/bits_all.aspx?search=converge| access-date = November 29, 2009}} becoming Converge's highest-charting album in the United States{{cite magazine| title = Converge – Chart History – Billboard 200| magazine = Billboard| url = {{BillboardURLbyName|artist=converge|chart=all}}| access-date = November 29, 2009}} until it was surpassed by 2012's All We Love We Leave Behind. Axe to Fall also became the first Converge album to not appear on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, which ranks the top 50 albums released by bands that have never charted above number 100 on the Billboard 200. By November 4, 2009, the album had sold 10,487 units. Axe to Fall also appeared in Canada's Chart Magazine, a weekly chart that compiles airplay data from various Canadian campus radio stations, and peaked at number 42 on their top 50 album chart{{cite magazine| title = Full Top 50 Chart: November 15–21, 2009| magazine = Chart| url = http://www.chartattack.com/charts/11152009-campus-radio-top-50| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607222821/http://www.chartattack.com/charts/11152009-campus-radio-top-50| url-status = usurped| archive-date = June 7, 2011| access-date = November 29, 2009}} and number one on their "Metal/Punk" chart.{{cite magazine| last = Burland| first = Chris| title = You Say Party! We Say Die! Stay At #1 For Fifth Week| magazine = Chart| date = November 17, 2009| url = http://www.chartattack.com/news/76827/its-5-weeks-for-you-say-party-we-say-die-at-1| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607221644/http://www.chartattack.com/news/76827/its-5-weeks-for-you-say-party-we-say-die-at-1| url-status = usurped| archive-date = June 7, 2011| access-date = November 29, 2009}}

{{Dynamic list}}

Axe to Fall appeared on several critics' lists of the best albums of 2009. A "—" denotes the publication's list is in no particular order, and Axe to Fall did not rank numerically.

:

{{track listing

| all_lyrics = Jacob Bannon

| all_music = Converge, except where noted{{cite AV media notes| title = Axe to Fall| others = Converge| year = 2009| type = CD booklet| publisher = Epitaph Records| id = 87035-2| location = Los Angeles, California}}

| extra_column = Guest musicians

| title1 = Dark Horse

| length1 = 2:54

| title2 = Reap What You Sow

| extra2 = Sean Martin

| length2 = 2:39

| title3 = Axe to Fall

| extra3 = George Hirsch

| length3 = 1:41

| title4 = Effigy

| writer4 = Converge, Steve Brodsky, John-Robert Connors, Adam McGrath

| extra4 = Brodsky, Connors, McGrath

| length4 = 1:42

| title5 = Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast

| length5 = 5:52

| title6 = Wishing Well

| extra6 = Uffe Cederlund

| length6 = 2:49

| title7 = Damages

| extra7 = Trivikrama Dasa

| length7 = 4:26

| title8 = Losing Battle

| length8 = 1:46

| title9 = Dead Beat

| length9 = 2:36

| title10 = Cutter

| extra10 = John Pettibone

| length10 = 1:40

| title11 = Slave Driver

| length11 = 2:48

| title12 = Cruel Bloom

| writer12 = Converge, Steve Von Till

| extra12 = Aimee Argote, The Rodeo, Chris Taylor, Von Till

| length12 = 4:01

| title13 = Wretched World

| writer13 = Converge, Connors, Hamilton Jordan, Mookie Singerman, Michael Sochynsky

| extra13 = Connors, Brad Fickeisen, Jordan, Singerman, Sochynsky

| length13 = 7:10

|total_length = 42:04

|note1=|writer1=|extra1=|note2=|writer2=|note3=|writer3=|note4=|all_writing=|title14=|length14=|title15=|length15=|title16=|length16=|title17=|length17=|title18=|length18=|title19=|length19=|title20=|length20=}}

Axe to Fall personnel as listed in CD liner notes.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

;Converge

• Jacob Bannon – vocals, lyrics
• Kurt Ballou – guitars, vocals, piano, glockenspiel, saxophone
• Nate Newton – bass, backing vocals
• Ben Koller – drums, percussion

;Production and recording

• Kurt Ballou – producer, engineer, mixing at GodCity Studios
• Alex Garcia-Rivera – drum tech
• Fred Estby – additional recording
• Josh Penner – additional recording
• Aslak – additional recording
• Jonathan Fuller – additional recording
• Jeff Kane – additional recording
• Steve Von Till – additional recording
• Alan Douches – mastering at West West Side Studios

;Artwork and design

• Jacob Bannon – artwork, design and illustrations

{{col-2}}

;Guest musicians

• Sean Martin (ex-Hatebreed, Cage) – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Reap What You Sow"
• George Hirsch (Blacklisted) – backing vocals on "Axe to Fall"
• Steve Brodsky (Cave In) – lead guitar on "Effigy"
• Adam McGrath (Cave In) – guitars on "Effigy"
• John-Robert Conners (Cave In, Doomriders) – drums on "Effigy" and "Wretched World"
• Uffe Cederlund (Disfear, ex-Entombed) – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Wishing Well"
• Tim "Trivikrama Dasa" Cohen (108) – lead guitar on "Damages"
• John Pettibone (Undertow, Himsa) – backing vocals on "Cutter"
• Steve Von Till (Neurosis) – lead vocals on "Cruel Bloom"
• Aimee Argote (Des Ark) – backing vocals on "Cruel Bloom"
• "The Rodeo" – backing vocals on "Cruel Bloom"
• Chris Taylor (Pygmy Lush, Pg. 99) – backing vocals on "Cruel Bloom"
• Mookie Singerman (Genghis Tron) – lead vocals, keyboard on "Wretched World"
• Hamilton Jordan (Genghis Tron) – guitars on "Wretched World"
• Michael Sochynsky (Genghis Tron) – keyboard on "Wretched World"
• Brad Fickeisen (The Red Chord) – drums on "Wretched World"

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130112195522/http://www.convergecult.com/ Official Converge Website]}}
• [https://myspace.com/converge Converge] on Myspace
• {{Twitter|name=Converge}}
• [http://www.epitaph.com/artists/album/579/Axe_To_Fall Axe to Fall] at Epitaph Records
• [http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=337708 Track By Track: Converge's Axe to Fall with J. Bannon]

{{Converge}}

{{good article}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Axe to Fall}}

Category:2009 albums

Category:Albums produced by Kurt Ballou

Category:Albums with cover art by Jacob Bannon

Category:Converge (band) albums

Category:Epitaph Records albums

Category:Deathwish Inc. albums