Aged around 25 years to perfection, Converge were the first ‘serious’ metal band I ever got into, at the ripe age of 13. Whilst some may argue their most recent efforts lacked the bite that albums like ‘Jane Doe’ and ‘Petitioning The Sky’ embarked on, I feel at this point they can do no wrong. Their live presence is a cathartic sight to behold: to this day, my tooth is still slightly chipped after catching them at a non-barrier show in Manchester when I was 19; stage diving at end of ‘Fault and Fracture.’ Tony Wolski’s video for ‘I Can Tell You About The Pain’ is a mini Lynchian horror flick of its own, as a man in his home is torn away by the cosmic powers of Milk. Yes, milk. I really admire Converge’s experimentation with dark imagery, and of course, this blockbuster venture is no exception. Musically it’s a throwback to the band’s ‘You Fail Me’ era and despite clocking in at 2 minutes and 32 seconds, there’s plenty of unsettling rhythmic changes to keep you coming back for more.

The B-side to this single, ‘Eve’ takes a far sludgier route, expanding into their signature cacophony as a 7-minute journey. It made me thankful that I got to watch their Blood Moon set last year in London. It wasn’t to everyone’s taste of course, but experiencing the neofolk elements of ‘Coral Blue’ and the slow burning ugliness of ‘Minnesota’ help me appreciate ‘Eve’ even more. Time will tell if this follow-up album will live up to the high standards of 2012’s ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’, but with 16 tracks yet to be heard, I’m stoked for their future.