Converge is an old hardcore/metal band from massachusetts, started in 1990. I don't want to give you their whole backstory, but there's a pretty good description on their wikipedia page. Coonverge is one of those bands that has always kind of been around, but that I didn't start really listen to until about two years ago. I had listened to a few songs quite a lot, and when they released their album 'Axe to Fall' I decided to go buy it and listen to it, since it got great reviews and everyone spoke really highly about it. I thought the album was amazing, especially some of the songs (such as 'Dark Horse' and 'wretched world', the latter featuring Steve von Trill from Neurosis). After that I started listening more to their other albums and just really connected with their music. I haven't listened enough to them to be able to say what albums are great and which albums are less great, and everything I've listened to so far has been amazing.
Also, I went and saw them play about a month ago (with Gaza opening up, a FUCKING AWESOME grindcore-ish band, incredibly cool live). The Converge show was one of the best I've been to. The venue was kind of small, and the vibe was totally boston-hardcore.. Stagedives and shit all the time. After the show Jake just stayed on stage, shaking everybodys hands, so I decided to go up and shake his hand and thank him for the show. When I finally managed to grab his hand he just looked me into the eyes and gave the most sincere thank you to me for being at the show, and it was a fucking awesome experience... Just the fact that a singer of such an influential band can stay so down to earth, and be such a nice guy... A true role-model, for anyone.
Anyways I'm late for university, check them out, they're fucking great, and if they come by your town make sure to check them out!
I'm not gonna post any links, just find them on spotify!
Peace!
/woody
Long time no update! Was recently notified that one person had actually been here a few times since I started (and pretty soon thereafter forgot about) this blog. So I felt kind of motivated to keep it going.
Cult of Luna is a band that I've listened a shitload to ever since William Hesseldahl, the guitarrist in my band, first gave me a memory stick with the album 'Somewhere Along the Highway' as a going away present back before I moved to Belgium (from where I ultimately moved back after a month, but we didn't know that at the time). I had heard Cult of Luna before then, but only a few songs (though I listened quite a lot to those few songs), but I didn't really get into them until I started listening to 'Somewhere Along the Highway'. It became and has stayed one of my favorite albums of all time. 
So I just found out about this band around 2 weeks ago, through Anthony DiDio, on his facebook page (credit when credit is due!). I just started listening, and was thoroughly impressed. But it wasn't until I listened through the whole album 'Lost Ground' (of which you can see the cover above), while reading the lyrics that I truly started to appreciate them. The way this album is put together lyrically, and the way it tells a story of a kid who goes to war and how his life turns out after getting home with a medal of honor, is just incredible. I love it when bands within a normally pretty unsophisticated genre (such as hardcore) handle themes from the past, or when they just reflect a general knowledge, emotion and passion thats more intellectual than most other bands in the genre... Great stuff. So if you have 40 minutes to spare, be sure to get your hands on this album and listen through it from start to finish, while reading the lyrics on the side; you wont be disappointed.
PsyOpus is a matchore/technical grindcore band from New York. I've listened to them for a while, and they're probably the biggest technical mindfuck I've ever heard. Their guitarist Chris Arp (also the only member that has been in the band since it started), plays guitar in a way that I've never seen anyone play. Their music is some of the hardest (both angriest and hardest to play), most insane shit ever created, and I highly recommend them if you're into any for of modern grindcore, or if you're just a music nerd. Here's some of their shit:
Chet Baker. Famous Amercian jazz-trumpet player. I'm not sure what song he was most famous for, but pretty much everything I've heard by him is really something special. I should be clear though: I'm pretty selective about my jazz. I have a lot of trouble listening to anything comprising of more instruments than a trio, since that usually means big-band-style jazz, which I am NOT down with.
Converge is an old hardcore/metal band from massachusetts, started in 1990. I don't want to give you their whole backstory, but there's a pretty good description on their wikipedia page. Coonverge is one of those bands that has always kind of been around, but that I didn't start really listen to until about two years ago. I had listened to a few songs quite a lot, and when they released their album 'Axe to Fall' I decided to go buy it and listen to it, since it got great reviews and everyone spoke really highly about it. I thought the album was amazing, especially some of the songs (such as 'Dark Horse' and 'wretched world', the latter featuring Steve von Trill from Neurosis). After that I started listening more to their other albums and just really connected with their music. I haven't listened enough to them to be able to say what albums are great and which albums are less great, and everything I've listened to so far has been amazing.