Bloodmoon: I is the tenth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, and seventh studio album and collaborative studio album with Chelsea Wolfe. It was released on November 19, 2021, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc, the band's first studio album in four years since 2017's The Dusk in Us.Converge Announces Collaborative Album 'Bloodmoon: I' Feat. Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm and Stephen Brodscky. September 28, 2021. Blabbermouth.net. Converge's longtime collaborator Stephen Brodsky and Wolfe's longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm also contributed. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon. It was met with universal critical acclaim, receiving an average score of 89 based on 10 reviews aggregated by Metacritic.
Background The album was preceded in 2016 by Blood Moon, in which Converge united with Wolfe and her collaborator Ben Chisholm as well as former Converge member and longtime collaborator Stephen Brodsky of Cave In and Steve Von Till of Neurosis to perform classic Converge songs live in an atmospheric post-rock style. All of the aforementioned except Von Till reunited to record Bloodmoon: I. Bannon stated, "These songs were written by seven people. Not only shaped by the seven, but we're all in that mix together — more so than any other Converge record." The lineup began working on the album in late 2019, but in 2020, due to COVID, the rest of the album was finished remotely.
The album marks the first time since 2009's Axe to Fall that the band has featured collaborators or guest musicians.
Release and promotion On September 28, 2021, Converge announced the album, including its tracklist and cover art, and released the title single "Blood Moon", accompanied by a video for the song. On November 3, Converge released the song "Coil" available for streaming. The collaborative act performed its first Bloodmoon shows in April 2022 in Boston and New York, with Caspian opening.
Reception
Bloodmoon: I was met with universal critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 89 based on 10 reviews.
Accolades Year-end lists
Publication Accolade RankDecibel Decibels Top 40 Albums of 2021 Kerrang! The 50 Best Albums of 2021: Staff List Loudwire The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021 Revolver 25 Best Albums of 2021 Rolling Stone The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2021 Metal HammerThe 50 Best Albums of 2021
Track listing
Personnel Converge & Chelsea Wolfe Kurt Ballou – guitars, bass, backing vocals, production, mixing, engineering Jacob Bannon – vocals, bass, production, engineering, art direction, design, illustrations Ben Koller – drums, percussion Nate Newton – bass, guitars, backing vocals Chelsea Wolfe – vocals, guitars, production, engineering Ben Chisholm – synthesizer, piano, electronics, bass, production, engineering
Additional contributors Stephen Brodsky – guitars, bass, additional vocals, production, engineering Magnus Lindberg – mastering Zach Weeks – engineering assistance Emily Birds – photography Aaron Horkey – logo illustration Ashley Rose – costume design
Charts + Chart performance for Bloodmoon: I Chart (2022) Peakposition
References
External links Official Converge Website