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No Heroes

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For the Humble Gods album, see No Heroes (Humble Gods album).
No Heroes
Studio album by
Converge
ReleasedOctober 23, 2006[1]
StudioGodCity Studio, Salem
Genre
Length41:37
LabelEpitaph
ProducerKurt Ballou
Converge chronology
You Fail Me
(2004) 		No Heroes
(2006) 		Axe to Fall
(2009)

No Heroes is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 23, 2006 by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.

No Heroes reached number 151 on the Billboard 200, and also topped the Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 13 on the Independent Albums chart.

Musical style and theme

[edit]

In early July 2006, Converge's official website announced the album's title of the album, as well as the meaning behind it: "These days, cowards outnumber the heroes, and the begging souls outweigh the calloused hands of the hardest of workers. Both in life and in art, the lack of passion is sickening, and the lust for complacency is poisonous. This album is the artistic antithesis of that sinking world; a thorn in the side of their beast. It's for those who move mountains one day at a time. It's for those who truly understand sacrifice. In our world of enemies, we will walk alone..."[7]

In an interview with Alex Gosman of Crossfire, the band talked about the album's theme, or therefore lack of one. When asked about the album's title, the band stated, "It's completely pointless [to idolize other people/bands] – but that's not the overall theme of the album: just of the 'No Heroes' song. We thought that title would work well for the record too, but it's not a concept album or anything like that; it's still very much a personal record, written about our experiences over the last couple of years."[8]

Release and promotion

[edit]

No Heroes was released on October 23, 2006 in Europe and October 24, 2006 by Epitaph Records, with a music video for the title track, directed by Ryan Zunkley, being released on the same day.[9] Converge's first headlining tour in support of the album started in November 2006 with Some Girls, Modern Life Is War, Blacklisted, Kylesa, and Gospel.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk89% link
Allmusic[11]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[12]
Drowned in Sound8/10[13]
Exclaim!favorable[14]
Pitchfork Media8.1/10 link
PopMatters8/10[15]
Orlando Weeklyfavorable link
Stylus MagazineB link
Sputnikmusic link

No Heroes was given a rating 8.1 out of 10 by Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media, who said, "Conceptually reminiscent of the way Orthrelm's OV rocked socks within a tight framework, No Heroes is one of the year's most musically cohesive ways to keep pulses beating rapidly." Sam Roudman of Stylus Magazine gave the album a B grade, stating, "As Converge have been instrumental in the expansion of the contemporary hardcore vocabulary—embracing music signifiers previously under the dominion of metal or grind—this return to roots makes this album something of a homecoming."

Notably, No Heroes received a 4.5 out of 5[16] from Sputnikmusic staff reviewer Jared W. Dillon, who said it was "completely successful in delivering a great array of extremely heavy music". However, Nick Butler, another Sputnikmusic staff reviewer, gave the album a rating of 1.5 out of 5,[17] saying, "if No Heroes isn't the worst album I've heard in 2006, it's certainly the least enjoyable". Despite this being one of the only instances where two of the site's reviewers considerably disagreed with each other, No Heroes was later named the best album of 2006 by Sputnikmusic staff.

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Jacob Bannon; all music is composed by Converge.[18]

No.TitleLength
1."Heartache"1:43
2."Hellbound"1:07
3."Sacrifice"1:37
4."Vengeance"0:58
5."Weight of the World"1:25
6."No Heroes"3:43
7."Plagues"4:43
8."Grim Heart/Black Rose"9:34
9."Orphaned"1:39
10."Lonewolves"2:18
11."Versus"2:09
12."Trophy Scars"4:59
13."Bare My Teeth"2:02
14."To the Lions"3:40

Personnel

[edit]

Chart performance

[edit]
Chart (2006) Peak

position

Japanese Album Chart[19] 155
UK Album Chart[20] 186
US Billboard 200[21] 151
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[22] 1
US Billboard Independent Albums[21] 13

References

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  1. ^ "Converge 'No Heroes' on Epitaph Records". Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "No Heroes - Converge | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  3. ^ "Album review: Converge – No Heroes". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  4. ^ Cory, Ian (October 21, 2016). "Converge's 'No Heroes' Turns 10". Invisible Oranges. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  5. ^ Lee, Cosmo (October 29, 2009). "Axe to Fall Review". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  6. ^ "Metal Storm Awards 2006 - Metal Storm". Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "CONVERGECULT.COM". 2006-07-21. Archived from the original on 2006-07-21. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  8. ^ "Converge Interview | Interviews | Caught in the Crossfire". www.caughtinthecrossfire.com. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  9. ^ Deathwishinc (2006-12-07), CONVERGE "No Heroes", archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2017-02-02
  10. ^ Punknews.org (25 September 2006). "Tours: Converge / Some Girls / Modern Life Is War / Blacklisted / Kylesa / Gospel". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  11. ^ Apar, Corey. "Review of No Heroes". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  12. ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
  13. ^ Diver, Mike (October 23, 2006). "Review of No Heroes". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  14. ^ Deneau, Max (November 2006). "Review of No Heroes". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  15. ^ Begrand, Adrien (December 12, 2006). "Review of No Heroes". PopMatters. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  16. ^ "Converge - No Heroes (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  17. ^ "Converge - No Heroes (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. 2006-12-28. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  18. ^ a b c d e No Heroes (CD booklet). Converge. Los Angeles, California: Epitaph Records. 2006. 86827–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "コンヴァージのアルバム売上ランキング". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  20. ^ "Chart Log UK: Chris C. - CZR". zobbel.de. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  21. ^ a b "Axe to Fall – Converge". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  22. ^ "Converge - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
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