I'll just say off the bat I don't consider myself a hardcore kid at all, but I do enjoy a fair amount of the good music from the genre. I recognize though and consider it shameful the high amount of mediocre and often just plain moronic bands in the genre nowadays. Hatebreed, Terror, and Killswitch Engage are unbelievably cliche by this point, and their mob-mentality tactics give a bad name to the scene. To that I say, thank God for Converge and "Jane Doe". The band is intelligent yet aggressive, brutal and direct yet subtle and intricate, and could appeal to non-hardcore kids as well. Listening to this album, its easy to see why this changed the lives of many people from my generation. There really wasn't anything that sounded like this before. The guitars cut away like buzz saws and the addition of the theremin works much better than it should. Unlike many other hardcore bands, the drum work manages to make its presence felt and isn't simply window dressing. The bass isn't immediately noticeable, yet carries the rest of the band. As for the vocals, Jakob Bannon is an acquired taste, but his fury and passion is undeniable. Ultimately, he makes the band. Even when the lyrics are unintelligible (which they often are), the emotion comes through fully. This is definitely the most perfectly conceived album of the modern hardcore era. From the grinding opening of "Concubine" to the cumulation title track, a single note isn't wasted. What Black Flag's "Damaged" was to the 80s and Fugazi's "Repeater" was to the 90s, this is to the 00s.

Converge is really in a league of their own, and this album really shows. I would have to say that I had to "acquire" a taste for this album though. At first, it may sound a bit disorganized or chaotic, but after listening to it more and more, every song is simply intoxicating.

As a drummer, I am blown away by what I am hearing. Especially in songs such as Fault and Fracture, which is by far, in my opinion the best track on the album. If you like this CD, you may not necessarily enjoy the Converge CD's before this, but you will enjoy their other work. But none of it matches Jane Doe. This album is pure gold from track 1 to 12

I always though that hardcore punk and heavy metal were a great combination. On Jane Doe, Converge nail both, everything delivered from each genre without any compromising.

Why is that? It must have to do with those guitars. The riffs are kind of _________ crossover metal, which is known for being metal with obvious punk sounds (you could say that extreme metal has roots in punk, and you'd be right), only, eh, let's say, a bit more metal (give or take). Unlike bands like Killswitch, they don't seem to have that really weird black metal/NWOBHM/Judas Priest like sound, which I consider to be really stale and crappy (and that's a ________ blessing). Their tone is extremely raw and dirty, like hardcore punk. Best of all, the guitars don't sound too thin which really takes away impact. So many of the aforementioned black metal/NWOBHM/Judas Priest-like bands do this, and they sound really boring (worse, so many of them blatantly do this, which is the reason why so many of those bands fail to impress me). The wall of sound is addicting and adds intensity and adrenaline. And they even use the theremin at times, to a useful effect.

The rhythms, must gives props to that. Too many of those samey hardcore metal bands fail at the drums. Too many of them are so damn simple. That really wouldn't bother me normally (if the beat works), but the drums aren't PUMPING. The drums are here. It's technical, but the technical makes a ______load or memorable licks that only make it even more intense and chaotic. Elastic and pumping. The bass is more to blend in, but there's some pumping bass that just _______ rules, like in Bitter and Then Some and Heaven in Her Arms. Love the bass groove on track 4 as well.

That's my best guess and MY interpretation, and genre snobs really do get cracking like idiots. Let em' crack.

And the vocals, sick. Jacob Bannon's vocals never really range to a shill scream that sometimes comes across as a Jaguar. And I did. I did like the lyrics as well. Get them online, because the vocals are very hard to make out.

The songs themselves are full of memorable, ripping, hardcore rhythms, mean riffs, cool lyrics, and an awesome shrill scream. I like the occasional experiments, like The last track (more doomy), Hell To Pay (great groove and explosions), Phoenix in Flight evokes cool imagery. Every song has a different type of structure it seems, and the album will pack plenty of turns and changes to keep you satisfied. Geeze, I'm running at the mouth like verbal __________ as a liquid. I could go on and on, whatever. GET IT, and listen closely. Or just rip one anew. Either one works.

10/10

Loud as hell get this,converge is the heaviest out there this band really has the sounds and screams of death.Get it converge will hit your ears and blow them up this album is a metal masterpiece along with you fail me and heroes!

3 1/2

Jane Doe still may stand as the artsy hardcore group's finest work, but still does not stand as a completely great offering. Although Converge were usually miles ahead of similar bracketed bands in terms of their pure, relentless sonic pursuits of scary loud, this very diverse(for death metal standards) and cohesive disc is still offset by a certain generic originality festering in about half of Jane Doe's less realized structures. Artfully brutal and subtly intelligent enough to stand out amongst much of the guttural nonsense which clogs this scene, vocalist Jacob Bannon's terrifying voice will still only be appreciated by initiates of the pain-as-way-of-singing delivery, save a few brave aural adventurers.