Converge is a smart, aggressive, brutal quintet. They are an absolute cataclysm of noise that sounds like contact mics were stuffed in a bass drum and tossed down the side of a mountain. Very clever, disorienting time swaps, extensive riffage. An actual racket, swirling and careening as the band takes turns possessing and being possessed by their own instruments. Converge are so full of intelligence, skill and intensity that it’s simply masterful.

We like taco bell and white castle.

While Loma Prieta’s sound is difficult to describe, it is clear that they come from the rich tradition of creative Bay Area hardcore bands such as Mohinder, Funeral Diner, Bread and Circuits, Yaphet Kotto, and Indian Summer. Eschewing sub-genres in favor of organically writing songs that are personally fulfilling, each Loma Prieta record is substantially different from the last. Nonetheless, Loma Prieta have managed to forge a distinctive form of expression that is entirely their own.