hailing from Salem, Massachusetts, Converge is virtually a genre unto themselves. In 1990, guitarist Kurt Ballou and vocalist Jacob Bannon were just “hardcore kids with left-over Slayer riffs” who decided to form a band. The sound that would result from their marriage of hardcore and thrash would become one of the earliest examples of what is now known as metalcore.

There is really no way to overstate the influence that Converge has had on thousands of bands since, but it is telling that Ballou is now one of the most sought-after producers in all of metal. Working out of his own God City Studios, the guitarist has attached his name to some of the biggest and most revered metal records of the last 25 years.

Today’s edition of Massive Metal Monday examines the conjoined songs “Precipice” and “All We Love We Leave Behind” from Converge’s most recent studio album 2012’s All We Love We Leave Behind.