Jane Doe (album)
Encyclopedia
Jane Doe is the fourth album by American hardcore
band Converge
. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records
. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's artwork.
icon". She is not based on any original model. Deathwish Inc. has announced the release of a double vinyl version of the album, which has not been available for over six years. It officially became available for pre-order at the Deathwish web store on April 1, 2010.
Guitarist Kurt Ballou
cites Hoover
, Fugazi, and The Jesus Lizard
as influences on the album.
awarded the record Album of the Year status in 2001.
In January 2007, Decibel
magazine certified the album number 35 in the "Decibel Hall of Fame", and later named it the best album of the '00s. J. Bennett writes that "Jane Doe was both a semi-melodic milestone ("Hell to Pay", "Thaw", the title track) and a discordant landmark (everything else), far and away the most crucial metallic hardcore record since Cave In
unleashed Until Your Heart Stops
three years earlier." The album was recorded at Q Division, next door to James Taylor
's recording session. While Kerrang!
stated "With feral blasting, extreme technicality, intense emotion and an overwhelmingly bleak tone... [Jane Doe is an] awe-inspiring listening experience..."
On June 11, 2010, Sputnikmusic
deemed Jane Doe the best album of the decade, earning the #1 spot on its top 100 albums of the decade list.
Guest musicians
Artwork and design
Production and recording history
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
. It was released September 4, 2001 through Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
. The album is credited as Converge's best and has received many positive ratings and much critical acclaim for the band's musical style, lyrics and the album's artwork.
Overview
The artwork was designed by group frontman Jacob Bannon. The cover image "has become Converge's de factoDe facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
icon". She is not based on any original model. Deathwish Inc. has announced the release of a double vinyl version of the album, which has not been available for over six years. It officially became available for pre-order at the Deathwish web store on April 1, 2010.
Guitarist Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
cites Hoover
Hoover (band)
Hoover was an American post-hardcore band from Washington, DC. Formed in 1992, Hoover went on to produce some of the more intense music to appear on the Dischord Records label in the 1990s...
, Fugazi, and The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard was an American alternative rock and noise rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial...
as influences on the album.
Reception
Jane Doe was highly successful.Terrorizer MagazineTerrorizer Magazine
Terrorizer is an extreme music magazine published by Dark Arts Ltd. in the United Kingdom. It is released every four weeks with thirteen issues a year and features a 'Fear Candy' covermount CD, a twice yearly 'Fear Candy Unsigned' CD, and a double-sided poster.-1993:Terrorizer published its first...
awarded the record Album of the Year status in 2001.
In January 2007, Decibel
Decibel magazine
Decibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
magazine certified the album number 35 in the "Decibel Hall of Fame", and later named it the best album of the '00s. J. Bennett writes that "Jane Doe was both a semi-melodic milestone ("Hell to Pay", "Thaw", the title track) and a discordant landmark (everything else), far and away the most crucial metallic hardcore record since Cave In
Cave In
Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...
unleashed Until Your Heart Stops
Until Your Heart Stops
Until Your Heart Stops is the debut album by Metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records.-Background:Despite being the band's second full-length release, Until Your Heart Stops represents the first time Cave In went into a studio to record a full album together...
three years earlier." The album was recorded at Q Division, next door to James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's recording session. While Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
stated "With feral blasting, extreme technicality, intense emotion and an overwhelmingly bleak tone... [Jane Doe is an] awe-inspiring listening experience..."
On June 11, 2010, Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
deemed Jane Doe the best album of the decade, earning the #1 spot on its top 100 albums of the decade list.
Track listing
Personnel
Converge- Kurt BallouKurt BallouKurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
– guitars, vocals, thereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device... - Jacob BannonJacob BannonJacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...
– vocals - Aaron DalbecAaron DalbecAaron Dalbec, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, is the guitarist for Bane and Only Crime.Dalbec, a vegan, is also a former member of Converge and Velocity Engine....
– guitars - Ben KollerBen KollerBen Koller is an American drummer currently in Converge, United Nations, Acid Tiger, and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14.-Early bands:...
– drum kitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Nate NewtonNate Newton (musician)Nate Newton is the bassist in hardcore band Converge.He also plays guitar and sings in two side projects, Old Man Gloom and Doomriders.Before relocating to the Boston area in 1999, he was in the Virginia Beach area hardcore punk bands Lift, Jesuit, Channel, Edison and Dwell...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals, theremin
Guest musicians
- Kevin Baker (The Hope ConspiracyThe Hope ConspiracyThe Hope Conspiracy is a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that formed late 1999. They were picked up by Equal Vision Records and Bridge 9 Records before signing a deal with Deathwish Records.-Biography:...
) – backing vocals - Tre McCarthy (Deathwish Inc.Deathwish Inc.Deathwish, Inc. is a independent record label founded by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy. The label was originally used to release early albums by Bannon's own band Converge starting in late 1991. It wasn't until late 1999 that McCarthy and Bannon discussed turning Deathwish into a full-fledged label...
) – backing vocals - "Secret C" – backing vocals
Artwork and design
- Atomic! ID – art direction and design (Note: Atomic ID is Jacob Bannon's design company. All art direction and design is credited to Bannon on the vinyl reissue.)
Production and recording history
- Fred Archambalt – recording assistant
- Kurt Ballou – recordingRecordingRecording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
, pre-productionPre-productionPre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Jacob Bannon – mixing
- Matt Beaudoin – recording assistant
- Mathew Ellard – recording, mixing
- Alan Douches – mastering
- Andy Hong – pre-production
- Carl Plaster – drum tech
- Recorded at Q Division, God City and Fort Apache
- Mixed at Fort Apache
- Mastered at West West Side
- All recording and mixing was performed in an analog formatAnalog recordingAnalog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information for later playback.Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media...
.