Converge is it.

Converge is a band that has dramatically impacted my life and my view of music. For those who don't know, Converge is a hardcore/metal band that has legions of fans in the "underground" but has not and probably will never reach mainstream success. For me they are the epitome of what a band should be, and I would like to break down the reasons why I believe this.

• Sonically they have a sound that is truly unique. To music listeners who are unfamiliar with a harder and darker tone to music, I can see how Converge could be lumped in with all the other "hard" bands. However, to people to enjoy screaming and a harder edge in music Converge has a sound that is so unique and progressive that they stand as kings.
• Visually this band is everything that is right with the music industry. Jake Bannon, the vocalist, does all of the art for the band. He is a professor of art when not touring with Converge or other projects. The artwork for the Jane Doe album is a common tattoo for Converge fans, and his style is so distinct that liner art and other albums work also gets chosen for tattoos and is easily noticeable. The music video for Eagles Will Become Vultures (the best of their videos) is perhaps one of the most perfect pieces of film ever, and hardly anyone has seen it. If you do not appreciate loud, hard, screamy music I understand, but please check out the artwork for this band, it is without question amazing. The fact that the band devotes so much of itself to the artwork and imagery surround the project speaks volumes as to the complete package of true art that Converge is, and other bands are not.
• Lyrically Converge is like a rainbow during a hurricane. The music is super dissonant however the lyrics are extremely positive, cohesive, and beautifully crafted. This is what draws me to this band and I could write pages about their lyrics so I will just say this, lyrically Converge has the enviable ability to say so much with so little, succinct and powerful are the best adjectives that come to mind.
  
• Ethically empowered. Converge might as well be spelled DIY. Jake Bannon is co-founder and operator of Deathwish Inc., a record label devoted to counter-culture progression and alternative music. Kurt Ballou, guitarist, owns and operates GodCity Studios where the band records, the bands other projects record, and many other band go to have their music made into art. They do their own art, stand for many social causes, and only partner with companies of integrity, among many other traits that make them better than most other bands. Their lyrics, music, and actions are all in synch to make them ethically one of the most righteous bands ever.
  
• History. Converge has been around for nearly 20 years. Never changing who they are or what they stand for to "bust into the mainstream." Converge will most likely never have their video played on MTV unless at 2am, they will never be featured in a TV show unless as unknown background music, they will not likely reach mainstream radio play or sell out concerts at major arenas. Because of who they are and what they do this is their fate, and something tells me they would have it no other way. In the 20 years they have been around they have released 7 full lengths, a bakers dozen or so of EPs/Demos/Vinyl/Splits, 1 DVD, and been apart of other musical projects such as Doomriders, Old Man Gloom, Bane, Supermachiner, Cave In, and various other bands and solo projects. They are constantly contributing their art to the world.

In essence Converge is the most powerful band ever, and defines that word. Powerful.