Bloodmoon: I

Bloodmoon: I is the tenth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, and a collaboration album with Chelsea Wolfe. It was released on November 19, 2021, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc, the band's first studio album in four years since 2017's The Dusk in Us.^[5] Converge's longtime collaborator Stephen Brodsky and Wolfe's longtime collaborator Ben Chisholm also contributed. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon. It was met with universal critical acclaim, receiving an average score of 89 based on 10 reviews aggregated by Metacritic.^[6]

Bloodmoon: I
Studio album by Converge and Chelsea Wolfe
Released	November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)
Recorded	2019–2020
Studio	GodCity, Salem, Massachusetts
Genre	Hardcore punk^[1] sludge metal^[1] symphonic metal^[2] post-metal^[2] doom metal^[3] gothic metal^[4]
Length	58:42
Label	Epitaph Deathwish
Producer	Kurt Ballou Jacob Bannon Stephen Brodsky Ben Chisholm Chelsea Wolfe
Converge chronology
Beautiful Ruin (2018) Bloodmoon: I (2021)
Chelsea Wolfe chronology
Birth of Violence (2019) Bloodmoon: I (2021) X (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2022)
Singles from Bloodmoon: I
"Blood Moon" Released: September 27, 2021 "Coil" Released: November 3, 2021

Background

The album was preceded in 2016 by Blood Moon, in which Converge united with Wolfe and her collaborator Ben Chisholm as well as former Converge member and longtime collaborator Stephen Brodsky of Cave In and Steve Von Till of Neurosis to perform classic Converge songs live in an atmospheric post-rock style.^[7] All of the aforementioned except Von Till reunited to record Bloodmoon: I. Bannon stated, "These songs were written by seven people. Not only shaped by the seven, but we're all in that mix together — more so than any other Converge record."^[7] The lineup began working on the album in late 2019, but in 2020, due to COVID, the rest of the album was finished remotely.^[5]

Release and promotion

On September 28, 2021, Converge announced the album, including its tracklist and cover art, and released the title single "Blood Moon", accompanied by a video for the song.^[8] On November 3, Converge released the song "Coil" available for streaming.^[9] The collaborative act performed its first Bloodmoon shows in April 2022 in Boston and New York, with Caspian opening.^[10]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.4/10^[11]
Metacritic	89/100^[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The A.V. Club	9.1/10^[12]
Beatsperminute.com	66.6%^[13]
The Guardian	^[14]
Kerrang!	5/5^[15]
Louder Sound	^[16]
Pitchfork	5.3/10^[17]
PopMatters	9/10^[3]
Punknews.org	^[4]
The Skinny	^[18]

Bloodmoon: I was met with universal critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 89 based on 10 reviews.^[6]

Accolades

Year-end lists

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Decibel	Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2021	7	^[19]
Kerrang!	The 50 Best Albums of 2021: Staff List	10	^[20]
Loudwire	The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021	13	^[21]
Revolver	25 Best Albums of 2021	6	^[22]
Rolling Stone	The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2021	5	^[23]
Metal Hammer	The 50 Best Albums of 2021	7

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Blood Moon"	7:50
2.	"Viscera of Men"	5:29
3.	"Coil"	6:08
4.	"Flower Moon"	4:38
5.	"Tongues Playing Dead"	4:12
6.	"Lord of Liars"	3:23
7.	"Failure Forever"	4:01
8.	"Scorpion's Sting"	5:46
9.	"Daimon"	7:00
10.	"Crimson Stone"	6:42
11.	"Blood Dawn"	3:33
Total length:		58:42

Personnel

Converge & Chelsea Wolfe

• Kurt Ballou – guitars, bass, backing vocals, production, mixing, engineering
• Jacob Bannon – vocals, bass, production, engineering, art direction, design, illustrations
• Ben Koller – drums, percussion
• Nate Newton – bass, guitars, backing vocals
• Chelsea Wolfe – vocals, guitars, production, engineering
• Ben Chisholm – synthesizer, piano, electronics, bass, production, engineering

Additional contributors

• Stephen Brodsky – guitars, bass, additional vocals, production, engineering
• Magnus Lindberg – mastering
• Zach Weeks – engineering assistance
• Emily Birds – photography
• Aaron Horkey – logo illustration
• Ashley Rose – costume design

Charts

Chart performance for Bloodmoon: I

Chart (2022)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[24]	59

References

1. "The Weekly Injection: New Releases From Converge/Chelsea Wolfe, Obscura, Exodus, And More Out Today – 11/19". Metal Injection. November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
2. Monger, James Christopher. Converge - Bloodmoon: I at AllMusic
3. Morgan, Tom (November 17, 2021). "Converge: Bloodmoon: I (Album Review)". popmatters.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
4. Rosso, Eric (November 29, 2021). "Converge - Bloodmoon: I". pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
5. Converge Announces Collaborative Album 'Bloodmoon: I' Feat. Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm and Stephen Brodscky. September 28, 2021. Blabbermouth.net.
6. Bloodmoon: I at Metacritic  
7. "Converge Unite with Chelsea Wolfe and Cave In's Steve Brodsky — but Don't Call Them a Supergroup". exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
8. Hadusek, Jon (September 28, 2021). "Converge and Chelsea Wolfe Announce New Collaborative Album, Share "Blood Moon": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
9. "Converge Drop Spiraling Dark New Song 'Coil'". Loudwire. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
10. Breihan, Tom (February 1, 2022). "Converge To Play Bloodmoon Shows In Boston & NYC". Stereogum. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
11. "Bloodmoon: I by Converge reviews". www.anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
12. Dowd, A.A (November 18, 2021). "Album review: Converge's Bloodmoon brings fresh, well, blood". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
13. Johnston, Andy (November 19, 2021). "Album Review: Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Bloodmmoon: I". beatsperminute.com. Beatsperminute.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
14. Mills, Matt (November 19, 2021). "Converge & Chelsea Wolfe: Bloodmoon: I review – an explosive combination". www.theguardian.com. Guardian News. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
15. Thomas, Olly (November 19, 2021). "Album review: Converge – Bloodmoon: I". kerrang.com. Kerrang!. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
16. Deller, Alex (November 19, 2021). "Converge & Chelsea Wolfe's Bloodmoon: I - sonic trailblazers forge a visionary bond". loudersound.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
17. Currin, Grayson Haver (November 19, 2021). "Converge: Bloodmoon: I Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
18. Turner-Heffer, Adam (November 17, 2021). "Converge and Chelsea Wolfe review: Bloodmoon: I". www.theskinny.co.uk. Radge Media. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
19. "Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2021". Decibel. November 18, 2021. from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
20. "The 50 best albums of 2021". Kerrang!. December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
21. "The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021". Loudwire. December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
22. "25 Best Albums of 2021". Revolver. November 25, 2021. from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
23. Epstein, Dan; Grow, Kory; Shteamer, Hank (December 14, 2021). "The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Converge – Bloodmoon: I" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 1, 2022.

External links

• Official Converge Website