This album features 14 rare and out-of-print early tracks from Converge, the masters of modern, slit-your-wrists, terrifying metal. All the tracks have been remixed and remastered, so the sound is nothing less than satisfactory. There are some tracks that were previously unreleased and a bunch of demo tracks that were recorded previous to the release of When Forever Comes Crashing. Finally, there are two quick live tracks recorded in California in December of 2001. If one follows along with the music and notices when it was released, one can hear Jake Bannon's vocals progress and become further refined toward the later material. Lyrically, the songs are overwhelming, as is the case with most Converge material, and while there are a few numbers that have some more melodic, softer parts, they usually don't last for long. While Unloved and Weeded Out doesn't seem to have the power and finesse displayed on releases like Jane Doe, it still brings the metal just about as hard and heavy as ever. This is surely a must-have for all fans of the almighty Converge. ~ Kurt Morris
