One of a handful of ever reliable bands that really can’t do anything wrong,  pioneering hardcore/noise crew Converge have achieved the musical equivalent of a brain fart and I mean that in the nicest way possible. The boys have written a bunch of brand new songs and they want us to hear them NOW. Never mind keeping them for a new album, let’s get this shit out there – pronto. Beautiful Ruin sees the band exploring their hardcore roots, with 4 songs clocking in at around 7 minutes long.

Permanent Blue kicks off the E.P; with Jacob Bannon delivering some (almost) clean vocals in dare I say it, the style of Ray Cappo, while Ben Koller pummels his kit into submission. This is Converge at their chaotic best. Churches and Jails puts us back in familiar ground with Bannon barking over a typically inspired Ballou riff. Melancholia’s beautifully churning riff, descends into a mid-tempo stomper, before the chaotic ending of Beautiful Ruin almost takes us into grindcore territory

People around Mass Movement, will tell you that Converge come with a curse, one that has befallen many a poor soul affiliated with the Mass familia over the years, so I’m now patiently waiting for bad things to happen to me. But when Converge release something this good, it’s almost worth the risk... Chris Andrews