Beautiful Ruin

Released in 2018, Beautiful Ruin is a four-track EP consisting of material recorded during the sessions for Converge's ninth studio album, The Dusk in Us. Despite being 'leftover' tracks, the EP stands as a vital piece of the band's discography, showcasing their more aggressive and punk-leaning tendencies. Produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio, the EP features the hallmark 'GodCity sound' - a blend of raw, analog warmth and punishing digital clarity. The tracks are notably short, with three of the four clocking in under 90 seconds, emphasizing a 'short, sharp, shock' approach to songwriting. Critically, it was praised for its density and the fact that it felt like a cohesive statement rather than a collection of outtakes. It reinforces Converge's position as the premier architects of modern mathcore, delivering technical complexity without sacrificing the primal energy of hardcore punk.