Album Reviews
Following a triptych of 7” releases, Belgium’s Brutus is about to unleash their debut full-length upon the unsuspecting masses. Recorded in Vancouver with Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung), “Burst” comes with 11 songs that will do exactly what the title promises. Make your eardrums burst.
The atmospheric three-piece, consisting of vocalist/drummer Stefanie Mannaerts, guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden and bassist Peter Mulders, is hell-bent on blurring the lines between everything from punk and indie to hardcore and post-rock. And not only have they succeeded in doing just that on “Burst”, they also created a sound that is all their own. They are at their best when Stefanie is belting away while leisurely playing a blast beat. Meanwhile Stijn likes to whip up riffs that combine the atmospherics of a post-rock band with a hardcore urgency and which merge beautifully with Peter’s teeth-rattling basslines.
If you have already been lucky enough to see this three-piece live, you know that Brutus onstage is equal parts energy, beauty and noise. Something they have managed to capture perfectly on “Burst”. The album starts off with the jagged “March”, goes full throttle on tracks like single “All Along”, “Not Caring” and “Horde II”, takes a more ethereal approach on “Justice De Julia II” and gets downright epic on the album’s centerpiece, “Drive”. Sure, you could make a case that it all has a similar vibe if you really wanted to. But when the result sounds this good, who fucking cares?
Track listing:
- March
- All Along
- Not Caring
- Justice De Julia II
- Drive
- Bird
- Crack/Waste
- Looking For Love On Devils Mountain
- Horde II
- Baby Seal
- Child
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
