With their third full-length release Belgian post-metal trio Brutus continue to impress by effortlessly flying between genres, from swirling atmospheres with clean, melodic vocals to throat shedding, cathartic chaos all while feeling cohesive and confident in its identity.
Leading the charge on Brutus‘ third full-length Unison Life is drummer/vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts, a rare combination of technical expertise and purposeful restraint. With a voice that transforms elegantly from angelic to thunderous, backed appropriately with black metal inspired, double kick blast beats and polyrhythmic, math-rock flourishes or tasteful chimes and percussion. Each band member is uniquely inspired to bring something different to Unison Life, from Mannaerts’ varied metal and electronic background to bassist Peter Mulders’ punk edge and guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden’s Nashville-tuned Americana and melodic rock influence.
The album’s opener ‘Miles Away’ is a true break from form for Brutus, being the only track of their career so far without drums. Its subtle, slow-burn synth soundscape layered with reverb-drenched vocals is jarringly interrupted by distorted guitar power chords, just as quickly fading back into blissful calm, only being disturbed again by pummelling, punk inspired track ‘Brave’. With lyrical content that breaks down the pain of suffering in silence via lines like “I wouldn’t mind just blending in/ It would be great to be a part of it/ Another day in this cage of glass/ Looking up is just too much to ask“, ‘Brave’ is both one of the album’s heaviest and intimately relatable songs.
One of the real highlights of the album is the track ‘What Have We Done’. With a mellow, clean guitar and almost whispered vocal intro mirroring the lyrical themes of regret and falling back into patterns of negative behaviour, eventually building to a grandiose post-rock crescendo. Another absolute standout from the album is post-hardcore influenced single ‘Dust’ with a gloomy guitar intro reminiscent of a Western theme that launches headfirst into Mannaerts’ blast beats and growls with a soaring, melodic lead guitar and thumping punk rock bassline.
Lead single ‘Liar’ showcases Brutus’ desire to experiment on the album brought on while writing the album quarantining in their Ghent rehearsal space. With some interesting production techniques and instrumentation not heard on their previous works. Small touches like the synth line heard in the background of the track’s breakdown, the chimes and extra percussion in the more mellow moments or the tremolo effect on the vocals at the end of the bridge. This is Brutus at their most intentional, pure and deliberate.
In the time since their last album, 2019’s critically acclaimed Nest, Brutus’ sound has matured. The unexpected upside of working on Unison Life during the pandemic was time to experiment, adding a new layer to the fog of atmosphere with more slow-burn, contemplative songs alongside breakneck metal and post-hardcore. The end result is paradoxically their most stripped back yet complex record, their most calculated, raw and authentic work to date.