Belgian post-hardcore band Brutus will present its latest work in Italy Unison Lifereleased last year, in three unmissable bargains: Saturday 21 October 2023 at the Kroen Paint Works in Verona, Sunday 22 October at the MONK in Rome e Monday 23 October at the Legend Club in Milan. I tickets for concerts are already available at Do It Yourself Ticket (Verona), Says (Rome), Ticketone e Ticketmaster (Milan); to access the concert in Verona, in addition to the ticket you will need the AICS membership card.
Since their formation in 2014, the Brutus have made a name for themselves with their restless and emotionally raw rock that cuts across the metal, punk and post-hardcore landscape, often in the same song. The three members first met in their hometown of Leuven, where they cut their teeth playing in several local bands. Their influences are wide and varied. The drummer/singer Stefanie Mannaerts, who grew up above a music shop run by his family, loves a variety of genres, from post-metal to electronic music. The bass player Peter Muldersis more punk, while the guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden loves country and more melodic rock. Their different tastes come together in the Brutus to create a sound as heavy as it is unexpected, full of beauty and surprises.
Starting with the 2017 debut album Burst via Nest of 2019 and reaching the release during the pandemic of a live album recorded at the Handelsbeurs Concert Hall in their hometown, the Brutus have risen in level with each new work. However, until the last release at Unison Life had not had time to reflect on their future developments. "I wanted every song to sound like the last one we would ever write," explains Mannaerts. "It killed me inside because it's an incredibly high standard, but it was my personal goal for this album. It was a two-year quest to try to do better and I'm very proud of what we did together."
The band worked on Unison Life for a year and a half, although he spent most of that time on the road. When not stuck at home for quarantine, the trio holed up in their rehearsal room in Ghent, making the most of the free time allowed by the pandemic to experiment, exchange influences, talk and cook together. In between writing sessions, they scoured websites of second-hand items for different things - lots of amps, guitars, basses, a bass synthesiser, effects pedals, even some tubular bells - to play with. The result is an album of extremes. The heavy parts are even heavier than before and the delicate moments are more melodic than ever.
