Review Summary: Another of those "maturity albums"
Juxtapose gritty female vocals, bass-pounding punk rhythms, furious drums, and guitar that oscillates between shoegaze, post-hardcore, post-rock, and something resembling tremolo coming out of black metal. The result is Brutus, Belgium's finest when it comes to guitar music that doesn't use shrieking as a means of communication. The Leuven-based's previous studio albums -
Burst and
Nest - saw the Belgian trio gain widespread admiration for their fiery and emotionally charged mix of sludge heaviness and pop melodies.
On their new album
Unison Life, the basic formula doesn't change much: the same elements are more or less present, but the general tempo makes this third opus different from its predecessors. Slower and less frantic, there remain few traces of the punk fury that characterised the band at the beginning. If that's at the expense of the fresh energy that was the band's lifeblood, it's nevertheless allowing this third opus to be their most accomplished and coherent one to date. Sure, some tracks of the band's back catalog were eminently fun despite (or because of) their messy character. On
Unison Life, each tune seems to have benefited from increased attention to the songwriting.
"Liar" acts as a bridge between what the band used to be and what it is now: starting with a twisted guitar riff and a roaring bass, it takes off into a chorus supported by an ethereal guitar testifying to the band's love for post-rock. These elements have always been present in the band's formula, but what contrasts with past efforts is the absence of those short bursts of energy that are effective but can catch you off guard. Brutus seem to have realised that cramming violent interludes into the middle of a classically-composed song does not necessarily work every time.
Unison Life thus features some of the band's most radio-friendly songs: "Victoria" clearly acts as the one show-winner track with its shoegaze guitar line and chorus that brings back the anthemic aspect of alternative rock. Also a witness of this evolution, "What Have We Done" is nothing but one of those power ballads that every rock band must have in its repertoire - but the twist here is that the song very clearly draws its construction from post-metal tropes. The heaviness is thus still present: drummer/vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts especially tries out some rougher than usual vocal tones. Likewise, the duo of guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden and bassist Peter Mulders offer some of their most typical sludge moments - it's impossible not to think of post-metal when listening to the finale of closer "Desert Rain".
Resolutely at the intersection of post-hardcore, alternative rock, shoegaze, and sludge inspirations,
Unison Life is, for lack of better words (and available talent from this very writer), Brutus' maturity album, with everything good (and bad) that comes with it. Does it lose some of the batshit craziness of its predecessors? Yes, but it also doesn't lose itself along the way. Does it play at less visceral levels? Yes, but it's built in such a way that consistency is its primary attribute. So whether you prefer
Unison Life over the first two records, now that's a debate between you and yourself. Brutus have done everything they
had to do: craft another album, and fill it with bangers that bring the old Brutus vibe while hinting at what the future Brutus will be.
