Belgian trio Brutus have shared a new track from the forthcoming release of their debut album, Burst. Hear "Drive”, available for streaming below.

Sargent House recently signed Brutus to its label and management roster and will soon release the band's debut in North America and the rest of the world in partnership with Hassle Records, the band's European label.

"My reaction was immediate, the second I heard the first track I was hooked and knew I wanted to be part of this band's team," says Cathy Pellow, who also manages such artists as Chelsea Wolfe, Deafheaven, Russian Circles to name just a few.

Hailing from Leuven, Belgium, Brutus create a pummeling, meteor-shower of sound. Vocalist/drummer Stefanie Mannaerts mixes black metal blast beats with math-rock flourishes whilst belting out the most impassioned vocals that shift from deceptively melodic to outright larynx-punishing in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden takes ethereal post-rock tones to hardcore punk levels of speed and energy alongside Peter Mulders' powerful sub-frequency shift. The three conspire to make a sound as monolithic and frantic as it is emotive.

"For this record, I had to dig deep into hidden and guarded emotions," Stefanie reveals. "It's not so easy to sing about myself, so I used the third person. And it's also not easy to drum a blast-beat over a melodic vocal to capture some exact feelings. 'All Along' is for a loved one, a band, the friends around me that are actually able to stand me."

Having gigged rigorously across Belgium, in April 2016 Brutus decamped to Vancouver, BC to record Burst. "We sent an email to Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung), his reply with sushi emoji's was an instant ticket," Stefanie explains. "The time in Canada, living together and working in the studio was refreshing, inspiring, healing and confronting at the same time."

Burst is the perfect title for this debut album, then. "It's the perfect title for me," Stefanie adds. "It's a ball of emotions, ready to burst with frustration and anger. But also with tons of energy, love... everything at once." Trouble comes in threes... and so does Brutus.

Burst will be available digitally worldwide on May 12th and physically on June 30th via Sargent House. Pre-orders for LP/CD via HelloMerch and download via iTunes.

Burst tracklisting:

“March”
“All Along”
“Not Caring”
“Justice De Julia II”
“Drive”
“Bird”
“Crack / Waste”
“Looking For Love On Devils Mountain”
“Horde II”
“Baby Seal”
“Child”

“Drive”:

“All Along”:

Live dates:

May
19 - Middelkerke, Belgium - De Zwerver
26 - The Hague, Netherlands - Sniester Festival

June
10 - Retie, Belgium - Retie Rockt

July
7 - Gloucester, UK - 2000 Trees
14 - Herk-De-Stad, Belgium - Rock Herk
15 - Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
29 - Michelau, Germany - Rock Im Wald

August
13 - Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Festival
19 - Bristol, UK = ArcTanGent Festival

September
2 - Heusden, Netherlands - Misty Fields

(Photo - Eva Vlonk)