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The Belgian trio has once again demonstrated their absolute power with their second album. They have the speed and energy of a punk band, but you can’t help but feel the metal tone underlining the album. If I had to describe then I would call it shakingly vibrant. The album constantly feels like it’s shaking and you definitely hear the vibrations of each song reach your eardrums and rock your whole body. Every song on Nest is an absolute banger.
Stefanie’s vocals and Stijn’s guitar blend so well with each other that I couldn’t tell you which was made to top off the other and even if you could tell me I would be doubtful that it is one way or another. The vocals and guitar don’t follow one and other, they are each other. You can feel this in “Django” and “Distance”. Somehow as fast as most of the album is, I can’t say it's intense because it's too mesmerizing to be that. This album forces you into whatever emotion or mood Brutus wants you to feel. Despite this, the lyrics for most of the songs lose their meaning or just feel nonsensical. This is especially true in “Sugar Dragon”. It's hard to tell what exactly is being said and it kind of feels like a different language to some extent. Whether that matters or hurts the music is still up for debate, however, it is certainly evident Brutus’s gift isn’t powerful lyrics. I don’t think it really hurts the music, but I do feel that more meaningful lyrics could improve Brutus as a band.
The album starts off with “Fire”. This song is one of the slowest ones on the album, and for a good reason. This song reeks of desperation that doesn’t hold up for one second. Fire transitions from each section seamlessly (thanks to the wonderful guitar) while still carrying the same emotions.
“Fire” is followed by “Django”. The title means to awaken, and I can say with full confidence this is where the album truly shines. This song fully displays the true power of Stefanie’s drumming and Peter’s bass as they lead this song to a devastating beat while the vocals become erratic and change constantly.
“Cemetery” is one of the few Brutus tracks that screams attitude. The song feels bold and it doesn’t let up for a single second. The vocals are assertive and the drumbeat absolutely backs it up. “Cemetery” is a unique song that does what it wants because it can. Techno is likely my least favorite song on Nest. It's slow and it doesn’t feel like it’s conveying all that it wanted to.; there is simply something missing from it. As well as something that doesn’t need to be there: in the middle of the song, a single line gets lightly repeated over and over with a light beat in the background, This would be fine if the rest of the song went along with this vibe. At the end of the day, it feels out of place.
Carry does a wonderful job of showing off Brutus ability to almost suddenly to change the tone of the song. Around a ⅓ of the way the song already feels like it just climaxed, but it isn't done yet. The song remains unpredictable but at the same time, it is incredibly easy to follow along with. War is arguably the best song on the entire album. It gives off powerful vibes of despair and anger. The song begins with a somber mood before it moves into an aggressive guitar. It then climaxes excellently and then moves into a parrel of the first part of the song, but this time filled with wrath.
Blind is a nice break from Brutus normal heavy style. It plays very smoothly and lightly while having a beat that is uniquely catchy. It doesn’t really stand out among some of the other songs on this album. Distance is likely my second favorite song on this album. It’s slow, but it's unrelenting. It's powerful, daunting and it carries different energy from any of the other songs on the album. It’s a unique song for Brutus, but at the same time, it feels like the exact kind of thing that you’d expect from them.
Space is a sort of like a continuous rhythm that continues to change over time. It sounds beautiful, but it’s underwhelming. This is partly due to the unclear lyrics. It certainly isn’t bad, but it doesn’t pack the same punch as other songs. Remember what I said about Brutus not feeling intense, well forget that because “Horde V” is intense. It’s fast and light. The guitar becomes lighter and heavier constantly in the middle of a riff, but what really tops it off is the lightning quick drumming. “Space Dragon” ends the album and I couldn’t have asked for a better song to end it. From beginning to end “Space Dragon” is an odyssey. It just feels like a journey without words or pictures. It’s hard to put into words, but it just sucks you in.
Brutus is unique and so is their second album. I got more than I expected with this, it is easily on par with the Burst if not better. Genre-blending doesn’t do justice with Brutus, it feels like they melted down the genres and mixed them together then they poured it out into their own unique mold that clearly spells out Brutus.
TLDR: This Album is amazing if you want something to take your breath away with its aesthetic while remaining incredibly fast. It’s unique and amazing, but it has some low points and part that could have been improved upon.
8.5/10
Album: Nest
Artists: Brutus
Label: Sargent House
Listen if You Fuck With: A Perfect Circle, Propagandhi, The Rebel Spell
Album Album: ://open.spotify.com/album/4iAFMr0roXFZLFALz8oOEr
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