The following description comes from the event organizer.

When times are tough, or you’re feeling worn down, you start longing for a life of total peace. A lifewhere there are no fights, arguments or lies; where there is no such thing as disappointment and youractions have no consequences. Some might call it a“fantasy world”. Genre-jumping Belgian trioBrutus call it the “Unison Life”–a phrase that titles their third studio album.Unison Lifeis about all thestuff that wears you down in the first place. It’s the ugliness, the pain, and the acts of bravery that getyou through it all. Beginning with a portrait of contentment and unravelling from there, the album goesinto battle and asks what really counts. In their own words:“Is this Unison Life a hoax? Or a quest?”

Since their formation in 2014, Brutus have made a name for themselves with their restless,emotionally raw rock that traverses the landscape of metal, punk, post-hardcore and beyond–often inthe same song. The three members first met in their hometown of Leuven, where they cut their teethplaying in different local bands. Their influences are wide and varied. Drummer/vocalist StefanieMannaerts–who grew up above a music shop run by her family–is into a variety of genres frompost-metal to electronic music. Bassist Peter Mulders is more of apunk guy, while guitarist StijnVanhoegaerden is into country and more melodic rock. Their diverse tastes come together throughBrutus to create a sound that’s as heavy as it is unexpected, full of beauty and surprises.

From their 2017 debut albumBurst,to 2019’sNest, to releasing a May 2019 performance at theirhometown venue Handelsbeurs Concert Hall as a live album during the pandemic, Brutus has levelledup at every turn. However, it wasn’t untilUnison Lifethat Brutus had the time and space to reallyconsider their direction. “I wanted every song to feel like the last song we’ll ever write,” Mannaertsexplains.“It killed me inside because it’s almost an impossibly high standard, but that was mypersonal goal for this album.It was a two-year questof trying to do better, and I’m very proud of whatwe’ve done together.”

Brutus worked onUnison Lifefor a year and a half,though most of that time was spent hanging out.When they weren’t stuck at home in quarantine they were holed up in their rehearsal space in Ghent,making the most of the free time afforded to them by the pandemic by experimenting, tradinginfluences, talking and cooking together.Between writing sessions, they scoured second-handwebsites for different things–a lot of amps, guitars, basses, a bass synth, effects pedals, even somechimes–to play with.“There was always something new we tried. Not because the song asked for it,or for the sake of it, but because we were experimenting,” says Mulders. “I don't know how this albumwould have sounded if we had to write it between tours and didn’t have as much time to experimentwith the songs.”