Two years before their 2019 album Nest ended up on just about every heavy music fan’s year-end list, Belgian power-trio released Burst, an album that blended hardcore, post rock, and shoegaze in just as satisfying proportions as their breakthrough hit.

The only real difference is that Burst had a smaller audience.

Yes, I understand that for most bands, releasing two albums that feel and sound almost identical would be a bad thing. It’s usually the sure sign of a band that is bored and uninspired.

But somehow, Brutus has managed to stumble into an intersection of different genres that is far more fruitful than a single album can handle. Hell, even with both of these albums in my collection, I would love them to release a third album that hits the exact same buttons.

Guitars shift from post rock atmosphere to heavy metal riffage on the turn of a dime. The bass pummels in the low end, while drummer/lead vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts delivers a world class performance in both roles.

“March” opens the album with an angular guitar riff that borders on indie rock, paired with a crushing fuzz bass until the whole band launches into hardcore punk riffage. “All Alone” is almost straightforward d-beat hardcore, save for the reverb-drenched electric guitar line. “Justice de Julia II” opens with an urgent guitar line that gives way to Mannarts’ dramatic vocal melody. It could be a ballad if it weren’t for how much it rips.

“Bird” on the other hand is a proper ballad. It’s at least half the speed of most of the other tracks, but it packs just as much power. Especially when Mannaerts raises her voice to the point of breaking and the bass and guitar follow her energy.

To be honest though, it’s so hard to do a track by track analysis of this album because it rips through the songs with such overwhelming power. The record takes very few breaths, and when it does, it’s hard to catch up before the next onslaught. Its eleven tracks are finished in just 39 minutes, making it a brief but brutal listen. And despite all of its pummeling and violence, it’s an incredibly gorgeous record, hitting the same sort of transcendent metal as Oathbreaker, Deafheaven, and Alcest.

And here’s a bit where the world of vinyl is odd: because the jacket on this was lightly creased, the seller I bought it from listed it $20 less than I’ve usually seen it, so as well as being a great record, this is one of the better bargains I’ve ever gotten.