It’s been a long time coming but prog-metallers Brutai are finally releasing their debut album Born! Mixing expansive vocal harmonies with technical wizardry, if you love big choruses, this is the record for you.
You can listen to it below now before its full release on November 25 and read Metal Hammer’s full Born review.
To give you a sense of what Brutai are really all about, and to provide insight into the album’s darker themes, keyboardist and vocalist Alex Lorimer gives us a track-by-track rundown of the entire album.
Relapse
“This song swings like a pendulum from both ends of the Brutai spectrum. It goes from incredibly serene to all-out chaos and then back again in a flash. Lyrically it’s about experiences of friends and family relapsing and being in and out of rehab for many different issues, whether it’s driven by success or depression, the pressures resulted in them turning to drug, gambling and alcohol addiction.”
Deep
“This song only just snuck on the album at the 11th hour; we felt it was was the weakest track until we added the keys and vocals, then it instantly became something completely different. It really shows the pop-y edge of our writing. Lyrically this one is about writer’s block, which was something Felix and I struggled with on many occasions. Sometimes it would just click and then we’d spend weeks waiting to get our mojo back. It was a very frustrating process at times but when that spark came back, having stuck at it for so long, it was very much worth it.”
Of Ashes
“This is one of the heavier songs on the album; it’s quite dark and twisted in a way, but still maintains the catchy feel in places that we love. I kind of see this song as a prequel to the border. It’s about living in a place ruled by a tyrant who wants to destroy all that opposes him. It’s quite topical as certain parts of the world are in a really bad way and it’s something as human beings we are all quite interested in and concerned with.”
Lucidity
“This is one of Henry’s songs, I think if you know Henry as a musician you’d know in a heartbeat that it was his. I can’t quite put my finger on it but he has a sound that you don’t hear too often, he always goes to the opposite place my mind wants the song to go, but it is such a refreshing change up. Aside from the overall writing, the drums and some of the vocal arrangements really steal this song for me. Lyrically it’s about depression and anxiety, and overcoming them. Some of us were having some pretty personal battles when writing the album and it actually ties in a bit to the lyrics from Deep – if you are not in the right place mentally, it just isn’t going to happen.”
Valediction
“I love this song so much. This truly is an epic journey and every time I listen to it I get to the end and feel like I’ve watched a fantasy film. I’d say it’s probably the most proggy track on the album and we’ve really pushed the boundaries in terms of a mature sound. There are great little electronic sections that you don’t see anywhere else and it really is a rollercoaster of a journey. The lyrics reflect this feel with a very dark fantasy tale being told. It’s about two people on a downward spiral, battling so many demons in their lives and trying to fight to make it into a dream realm, but they both are afraid that one may make it and the other won’t, as the only thing they have worth going on for is each other.”
Never Change
“Another very commercially-viable record. We all grew up on such a varied diet of music and that is really reflected in the album with some heavier songs and other songs in a more ‘rock’ category. This one’s about someone who is having a personal battle with issues that plague their life. They want to make a change but cannot summon it from within themselves to begin to make it. Something a lot of people suffer with, and it’s far easier said than done.”
Dear Emily
“The title is the pseudonym for a girl who had a rough upbringing, locked away and abused. It follows her battle with trying to overcome that abuse. This song is again on both ends of the Brutai spectrum, with really heavy techy parts and then a big soaring chorus. The end of this song is a real highlight with the huge production of vocals and synths fading out.”
Over Now
“This is a really dark love song, painting two sides of a story about someone wanting to take their life, and their lover’s pain of having to accept that is what they want. It’s the most pop-y track on the album it was the only song that completely started as synths and was built from there. Again it’s another huge vocal production with eight voices creating a wall of sound. It also features an epic 32-bar solo by Henry, where I just imagine him stood atop a mountain with his locks blowing everywhere – the only problem is he cut his hair recently!”
Visitors
“This song is about something we are all seeing day in/day out, but particularly regarding the gentrification of Denmark Street. Henry lost his job there due to the redevelopment of the area and Felix’s is in the balance. When the protesters moved in, and while many hearts where in the right place, others seemed to just want to make a nuisance and almost defeated the point of protesting. This song takes a look at the story from both sides of the equation. It’s a heavier, faster tempo song, but with that standard Brutai hooky chorus.”
The Border
“This song is a showcase of everything the band stands for musically. It’s a seven-minute epic that exhibits crazy time-signatures, huge synths, epic riffs, ridiculous amounts of vocal layering and tells the monumental journey of a person taking the decision to try and escape a tyrant’s rule, and leaving everything and everyone they love behind. Lyrically it continues on from the situation described in Of Ashes. The song ends with a huge chorus with up to ten vocal parts at once creating a wall of harmony that plays out to the end, as the other instruments drop out. As they fall silent it’s a beautiful moment and draws this sense of satisfaction as you reflect on everything.”
Brutai’s debut album Born is out 25 November, via Transcend Music.
