A striking combination of metal, alt and post-punk, Belgian band Brutus are known for their intense lyrics and rollercoaster musical style that takes you from moody and haunting one minute to ferocious and aggressive the next.
Brutus is made up of Stefanie Mannaerts (vocals, drums), Stijn Vanhoegaerden, (guitar) and Peter Mulders (bass). They started Brutus in 2013 in Belgium, after meeting in the band circuit in Leuven. Mannaerts and Mulders had played together in the Refused tribute band Refused Party Program, and Mannaerts had played with Vanhoegaerden in the hard rock band Starfucker.
Mannaerts grew up in an apartment above a music store owned by her family, and she used to sneak down to the store at night to play the instruments. And while she's a ferocious drummer that makes it look much easier than it is, Mannaerts' first instrument of choice was the piano. She discovered her love for drums at 14 while visiting a friend's house, as she told Revolver Magazine: "I came over and thought we were going to play with Barbies or talk about boys, but there was a drum set standing in the middle of their living room. I was like, 'Can you teach me something?' She did, and at that moment I decided, 'OK, this is what I'm going to do.'"
Mannaerts started out as a drummer, but in Brutus' early days, she was filling in as a temporary vocalist until they found someone. That key member never materialized, and Mulders and Vanhoegaerden talked her into taking the role herself.
After spending a few years playing various festivals, Brutus released their debut album Burst in 2017. Burst caught the attention of several notable heavy metal players, including Lars Ulrich of Metallica, who invited Brutus to a Metallica show in Antwerp so he could meet them.
Burst was followed by their sophomore album Nest (2019), which features their hit single "War." Their next album, Live in Ghent, was recorded after returning home from touring to promote their first two albums, and was released to critical acclaim.
Brutus will head out on tour in 2023, performing concerts and festival sets throughout Europe.
