I am a big fan of doom metal, sludge metal and a huge Black Sabbath fan. I’m also a fan of ‘70s Metal and Rock (turning out to be the best era of metal with some people). So if I told you there was a band out there that sounds as if Black Sabbath and 1970’s era ZZ Top had a love child, would you believe me? Well believe me friends because it does exist and they are called BRUTUS.
Brutus is a metal/rock band from Oslo, Norway. “Wandering Blind” is the bands first full length album since forming in 2007. This is some serious 1970’s blues metal throwback goodness.
Brutus has the 70’s blues rock thing down. They have the blues/metal guitar rhythm. They have the squealing guitar solos. They have the sludgy sound to many of their tracks. They have the right lo-fi tone to the vocals ( and overall sound). One of the coolest (and creepiest) aspects of Brutus is how much vocalist Nils Joakim Stenby sounds so much like a young Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath).
For me, that’s one of the keys to what makes this Brutus album work. It is well performed, well made and well produced but it’s not overproduced like so much music of today. It holds on to some grit. It is intended to have that ‘70s vibe. It works. This stuff was made in 2015/2016 yet if you played it for someone who didn’t know better, it sounds as though it was made in the 1970’s.
So if you are a fan of 70’s Rock and Metal with bands like Black Sabbath, ZZ Top or even Blue Cheer, check out Brutus’ album “Wandering Blind”. You will dig it. Even the album art harkens that 1970’s era and it is awesome.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Brutusband