Album Review – [P.U.T] / We Are [Br]others (2019)

An amalgamation of sludge, industrial and punk noises at their finest, brought forth by three brothers who have been delivering first-class music for over 20 years.

Blasting our eras with a raw and dirty fusion of Industrial and Sludge Metal since 1998, Brussels, Belgium and Paris, France-based brothers Loïc Beyet (guitar, voice, programming), Lionel Beyet (bass, programming, voice) and Nicolas Beyet (guitar, voice), collectively known as Industrial Sludge Noise beast [P.U.T], are unleashing upon humanity their sixth full-length opus entitled We Are [Br]others, highly recommended for fans of the noisy music by acts like Sonic Youth, Killing Joke, Godflesh and Neurosis, among several others. Self-recorded between Paris and Brussels, mixed by Loïc at garlic.lab between November 2017 and May 2018, mastered by Alexandre Vitrac, an ex-[P.U.T] member, at Studio CBE in June 2018, and featuring a classy and obscure artwork by French artist Alexis Horellou, We Are [Br]others is the first [P.U.T] album to feature the three Beyet Brothers in the lineup, offering the listener the band’s trademark amalgamation of machine sounds, guitars, noise, sludge, industrial and punk at their finest, overflowing madness, heaviness and anger over the span of 50 minutes.

Their first onrush of distorted sounds, titled In Control, is a metallic fusion of the Industrial Metal played by bands like Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails with the sluggish and “polluted” riffs from classic Sludge Metal where the Beyet Brothers vociferate from the depths of the underworld, and with Lionel also delivering some powerful jabs from his bass. Following such eerie start we have Nothing, even more disruptive and grim than the opening track, a perfect option to be part of the soundtrack to a psychological thriller. Moreover, its guitars sound as raw and venomous as they can be, bringing all the heaviness and madness found in the music by the iconic Ministry, for example. Then putting the pedal to the metal [P.U.T] offer a high-octane mix of modern-day Rock N’ Roll with classic Industrial Metal titled In Conflict, where Loïc and Nicolas are in absolute sync with their riffs while all background voices and sound effects add a touch of lunacy to the music; and the roaring bass lines by Lionel ignite the dark and devilish Down, showcasing pugnacious gnarls and steady, fierce beats that live up to the legacy of Sludge and Stoner Metal the likes of Down (and I dare to say this is not a coincidence at all), all embraced and spiced up by additional orchestral elements. Closing the first half of the album, Opressed is perhaps the most electronic and weird of all tracks, presenting elements from contemporary Electronic Pop and Rock à la Daft Punk and Kraftwerk such as robotic voices and a dancing rhythm, all without forgetting the fury of rock music flowing from its guitars.

I Am Here is a cinematic and very experimental track by [P.U.T], with its wicked noises and futuristic atmosphere invading our senses before the disruptive Angry comes crushing, and that’s exactly how they sound, firing crude, unfiltered riffs from their flammable guitars and grunting rabidly nonstop. Furthermore, this is another interesting hybrid of the vicious music by acts like Ministry and Rob Zombie with the band’s own demented twist. And sounding like unstoppable machines from an assembly line, the trio delivers another vicious song entitled Possesed, where once again the guitars by Loïc and  Nicolas exhale rage while the low-tuned bass lines by Lionel bring even more insanity to their music; it just goes on for a little too long, though, but nothing that hurts the overall quality of the album.  In Not Your Dog the brothers are back to a more rockin’ sonority, bringing forward their trademark raspy vocals and visceral riffs and leaning towards old school Sludge Metal with a doom-ish vibe, offering the listener some piercing guitar solos as a “bonus”, whereas their coup de grâce comes in the form of a neck-breaking, eccentric creation titled Pain, with the sound of guitars being boosted by Lionel’s menacing bass in a good balance between mechanized, ethereal sounds and sheer aggression, flowing wickedly until its Stygian ending.

In a nutshell, [P.U.T] (or the Beyet Brothers, if you prefer) worked as hard an united as the family they are in We Are [Br]others, generating a must-have album for admirers of this more eccentric and experimental side of alternative music commonly referred to as Industrial Sludge Noise. Hence, if all their noises and distortions are your cup of tea, don’t forget to give them a shout on Facebook, and buy your copy of the album from their own BandCamp page or from the Cursed Monk Records’ BandCamp page. Much more than just regular brothers, Loïc, Lionel and Nicolas are extremely talented musicians, channeling all their energy and creativity into a very entertaining rock and electronic party, and therefore keeping underground alternative music relevant, vibrant and fresh.

Best moments of the album: Nothing, In Conflict and Angry.

Worst moments of the album: Possesed.

Released in 2019 Cursed Monk Records

Track listing
1. In Control 6:10
2. Nothing 3:15
3. In Conflict 3:15
4. Down 4:27
5. Opressed 5:41
6. I Am Here 2:53
7. Angry 6:04
8. Possesed 7:20
9. Not Your Dog 4:32
10. Pain 6:58

Band members
Loïc Beyet – guitar, voice, programming
Lionel Beyet – bass, programming, voice
Nicolas Beyet – guitar, voice

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