Echo Scale™: 3.5/5 ★★★☆☆
Let’s revisit Brusic, the alternative rock/metal consisting of three brothers and a lifelong friend, or as they should have been called “Daniel and the Dullaways” (you can pay me for that later). As my excellent smelling colleague Kenny noted in his last write-up, this UK rock quartet is a band bursting with potential, blessed with technical skill and a chemistry that puts most of their peers to shame. The frustration, however, was always the same: they were a band with all the musical firepower in the world, just waiting for the one song that could truly ignite.
Well, with their new single “Sinister,” the fuse has officially been lit. This song is a genuinely catchy, soul-crushing anthem, the absolute corker of a track we’ve been waiting for. So why does the new frustration feel so much more acute?
Because “Sinister” is a killer song with a mix that, frankly, sounds like an industrial accident.
When The Playing Is All Killer, No Filler
From a songwriting standpoint, this is Brusic at their undeniable best. They’ve finally exorcised the demons of their last release, delivering a song that sinks its hooks in deep and refuses to let go. With riffs that are crushing, heavy, and shot through with an experienced swagger, Brusic solidifies their claim as a worthy heir to the muscular rock throne of bands like Alter Bridge and Incubus.
The whole band is firing on all cylinders. The drumming, in particular, is a great display of controlled dynamics, full of subtle touches and intricate details that lift a song that’s already meant to be a set-closing banger. The duetting vocals are a highlight, teaming up to build a massive atmosphere and delivering the exact kind of commanding performance this song deserves. “Sinister” is a powerful, well-paced, and expertly played piece of music. The lyrics, personifying the battle with depression as a demonic entity, give it a compelling conceptual weight that’s as heavy as the riffs.
In short, the band has done its job. And they’ve done it with a level of musicianship and maturity that leaves no room for criticism.
When The Production Is A Complete and Utter Misfire
Now, for the bad news. All that incredible playing, all that carefully crafted songwriting, is utterly let down by a mix that can only be described as baffling. The track has virtually no low end. None. Listening on studio-grade headphones, it sounds like an early 2000s Nokia trying to play a song you recorded from the radio through an empty baked bean tin. The cymbals sound like they’re being played in a glassware factory during a fire drill, the guitars lose all their punch, and the incredible vocals sound abandoned in the mix.
While the levels of the instruments are balanced in relation to each other, the overall lack of sonic depth and weight makes it feel less like a rock anthem and more like a demo from a band you’re listening to over the phone. That cool, tremolo-soaked intro sets a powerful mood, but it’s all downhill from there, mix wise.
Echo Rebel’s Final Word
“Sinister” should have been Brusic’s grand arrival, the moment they silenced all the talk of “potential” and proved they’re one of the best heavy rock acts in the UK. The song is everything we wanted it to be: a genuinely catchy, well-crafted, and expertly played anthem.
But the final product is so let down by its production that it feels like a disservice to the song itself. The songwriting demons have been exorcised, but the band now faces a new, more frustrating challenge. This is the moment for Brusic to either find a professional mix engineer or take a serious deep-dive into the art of production.
Because when they finally find a mix that lives up to the quality of their playing and songwriting, Brusic will be a force of nature. “Sinister” proves they’re one absolute killer mix away from being unstoppable.
Echo Scale™: 3.5/5 ★★★☆☆
