Photo credit: Geert Braekers

Crouch – featuring Wim Coppers (Wiegedood, Oathbreaker, Rise And Fall, Living Gate), Jasper Hollevoet (Ventilateur), and Levy Seynaeve (Wiegedood, Oathbreaker, ex-Amenra, Living Gate) – have dropped their new single, “Lhotse.” It is taken from the Belgians’ freshly announced album, Breaking The Catatonic State, due on March 20, via Heimlich Manoeuvres records. Catch the video for “Lhotse” and more below.

Pre-order Breaking The Catatonic State here: https://heimlichmanoeuvres.com/

“Breaking with the 4/4 heartbeat rhythm we’re all so comforted by, even before we’re born, is at the center of the musical philosophy of this record,” explains the band. “Hooks and sharp corners at every turn are what keeps us on our toes as musicians and what ultimately drives us to write and play music and has led us to drop any preconceived notion of what the follow-up to our EP should sound like, and any expectation of being well received with it.”

Each member brings extensive experience from their previous bands, which have solidified Belgium’s presence in the global heavy music scene. Breaking The Catatonic State was recorded and mixed by Gilles Demolder (Wiegedood), with mastering handled by Brad Boatright (Audiosiege). The artwork, created by Bram Vanderbeke, depicts an aluminum pillar emerging from the ground, symbolizing the band’s evolution and breakthrough. Musically, Breaking The Catatonic State marks a clear departure from the band’s earlier sound, moving away from familiar sludgy rhythms to embrace a more complex and dynamic direction.

Breaking The Catatonic State tracklisting:
01 Godby
02 Vida(contains explicit lyrics)
03 Yellow Eyes
04 Hatchets And Hammers(contains explicit lyrics)
05 Twisted Colossus
06 Good Seed
07 Bad Seed
08 Geneva
09 Non-Competitive Garden Display
10 Lhotse

Both in lyrics and sound, the album aims to get to the core of things. “This record is the musical and lyrical embodiment of its title,” the band notes. “Crouch no longer carries the same face it had at its conception and we’ve fully embraced what we ourselves find thrilling in making music.”

The evolution brings a new level of directness. “For the first time in my life I’ve found the words to address things without feeling the need to protect the clue by a wall of metaphors and adjectives,” shares Levy Seynaeve. “To quote a famous Parisian: ‘This is for us, this is not for you’”. In stripping away the filters, Crouch delivers an album that is intimate, unflinching, and deeply resonant.