Dutch now-trio Komatsu are set to issue their fifth full-length, A Breakfast for Champions, on April 11 through Heavy Psych Sounds. Starting with the rush of its title-track, shimmering bright, heavy in the undertone and with a fervent sweep, it’s not a record that gives you a lot of options. You can go with it or be bowled over. “A Breakfast for Champions” revels in dynamic and tonal weight, bringing the ’90s post-hardcore script of its cover art to bear in a sound that is nonetheless charged in its delivery, malleable and progressive in construction, able to call to mind Floor as the Eindhoven three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Mo Truijens, bassist/backing vocalist and hold-my-beer-it’s-time-for-a-quick-solo-in-the-opener drummer Jos Roosen, who pushes the crescendo in the leadoff with a foreshadow of crash, unfurl an increasingly complex procession.

The course is set, and across eight songs and 37 minutes, A Breakfast for Champions goes on to earn whatever ‘hearty meal’ pun you want to throw at it, each song offering something to help paint a more intricate, interesting, and heavier portrait of the band as they are today. “Savage” and the bluesier “The Devil’s Cut” somehow grow spacier one into the next, which sets up the crushing return of “Release the Flies,” the presumed side A finale premiering below which offsets its chorus density of march with spacious verses and a low-key stoner-meander jam past the midpoint. A bit of storytelling as they build back and the roll resumes, surely disrupting local traffic with its sheer largesse.

“Release the Flies” caps with an immersive crescendo and, on the album, gives over to the side B starter “Fatcamp Workout” — just in case you were wondering, still okay to casually hate fat people — with a somewhat mathier turn still mirroring the title-track in its intensity. “What Lies Underneath” and “Welcome to the Underworld” would seem to have some connection with all the ‘under’-ing between the two of them, but if there’s a thematic line to draw, it accompanies a starker turn in sound from the broader melody and nod of the former to the latter’s rougher vocal and uptick in chugging tension. The momentum of that shift carries into the finale “Climb the Vines,” with some influence from the Elderian school of heavyprog with its own persona and departure into wash, and they end with residual cosmic resonance on a fade.

Was it a dream? Was it breakfast? Could be a bit of both, I guess. The varied approach Komatsu take on their fifth full-length demonstrates an ongoing progression of sound and songwriting, showing them as mature but still exploring as the band mark their 15th anniversary this year. Continuing to record with Pieter Kloos and Peter van Elderen and apparently robust pre- and post-production processes have resulted in an album that’s been shaped to seem familiar while offering its own perspective on occasionally crushing craft.

Don’t expect “Release the Flies” to stand-in for the whole record — it has its ebbs and flows, sure — but it’s got a big ol’ riff that it’s about to lower down upon your until-now unsuspecting person, and if it’s your first impression of A Breakfast for Champions, it’s a hell of one for the album to make.

PR wire info follows. Please enjoy:

Komatsu, “Release the Flies” track premiere

Komatsu’s 5th album is no fluffy pancake! 8 heavy, filling and delicious tracks will blow your mind and boost your immune system. Now as a three-piece band, their sound has opened up to show new layers of fuzz, rhythm and groove. Lyrics range from deep topics like the universe, rebirth and dystopia to fatcamps and female parts. Komatsu is proud to add some extra grease, grit and crunch to your morning oatmeal so you can face anything the world throws at you!

1. A Breakfast for Champions
2. Savage
3. The Devil’s Cut
4. Release the Flies
5. Fatcamp Workout
6. What Lies Underneath
7. Welcome to the Underworld
8. Climb the Vines

Credits
All songs written by Mo Truijens.
Publishing: NFL/BMG Rights Management (Benelux) B.V.
“What Lies Underneath” lyrics by Mo Truijens and Ronny Dijksterhuis. “Devil‘s Cut” lyrics by Mo Truijens and Mathijs Bodt. “Welcome To the Underworld” music by Mo Truijens and Mathijs Bodt.

All music recorded at Tarwesound by Pieter Kloos.
Vocals recorded at Bootleg Recordings by Peter van Elderen. Mixed and mastered at The Void Studio by Pieter Kloos.
Pre-production by Komatsu and Peter van Elderen. Post-production by Komatsu and Pieter Kloos.
Artwork and design by Lotte Voorhoeve. Photography by Tessa-Viola Kloep.

Komatsu:
Mo Truijens – Guitars / Vocals
Martijn Mansvelders – Bass / Backing Vocals
Jos Roosen – Drums

Komatsu, A Breakfast for Champions (2025)

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Tags: A Breakfast for Champions, Eindhoven, Heavy Psych Sounds, Komatsu, Komatsu A Breakfast for Champions, The Netherlands

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025 at 7:59 am and is filed under audiObelisk, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.