Hippotraktor are a Belgian quintet playing a blend of post-metal, progressive metal and djent. Their third album, «Annihilist», was released on 2 October 2026 via Pelagic Records.
Country: Belgium
Style: post-metal, progressive metal, djent
For fans of: Psychonaut, The Ocean, Dvne, Meshuggah
Their sound rests on a combination of delicate complexity and huge weight. Tracks like the opener «I Breathe. I Am.» and the closer «A Different Now» begin with melodic guitars, a wandering bass and ritual rhythmic patterns with some percussion, while on vocals Stefan de Graef (of Psychonaut) adds a mysterious colour. Then the band unleashes the full power of its eight-string guitars and de Graef’s screams change everything.
The weight is noticeably physical on tracks like «Courageous Apathy», «Builder of Eden» and «Oblivion Walker». At the same time the band does not stay only there: «A Different Now» has one of their most progressive riffs and an almost soulful solo, the title track shows their gentler side with a simple melodic sequence, and «Everything Is Permissible» turns groovier, touching on the blues in its middle. Drummer Lander De Nyn delivers constantly powerful fills, while the shifts between the passages keep the listener alert.
The line-up is Stefan De Graef on vocals, Chiaran Verheyden and Kristof Du Jardin on guitars, Jakob Fiszer on bass and Lander De Nyn on drums. On «Builder of Eden» the guest is Loïc Rossetti (formerly of The Ocean). The cover art was designed by Chiaran Verheyden, while the record stays under forty minutes.
