Hippotraktor

Born in Mechelen, Belgium, around producer, composer and guitarist Chiaran Verheyden, bassist Jakob Fiszer and drummer Lander De Nyn, Hippotraktor initially developed as an instrumental project before becoming a quintet with the arrival of guitarist and vocalist Kristof Du Jardin (also active in Mankind) and percussionist and singer Stefan De Graef, a member of Psychonaut. Hippotraktor operates between post‑metal, progressive metal, sludge and atmospheric textures, with songs built on contrasting dynamics, dense rhythms and an alternation of massive passages and more open, airy sections. This change in lineup accompanied a shift in the writing towards a more narrative format, where the vocals take a central place without erasing the instrumental foundation of their beginnings. Hippotraktor released Meridian in 2021 and Stasis in 2024, both on Pelagic Records. In this trajectory, Hippotraktor is part of the contemporary Belgian heavy music scene, with an approach that links post‑metal tension, progressive structures and psychedelic accents.