Review Summary: Deathcore and electronica get married and have a child, how does the baby turn out? “Unique,” some would say. But is this a compliment?
As all kinds of different metal bands have continued to progress over the years with discoveries such as the breakdown, random interludes along with strange sounds that catch the listener off guard has also grown more popular. Some Deathcore bands such as Carnifex have used random recordings (such as the infamous “What the F**K?) in a mere two or three of their songs, whereas other bands such as iwrestledabearonce almost depend on using these, let’s call them, “randoms”, for their success. We Butter the Bread With Butter has truly embraced these “randoms” in the familiar way with the stuff that comes out of nowhere, while also taking on a different kind of random; mixing Electronica music into the deep riffs and breakdowns of each and every one of their songs.
The computer-generated tunes mixed into every song on the album creates a very interesting listening experience, and solidifies We Butter the Bread with Butter’s originality and ability to be separated from the average Deathcore band. This doesn’t necessarily imply that the electronic sections are the new “next big thing” in metal; sometimes it works, other times it seems misplaced; and the weird buzzing over the top of the poorly recorded vocals can get agitating. At the very best, the electronic element in We Butter the Bread With Butter’s music is merely intriguing. The only thing it really does for the band is make them original, which, in a time where Deathcore bands are beginning to sound a lot alike, is a very good quality to have. Take away the Electronica, suddenly the band’s originality is gone, and We Butter the Bread with Butter are lost in the seemingly endless sea of invisible Deathcore.
Along with the electronic tunes come the random interludes, the most memorable on the album to be found on the tenth track Alle Meine Entchen, where a sudden pause in the music is filled with gang vocals shouting: “BREAKDOWN!” This can easily be documented as a “Rewind/Relisten Moment”, along with the first 20 seconds of the thirteenth track Extrem, which is guaranteed to catch the listener off-guard. These interludes work nicely for WBTBWB, as they’re used briefly to the point where it is enjoyable and not completely overbearing, a quality some listeners would agree that iwrestledabearonce doesn’t have.
The guitar work on the album is also noteworthy. The riffs are catchy, dark, and fit nicely with some of the electronic tunes. No two riffs are the same, and each breakdown has its own unique quality, (I suppose the random interludes have something to do with this as well) which is something a lot of deathcore bands have problems with.
Unfortunately, We Butter The Bread With Butter lose a lot of points off of this album because of their horrible vocals. The best thing about them is that they’re recorded badly, and pushed into the background of this music, almost becoming another instrument. Usually this would be a complaint, but in this case, it’s a crime to even hear them at all. Even pushed into the background, the growls distract the listener from otherwise good musicianship on the guitars. The screaming sounds embarrassingly like an amateur emo kid trying to scream deathcore, and the pigsqueals sound like they’re coming from an old man mockingly imitating a deathcore squeal to his teenage grandson.
The bass is also recorded horribly and completely undetectable, which is a shame being as it could’ve been another distraction from the horrible vocals. If they can’t fix their vocals on the next album, the least they can do is turn up the bass.
We Butter The Bread With Butter are, in some senses, a breath of fresh air to the deathcore genre. They provide a new kind of listening experience with their electronica influences along with their random interludes. They also bring a lot to the table instrumentally with their great guitar work. Unfortunately, their very poor vocals ruin a lot of what happens on this album musically. This would work much better as an instrumental album, and even then listeners might find that they have to be in the right mood to handle this new kind of music. Basically, this album makes for a good “fun listen”, but doesn’t really provide enough to be taken seriously.
