Formed in Berlin in 2008 by Marcel Neumann and Tobias Schultka, the duo started as just a bit of a joke, nothing more than two friends having fun. It gradually transformed into something more serious as their music began to get attention on the local scene and they expanded to include more members. Although, of course, that doesn’t mean they take themselves über seriously, as the name of the band and the title of their fifth album will contest to. Their latest offering is simply called Das Album (‘The Album’) and sees the return of original member Tobias, who took a break from the band in 2010 to become an Apple developer. The reuniting of the two original members in 2019 and the departure of the others sees the band come full circle. Now a duo again, We Butter The Bread With Butter can get back to doing what they do best – making obscure electronical deathcore that offends everyone’s ears.
With the simple cover art depicting a piece of toast popping out the toaster against a pink background, it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect when hitting play on this, their fifth studio album. The best advice would be to leave your expectations at the door. Returning to their roots and their ‘signature sound’, the record is loud and discordant. Most of the lyrics are in German. But that doesn’t matter – you don’t really need to be able to understand the lyrical content to appreciate the technicality of some of the music. WBTBWB employ the tech-metal elements most effectively on tracks such as ‘Dreh Auf’ the breakdown providing an interesting and exciting dynamic to keep everything racing along. ’20 kmh’ is so breakneck in places that it legitimately does sound like its racing along at that pace, but it also has an upbeat funky dance chorus with definite singalong potential.
Littered with screams, growls and vile sounding guitars undercut with techno riffs and wild electronica, Das Album ’is a fun and unexpected ride with something different round every corner. ‘N CE’ is more traditional death metal with a twist of black. ‘Schreibwarenfachverkäufer’ is like Bring Me The Horizon crossed with Cradle Of Filth, in German. The vocal tones sound particularly evil and satisfying here. We do get a bit of English on ‘Läuft’ with vocalist Tobi asking us if we’re ready and whether we can feel the energy. We definitely can. This track rollicks along with metalcore syncopation and breaks, dropping out for an insane techno section in the middle that makes you feel as though you’re at a rave. ‘Jump N Run’ begins with an 80’s sounding dance-pop riff and has all kinds of weird bits going on. There are a couple of moments in the middle where it tapers off a little but overall this is a fun and thrilling ride.
Ending with the beautiful ‘Letzter Song’, its the haunting piano riff and gently soaring synths that really make this the perfect closer. Like a metal Twenty One Pilots, the track slowly builds, different elements and samples being added in every few bars before finally it breaks into a full on dance moment. There’s not really much time to get bored and although the songs all have similar threads running through them, no two songs sound the same. The whole thing is really a mixed bag of many different elements. Of course, this isn’t going to be for everyone, but it’s clear these guys are having a lot of fun with the music and also know what they’re doing. They know how to construct an effective song – creating space and light and shade, ups and downs in the soundscape of their craziness. Whether this is your first introduction to the band or you’ve been a fan for a while, the album’s worthy of a couple spins and a place in your collection.