What we got here is a German band that sounds like a German band. Surely that needs a deeper examination, huh?! Well, a bit of history of Premortal Breath first, okay? They formed in 2010 and their aim was to play fresh-sounding, heavy, yet melodic metal. They certainly succeeded in their mission with their debut full-length album 'They'.

It's actually pretty hard to explain why PB sound German. As we all know, music goes beyond borders, and for sure PB have been influenced by something else than just German metal music. Anyway, vocals remind me of Rage's Peavy Wagner, even though they are far more softer, but there is a similar twisting between notes. Just try 'Pleasure' for the proof. Another thing they remind me of is Pyogenesis's 'Twinaleblood' era (1995). The thing is, that PB's vocalist isn't a very talented singer, but he salvages a lot with his soulful output. Just like what happens on that Pyogenesis platter...

While the music is mainly about groovy, rocking heavy metal, and nice twin guitar harmonies, especially many of the choruses smell of Rage (e.g. 'Into the Light'), thanks to their catchiness which goes close to pop music at times. 'Pain' is like some later Megadeth stuff; rocking yet keeping that metal music basis. It has a short "jumpdafuckup" bit, too. The title track is highly similar to newer In Flames material. Generally speaking, the tempos vary from headbangable double kick drumming to more groovy ones, that could be found on a Rage Against Machine album. Some of the songs are hard-hitting ('Pleasure' for example), but it's the more melodic ones that work better here. The band also incorporates more atmospheric guitar playing on a few songs.

While containing catchy stuff, the album suffers from weak parts in many a song. And to tell the truth, that's why better parts sound so much better than the worse material. Some of the songs simply do not feel very dynamic. Another low point is the lyrics; damned boring real life scenes portrayed. Oh, and zombies, too. Well, they are real too, if you ask me; just watch people walking city streets... The production is very organic. I bet the band sounds similar live. Still, I wish it was twice as heavy, because now it's left kind of ballsless.

So, a lot of non-German bands aforementioned?! It's the sum of them all and... well, let's call it German spirit, that is present here, plus those two German bands. Okay, 'Bloody Baby Shower' distantly reminds me of Brainstorm... 'They' carry loads of interesting elements and bits, but because of the weaker stuff, it halts on "promising and listenable enough" level.

Rating: 6- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
04/16/2015 18:22