Believer - "Transhuman"

Believer - Transhuman
2011, Metal Blade

1. Lie Awake
2. G.U.T.
3. Multiverse
4. End of Infinity
5. Transfection
6. Clean Room
7. Currents
8. Traveler
9. Ego Machine
10. Being No One
11. Entanglement
12. Mindsteps

Sometimes it's possible to be too experimental. Case in point, Believer's new album Transhuman. I think there's a lot of interesting things going on here but I also think that most people won't give this disc the time it would take to really appreciate it. It similar in style to the last album, though it sounds a bit more "down to earth" if that makes sense. Aside from the ultra-modern "Lie Awake" (which I like, along with "G.U.T.") a lot of this music is challenging and dense. It's also short on hooks and I still have trouble keeping my mind on the music while listening to it. Most traces of the band's thrash roots have disappeared except in "Clean Room" and "Ego Machine" (two of my favorite tracks). "Ego Machine" even features Kurt Bachman's old-school growl. "Currents" is an techno-industrial instrumental and I think it's a nice interlude. However, there's also tracks like "Multiverse" and "Mindsteps" which aside from a riff here and there are pretty dang boring. The internet is pretty divided in regards to this album. Half love it, half hate it, some are in the middle. That's me... in the middle. You really have to just listen to some samples and decide whether its something you want to invest in. Honestly, it makes really good background music but I don't know if I'll go back to it again and again.

Now I'd like to discuss the lyrics for a second. Supposedly they're based on Transhumanist philosophy. That philosophy is (and I'm paraphrasing) about using technology to improve the human condition as well as what it means to be human. Okay... I'm down with that. Can't really think of anyone that's against using technology to improve the human condition. Problem is the lyrics don't make any damn sense. I'm okay with exploring other philosophies and what not but at the end of this disc you won't know anything more about Transhumanism than you did when you went in. Is the band supporting it? Rejecting it? What are they saying about it? I don't know. The band acts like this is really important to them... it's a shame I can't tell why. I don't care if they're Christian anymore or not I just wish I knew what they were trying to say! Rant mode: OFF.

Useless Fact: Like Gabriel before it, Transhuman's artwork features a model, body paint, and photography. That's it. I kind of like the similar theme.