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.

Believer - "Gabriel"

Believer - Gabriel

2009, Cesspool/Metal Blade

1. Medwton

2. A Moment in Prime

3. Stoned

4. Redshift

5. History of Decline

6. The Need for Conflict

7. Focused Lethality

8. Shut Out the Sun

9. The Brave

10. Nonsense Mediated Decay

11. Untitled Track 1

12. Untitled Track 2

13. Untitled Track 3

Believer is back, baby! After a sixteen year hiatus Kurt, Joey, and the boys bring us an album that is a stunning example of the experimental thrash the band excelled in over a decade before. I can honestly say they have not lost one ounce of talent or creativity. What's so great about Gabriel is how it manages to sound completely different from the rest of their albums but still retain their essence. You have songs like "Stoned," "Medwton," and "Focused Lethality" that are at once familiar yet new at the same time. Then you have some of the more experimental tracks like "Shut Out the Sun," "The Brave," and "Nonsense Mediated Decay." The unorthodoxy the band revels in finds itself, not in epic opera numbers, but in odd combinations of sounds that are vaguely unsettling - almost as if you've entered a world of music not entirely made by humans. The aforementioned "Nonsense Mediated Decay" is especially foreboding as the organs, throat singing (or is it a didgeridoo? I can't tell...), and guitars combine with someone detailing their encounter with a UFO. It's all very "off" for lack of a better word, but in a way that keeps you interested. Oh, I forgot to mention that Howard Jones from Killswitch Engage does some guest vocals on "The Brave." And don't bother with those extra tracks at the end, it's just some noise they dug up and it's not something you'll ever listen to.

Useless Fact: You might be surprised that the unique look for the cover art was achieved by using only a model, body paint, and fluorescent lights. It was not manipulated digitally at all. Cool huh?

Believer - "Dimensions"

Believer - Dimensions

1993, REX

1. Gone

2. Future Mind

3. Dimentia

4. What Is But Cannot Not Be

5. Singularity

6. No Apology

7. Trilogy of Knowledge, Intro: The Birth

8. Trilogy of Knowledge, Movement I: The Lie

9. Trilogy of Knowledge, Movement II: The Truth

10. Trilogy of Knowledge, Movement III: The Key

Being a huge music fan I develop some odd associations. Take this album for example. I remember listening to it while taking walks in my neighborhood as a freshman in high school, then coming home and watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on TV. So whenever I listen to this I think of that. Anyone else? Just me? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, Believer has always been an experimental band. Even on their debut they weren't content to crap out mediocre thrash songs and call it a day. That being said, Dimensions is far more experimental than any past release. Odd time signatures and strange samples abound as well as lyrics steeped in philosophy and Christian apologetics. Really though, it's the classical/metal/opera "Trilogy of Knowledge" that makes this a disc to own. Vocalist Kurt Bachman and soprano Julianne Laird trade off lines and along with the violins and distorted guitars make this a compelling feast for the ears. There are two different covers depending on whether you get the REX Records edition or the Roadrunner edition. I think I like the REX cover the best, which is the one that's pictured.

Useless Fact: The song "No Apology" is about all the guff they got from Christians because they would drink alcohol when they toured in Germany despite the fact that drinking is a part of German culture. Yeah... what can I say... we're idiots sometimes.

Believer - "Sanity Obscure"

Believer - Sanity Obscure
1990, REX

1. Sanity Obscure
2. Wisdom's Call
3. Nonpoint
4. Idols of Ignorance
5. Stop the Madness
6. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)
7. Dust to Dust
8. Like a Song

Believer's sophomore album continues in the same vein as Extraction, offering up solid technical thrash with a finesse that would make most other metal bands envious. I think the guitar tone is a little bit fatter here which makes the whole album sound just a smidgen heavier than the debut. Not that I'm complaining! "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" is a cool opera/thrash mashup with a female vocalist singing entirely in Latin. If that wasn't cool enough, there's also a cover of U2's "Like a Song." How many metal bands have the testicular fortitude to even attempt to cover a U2 song? And not only do they "attempt"... they friggin' slay that song! It's one of the highlights of the album. This disc has been rereleased recently so it shouldn't be that hard to find. And find it you should - because it's awesome.

Useless Fact: The rerelease contains an old track, "I.Y.F. (In Your Face)," that was on the band's demo, The Return. Don't worry though, if you don't have it you're not missing much. It's an instrumental and it's kind of "meh..."

Believer - "Extraction From Mortality"

Believer - Extraction From Mortality

1989, REX

1. Unity

2. Vile Hypocrisy

3. D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom)

4. Torment

5. Shadow of Death

6. Blemished Sacrifices

7. Not Even One

8. Extraction From Mortality

9. Stress

Believer's debut is full of uncompromising technical thrash. Every song has a tasty, chunky riff to enjoy - a veritable tour de force of metal. Even on this debut the band's love of classical music shines through on the title track with a foreboding violin intro. "Stress" reminds me a little bit of Anthrax's "I'm the Man" silliness.

Useless Fact: Extraction has been rereleased twice: once on the now defunct M8 label and recently on the European label, Metal Mind.