Believer - Gabriel

I may catch some hell for this from long time fans but I’m glad this band broke up when they did. The reason I say this is because the original albums progressed so quickly I can't help but think they had literally nowhere to go from there. They were the pinnacle example of progressive technical thrash and they quickly became derailed amidst grand ideas about expanding their sound to the point they lost their focus on what made them a great band. They went from blitzkrieg speed to a rock opera album in just a few years and somewhere lost the heaviness that made them a contender in the very genre they were in. I mean, come one, the last album had a 20 minute song with female vocals, full orchestra, opera themed movements and all with a subject matter that paralleled C.S.lewis's Narnia. Don't misunderstand me, Dimensions is a brilliant album, especially for its time, but where in the hell do you go from there? Anything further would have been lost on pretentiousness. Again, as a fan of Kurt Bachman and Believer, I am glad they called it to a halt when they did.

The break up gave them sixteen years to think about were they wanted to go as a band and ended up making the strongest album of the bands life in the process of it. They have refocused on what made them so vital to begin with...technical thrash without the erroneous additions.



Gabriel delivers the heavy thrash riffs of Sanity Obscure and the technicality of Dimensions in equal doses without sacrificing either element. This entire package is delivered with a crystal clear production that is better than anything the band managed in the nineties. Of course, taking sixteen years between albums also means that most of you young'n's are unfamiliar with their old albums, so at this point all comparisons to past albums are kind of pointless.

Believer has always played fast-paced thrash composed of heavy, groove-oriented riffs with complex rhythms and beats fronted by a high, spoken-word rasp similar to Atheist’s Kelly Shaefer. This album basically builds on that but it’s apparent that great care was made to make sure that it didn’t sound dated as well. While the tracks all feature the kind of chunky riffs that have been a thrash-staple for years, they’re interspersed with modern sounding progressions, pace-changing musical interludes, as well as a subtle layer of samples and industrial sounds. Even a song such as, “Focused Lethality”, with its reliance on a thrashy main riff still manages to avoid sounding dated by including supporting riffs that are heavy but have a modern touch. That is really where this album shines; in its ability to deliver the thrash fans would expect, but with modern enhancements that will keep it from being dismissed by the current generation of metal fans.



The other area it shines is in its ability to remain fresh by always including little extras such as backing piano, laid-back solos, clean guitar parts and groovy bass-lines. It’s this attention to detail that sets it above a lot of what is coming out lately. I do however have one real complaint about the album, it is concerning the song, “The Brave” which features Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage. I’m not going to try to theorize about why things went wrong but Howard’s clean vocals and the melody itself are just downright horrible. His clean singing during the verses just doesn’t fit the song and the only salvation is when he and Kurt Bachman trade growls on the choruses. Their contrasting styles (Kurt’s high rasp and Howard’s deep growl) sound excellent together and it only makes me wish they had maintained that vocal style throughout the song.

It seems ironic that the bands that really appear to be bringing about quality, unique music right now are the ones that have members well into their thirties or forties (Believer, Cynic, Pestilence, Atheist, etc), but it’s true. As odd as it might sound, this album is actually a breath of fresh air for a metal community that is becoming increasingly stagnant. With Gabriel the band has managed to bring back that old-school thrash sound, but also mix in a large dose of technicality and originality while still sounding very current. The question now remains to be seen whether new listeners will welcome the band or arbitrarily dismiss them as their older brother’s (or father’s) metal. Hopefully it’s the former, and with that I say welcome back guys, hopefully you stick around for awhile.

Band: Believer
Album: Gabriel
Label: Metal Blade/Cesspool Records
release: 2009
Genre: Technical Thrash Metal
rating: 4/5
Megaupload: Here
torrent: Here

by Bez