Believer - Sanity Obscure

Believer's second album "Sanity Obscure" was quite a change from their first album. I can't say it's better or worse, but it is definitely different. It's less aggressive for the most part, but the guitar work has improved to show these guys had some great talent. The vocal style has also changed. Sometimes guitarist/vocalist Kurt Bachman sounds really strained and I try to overlook that to listen to what they are doing musically. The rhythmic patterns used throughout the album are quite complex. Different time signatures are used in some really odd ways to create one of the most unique thrash metal albums ever recorded. I still think this intro has to be on one of my top 10 whacked intro's of all time! Reminds me of a demented jewelry box that some mentally insane person made for the music when it opens. Also on this album, the band did something no band has done before! The song "Dies Irae" is a song where violins were used with operatic vocals layered with metal. This seems to be quite popular now to some extent, but no one has done it like Believer has! Regardless of the weird stuff used in this album, this album rules! (Review by Biff Bartholemew)

Here is Believer's second album. This is a band that knows how to make top-quality speed/thrash metal. The production is a great; a full sound and all instruments and vocals are well balanced. The tunes are fast and crunchy. The licks and riffs of the guitars sound completely different than all of the other thrash bands I've listened to, having more of a harmony sound rather than just numbing the strings and strumming. Cool guitar solos that are not just a bunch of hammering. Believer was even so good that I remember seeing them featured in a secular magazine one time and the article said, in a nut shell, that even though Believer's a Christian band, they shred! This release has a tune called "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" that has about 3 minutes of opera/classical music then suddenly mixes with metal, if anything, it's worth getting the CD just for this tune. It's amazing how well they mix and end up sounding awesome together. Sanity Obscure has 8 tracks (but most are long songs) and is quite easy to find. You'll even find a remake of "Like A Song" from U2 on this disc. Best Songs: "Nonpoint," "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)," and "Like A Song." (Review by Gary)