After a hiatus (Believer disbanded in 1994, when Daub announced that he and Bachman would reform the band), Believer came back in action in March 2005, and is recently making headlines with its first instalment of one of five EP which was released this March 2017. This is the second EP of the five to come. They gained much worldwide recognition for their boundary-breaking, artistic form of progressive metal music. Their early albums had collaborations between metal and orchestral musicians which sealed the band’s legacy. Believer’s focus on creativity and innovation earned praise from fans and musicians worldwide.
Believer, which is an American technical thrash metal band from the late 1980s and early 1990s, is known for playing a hybrid of thrash and progressive metal, using innovative symphonic elements in thrash metal. Their lyrics deal with topics of philosophy, theology and social issues. The two primary members of the band are vocalist/guitarist Kurt Bachman and drummer Joey Daub, who were joined by several others after their 1989 debut album, Extraction from Mortality.
In a press release, Believer explain that their aim with the 2017 releases was to combine the Believer sound with some of the bands that influenced them in the early days, with the likes of Kansas, Tool and Rush. The lyrics are intelligent, as always, from a band whose members have taken a very intentional approach to life and worldview formation.
The first song, “Perfect Day”, starts off with a peppy and a catchy guitar riff and the bass lines supplements and adds texture to the song. The vocals are rugged and refreshing, the guitar tones have a perfect blend of grunge aggression teaming with flange which breezes through the interlude. The organ/piano sets an eerie backdrop. The song is progressive with plenty of odd time signatures giving it an overall complex beat.
The second song on the EP, “Return to Zero” capitalizes on its predecessor and offers a dark shade. The guitar riffs are punchy and offers a lot of flavour to one’s ears. The bass line dominates and set the direction for the song. The interlude takes a beautiful detour but takes no time to soar high with accentuating chugs on the guitar while coming to an abrupt end puts us at a cliff-hanger. Keeps one waiting more from their third instalment?
Production – The production on the EP is brilliant, the tones are perfectly balanced. The ambience is coherent and gives the songs a sense of completion.
Conclusion – With two songs being released with every EP, they put their listeners on a cliff-hanger, and are wary of the fact that would work in their favour, as I cant wait for the next one!
Rating: 9/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Band Members
Kevin Leaman – guitars
Jeff King – keyboards, programming, guitars, bass
Joey Daub – drums
Kurt Bachman – bass, vocals, guitars
Track listing:
1. Perfect Day
2. Return to Zero
Discography
“The Return” (Demo, 1987)
“Extraction from Mortality” (1989)
“Sanity Obscure” (1990)
‘Stop the Madness’ (Single, 1991)
“The Ultimate Collectors Video:Home Video” (Video, 1991)
“The Breed Beyond” (Split, 1993)
“Dimensions” (1993)
“Gabriel” (2009)
“Transhuman” (2011) [review]
“1 of 5” (Single, 2017) [review]
Record Label: Trauma Team Productions, July 2017
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Bandcamp / Twitter
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission