EXTRACTION FROM MORTALITY

Believer's debut album begins with a radio transmission broadcast about a murder case, then a chaotic piano improv clunks along until finally the distorted guitar strings sound in. This signifies the launch of one of the most innovative Christian thrash metal bands. It is a joy for this reviewer to return to this album to review it as it impacted my life during the late 80s and is still not outdated. I had played this many times during my metal obsessed years on cassette but it sounds phenomenal on CD. On 'Unite' the rumbling riff thunders in at 1:50 and it relentlessly breaks into a speedy thrash with gravelly vocals that are impossible to decipher without the lyrics sheet. Daub's drums are always pounding to catch up with the chunky guitars. The vocals are positive but aggressive:

Rise up so you can take a stand the wicked schemes of evil.

I love the instrumental section and the lead break overlayed using twice the guitar power. It is extreme and the sound seems to buzz with a low bass hum, Kraft on bass - difficult to play, easy to listen to for the metal head.

'Vile Hypocrisy' explodes with a technical riff, a very cool rhythm that feels like dadadadum, dadadadum, dadadadum, dah dah daaah. It is so precise and sharp yet manages to scratch the wallpaper off the wall with its brutal riffing. There are more lyrics about legalism in the church:

You blind the eyes that seek to see, deceiving humanity, denying God by deeds, yet claiming intimacy.

A killer riff locks in at 3:20 with lots of breaks and bass. Then a crawl buzzing breakneck riff with pounding speed kickdrums.

'D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom)' has a stop-start riff that crashes throughout. More of the same vocal style that now grates on me, but the hammer-smashed-face-riffing is to die for. There's no denying the power of technical thrash. The track is about Sodom and Gomorrah of course, the liner notes point to where the scripture references can be found in the Bible so that you can indulge in your own Believer Bible Study if that's what you prefer.

'Tormented' begins with an intricate deep complex riff and picks up the pace before lurching into a solid speed death style. It becomes a bit sameish for me and the growelling vocals are still grinding out and some chorus vocals that sound a bit overkill now as the band scream: Pain, mental torment.

'Shadow of Death' has an acoustic intro which is a nice change from all the thrashing. But it is not long before Bachman and Baddorf's distorted guitars fire up. The riff is once again very good, the drums pound incessantly, and this begins to grow on you after a while. Believer creates a brutal wall of sound that penetrates the very marrow of your bones. The lead break is excellent on this track, almost off kilter, out of tune, and at the same time it all gels together.

'Blemished Sacrifices' features another blistering riff that moves in different metrical patterns before settling on the familiar chugga-chug-chugga-chug speed. This time the speed is breakneck and unrelenting, absolutely ballistic - almost overkill and guaranteed to scare the average Spice Girls fan. At 2:00 in it moves into half time speed but it's still enough to keep the metronome swinging wildly.

'Not Even One' begins with chaotic Slayer-esque riffs and an infectious hook locks in with the usual pass- the-Butter-Menthol vocal treatment. Baddorf screams:

No one is righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, the anointed one of God they shun, NO ONE.

It is all Bible based but its difficult to tell it's Christian listening to the music alone, that's why this band has a wide appeal - not just for the Christian fan but for those who like speed and thrash in general. It would be easy to mistake them for Sodom, Sepultura or Morbid Angel. The scorching lead break on this track is a killer.

The title track is next beginning with a slow melancholy acoustic sound, and then unusual violins soar over the top giving it an ethereal quality. The orchestral treatment would be further used in a greater sense on their next album on the awesome track 'Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)'. This is the first truly progressive track that blends violin strings with metal distortion and it works admirably, and its well in advance of the likes of Therion, Symphony X or Nightwish. The riff that follows is definitely one of the best Believer riffs, it jumps all over the place with frenetic pace and chaotic pentameter. This highlight is further augmented by the screaming lead break. It is not Steve Vai or Petrucci or Malmsteen, but it works in context with the guitar distortion.

The CD concludes with the off beat quirky 'Stress', an actual song structure based on Luke 12: 22-31. The vocals are different on this one, almost punk like and humorous. There is a strange Reggae funk breakdown midway through and even some vinyl rap effects thrown into the mix. It is apparent that Believer were not trying to be all that serious.

Overall this is a great debut full of speed and thrash and is given an original treatment with Christian lyrics. This was as heavy as it got during the huge reign of Christian thrash. Other bands that came close were Mortification and Tourniquet, but Believer set the bar, and it was a high setting at that. Try them if you are into speed metal, other prog fans beware - this is killer metal at its most extreme.