BELIEVER (PA) — Sanity Obscure (review)

BELIEVER (PA) — Sanity Obscure album cover Album · 1990 · Technical Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Sanity Obscure" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Believer. The album was first released through R.E.X. Records in 1990 and then again in 1991 through Roadrunner Records. There´s been a change in the lineup since "Extraction from Mortality (1989)" as Howe Kraft has been replaced by new bassist Wyatt Robertson.

The technical and aggressive thrash metal style from the debut album is continued here and references to bands like Coroner and Kreator are still pretty obvious. The music is generally a bit more sophisticated than on the debut album though and there´s even a progressive tinged track on the album in "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)". That song features orchestral string parts composed by Kurt Bachman´s high school friend Scott Laird as well as female soprano vocals courtesy of Laird´s sister Julianne Laird Hoge. A really innovative and quite interesting mix of thrash metal and classical music that was ahead of it´s time in 1990. The rest of the tracks on the album are in a more "regular" technical and aggressive thrash metal style with Kurt Bachman´s raw and fiercely aggressive vocals in front, spitting out lyrics which are still written from a christian point of view. "Stop the Madness" is an anti drug song though. Believer also play a U2 cover track in "Like a Song". It´s placed as the last song on "Sanity Obscure", which was probably a good idea as it does break the flow of the album.

The musicianship are on a high level. Believer are a very tight playing unit. Sharp, edgy, and fast precision playing. The sound production is a bit darker than on the debut which provides the music a harder edge and slightly more atmosphere too. "Sanity Obscure" is in all departments a great second album by Believer and a step up from the otherwise promising debut album "Extraction from Mortality (1989)". As mentioned above this is also the album where Believer start toying with semi-progressive ideas which was something they would explore further on subsequent releases. "Sanity Obscure" is however still first and foremost a technically well played thrash metal album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Pure Negative Attitude Hardcore Punk
FREEHOWLING
Buy this album from MMA partners
Inequiem Hardcore Punk
CICADIA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cemetery Symmetry Hardcore Punk
HUMBLE ABODE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sadistic Memoirs Of A Psychopath Deathcore
CONSUME THE ASSAILANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
It Wasn't Supposed To Be Like This (Instrumental) Hardcore Punk
PULSES.
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Galleons - Electric Emotions
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 5 hours ago
Galleons - Elsewhere (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 5 hours ago
Galleons - Neon Dreams (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 5 hours ago
Galleons - I Travel East As Fievel Goes West Pt. 1 - Official Lyric Video
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 5 hours ago
FREEHOWLING - SCARS FT. AARON MATTS (TEN56.) [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]
FREEHOWLING
Bosh66· 5 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed