Band:	Believer
Album:	Transhuman
Style:	Technical thrash metal
Release date:	April 11, 2011
Guest review by:	K✞ulu

01. Lie Awake
02. G.U.T.
03. Multiverse
04. End Of Infinity
05. Transfection
06. Clean Room
07. Currents
08. Traveler
09. Ego Machine
10. Being No One
11. Entanglement
12. Mindsteps

Believer is not the easiest band to get into, whether you take their eighties material or the two reunion albums. Gabriel, the band's first album after a 15-year break, sounded like crap upon the first couple of dozen listens, making sense after a few months or so. Now, Transhuman is definitely not easier to get into, and it might not be a very pleasant experience because the album does not unfold some concealed brilliance after given proper attention; one simply needs time to accept what the band are trying to present.

It would not be surprising if after the first few spins most people would consider Transhuman the ultimate wtf/all-over-place album. The reason is the amalgamation of elements, which just seem incompatible. The thrash is transformed into some sort of alternative/progressive/atmospheric/thrash mish-mash with occasional nu-metal vocals, which are quite annoying. That is one big fat drawback of Transhuman, which does take many points off. There are still many classic Believer elements left, like the unique atonal grunts of Kurt Bachman (which some folks hate, too) and the signature dissonant ear-piercing riffs (like the variation on the bridge riff on "Lie Awake").

Nevertheless, the band made two accomplishments with this record. The guitar sound has a similar crunch to the last album but is definitely cleaner and brighter. In fact, the overall sound is really good on this album. The bass is very lucid in the mix, which we have not seen on any of the band's albums. Every little detail is heard on Transhuman, and while all the elements sound as if having been dissected apart, they do form a very cohesive whole, and that's actually what Kurt Bachman said he wanted to achieve on the previous record. Well, one record later, but it's done. Check.

Thus the raw demo-like veil is taken off Transhuman, and all the sounds come in as clearly as ever, which is as extremely suitable for this album as it gets because what Believer are ostensibly trying forge could be called a "proper progressive thrash album," and that's the second accomplishment, which, I might remark, not many have been successful in doing. The heavy thrash slams are combined with very detailed progressive riffing (quite catchy at times: "End of Infinity"), atmospheric passages and keyboard layers and effects. Same can be said about drumming: fast but rare thrash delivery is joined by more subdued groovy beats and even fairly complex fills. The vocals also incorporate both shrieking and somewhat harsh clean vocals plus some vocoder processing. Correct prog thrash. Check.

Transhuman might have been labeled as "mindf*ck" at some people's last.fm accounts, but once that initial phase is gone, Believer is found to have crafted something quite unique and worth spending time with, but probably only for the fans of prog and the unconventional (thrash).