Believer - Gabriel

It took me a while… but I’m starting to really appreciate the Gabriel album. To be fair, everything (except Extraction) has took multiple listens to get into. 

The original release of Gabriel had very weak production, but the “metal icon series” remaster has improved it. The bass is significantly enhanced (without making it sound muddy). 

Favorite songs:

Stoned
Focused Lethality 
Shut Out the Sun
The Brave

Gabriel is now officially my third favorite! 

I like it much better than Dimensions. The song Focused Lethality could be considered their most aggressive song thus far! I love it!

Yeah it's a great album.

Dustofyears wrote:Yeah it's a great album.

It barely gets mentioned. I think it’s a worthy addition to their catalog. 

Maybe people expected a fourth symphonic metal installment…

Yeah, I actually think it's better than Sanity Obscure.
Extraction from Mortality is my favorite of them.

It's not better than The Trilogy of Knowledge but it's better than the rest of Dimensions.

It's certainly an unappreciated gem. Medwton and The Need for Conflict are top tier thrash. Both have riffs that are among my all time favorites.

Believer don't have a bad album.

Dustofyears wrote:I think it's a combination of them no longer being a christian band with an album that has no christian message ( think this is the real reason) and also stylistic changes (it's still heavy, there's still still thrash elements in it). I question the style changes being the reason because I think if it was a new band and that was their debut and christian I'm pretty sure people would be all over it.

try Transhuman bet that grows on you too.

It’s not pure thrash overall, but it has one of their most aggressive thrash songs ever “Focused Lethality”. I can’t think of a Believer song on any other album that immediately starts rampaging with the same neck snapping power! 

And the rest of the album still is more uptempo compared to Dimensions. It moves along nicely! The only thing slowing it down is the odd keyboard samples and occasional spoken word parts. But that’s typical of Believer to throw in some quirky artistic liberties like that. They never wanted to be a standard thrash band. 

From what I gather, I assume the theme of the album is about the possibility of extraterrestrial life and encounters. The narrated spoken part towards the end of the album sounds very similar to the Travis Walton story… which was made into the movie “Fire in the Sky”. It probably isn’t the same story, but that’s what came to mind while I was listening. 

Do you guys have an idea of what you think the theme is? Or maybe some of the songs stand alone and are not a part of a theme. The lyrics are not very clear. Kurt writes with a lyrical style that makes you guess.

If the reason that the album didn’t go over well is that the album isn’t Christian like the past three before, it must be a reaction of disappointment. Because plenty of Christian folks here like non-Christian thrash bands like Testament and Overkill. 

That leads me to believe the low popularity of the album is from pure disappointment of their current secular status.

That’s pretty much where I’m at with it. Most of my favorite thrash bands are secular. But I found Believer changing their stance and then revising their history to put me off. Not saying it’s a bad album or anything, but I’ve never cared to own it.

Now the band name Believer is ironic. Perhaps “UnBeliever” would better suit their current status. 


Kidding aside… there is always a chance they could return to the faith like Gary Lenaire.

Been too long since I listened to anything from Gabriel, but I remember they went in a weird direction musically with Transhuman. Didn’t sound like thrash metal at all

TZ75 wrote:Now the band name Believer is ironic. Perhaps “UnBeliever” would better suit their current status. 


Kidding aside… there is always a chance they could return to the faith like Gary Lenaire.

I think their original name was Deceiver ironically

Gabriel is their only one I have and I enjoyed it very much for a time.....I think I got it at The Exchange if you know those stores...

seth wrote:

TZ75 wrote:Now the band name Believer is ironic. Perhaps “UnBeliever” would better suit their current status. 


Kidding aside… there is always a chance they could return to the faith like Gary Lenaire.

I think their original name was Deceiver ironically

I didn’t know that… ironic indeed!

seth wrote:

TZ75 wrote:Now the band name Believer is ironic. Perhaps “UnBeliever” would better suit their current status. 


Kidding aside… there is always a chance they could return to the faith like Gary Lenaire.

I think their original name was Deceiver ironically

Yep it was they went from deceiver to believer to backslider I guess...backslider...you guys still use that term by the way...

Pethead wrote:That’s pretty much where I’m at with it. Most of my favorite thrash bands are secular. But I found Believer changing their stance and then revising their history to put me off. Not saying it’s a bad album or anything, but I’ve never cared to own it.

I think this is the true reason people don't like it.

I find it strange that they called the album Gabriel. If it was 80’s era Believer, you would assume it’s a reference to the Archangel.

They now called Beerliver.

beLIEver

I did not like Gabriel for a long time but like it much better in 2023 / soon-to-be-2024. 

Musically I prefer Gabriel and Transhuman to their previous albums (except some of Sanity Obscure), but I am sad about their odd views on Christianity and their attempts to rewrite their history.

Constantine wrote:I did not like Gabriel for a long time but like it much better in 2023 / soon-to-be-2024. 

Musically I prefer Gabriel and Transhuman to their previous albums (except some of Sanity Obscure), but I am sad about their odd views on Christianity and their attempts to rewrite their history.

I didn’t necessarily not like Gabriel when it first was released… but it didn’t immediately connect with me. I recently pulled it out of storage and started playing it in the car. Now it has come alive and I appreciate it! 

Musically, the riffs are right up there with the classic stuff. I like it a lot!

25 years ago, I would not have guessed that Believer and Seventh Angel would fall away from the faith.

TZ75 wrote:25 years ago, I would not have guessed that Believer and Seventh Angel would fall away from the faith.

Seventh Angel did too?

I know Seventh Angel moved away from Christian lyrics, I’m not sure if the members still consider themselves to be Christians or not though. One of them featured with Adorned Graves on the latest album, which is overtly Christian.
Deliverance also has moved away from Christian lyrics, sad to see since their lyrics were great in early years.

Okay, I need to correct and clarify my comment about Seventh Angel…

Two of the members are confirmed believers. I’m not sure about Ian Arkley… but he has kept quiet about his current status. The only one that has said he no longer is in the faith is Andrew “Tank” Thompson (the drummer). Last I heard, he was a practicing Buddhist. 

Mark Broomhead and Simon Bibby are still in the faith (assuming nothing has changed since their last album).

Like mentioned by Seth, the lyrics are no longer blatantly Christian. It’s possible that there is some referencing to Christianity, but it’s not as overt as before. The band has said that they don’t label themselves as a Christian band.