BELIEVER (PA) — Transhuman (review)

BELIEVER (PA) — Transhuman album cover Album · 2011 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Transhuman" is the 5th full-length studio album by US thrash/metalcore/ progressive metal act Believer. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in April 2011 as number two album out of a three album deal the band inked with the label upon their return to the scene (Believer were split-up from 1994 to 2005).

"Gabriel (2009)" Was a strong return to the scene. A mix of thrash metal, progressive metal and a slight metalcore element worked really well. "Transhuman" is a rather different beast though and upon first listen I´ll admit I was a bit shocked. The thrash metal elements which have always been the basis of the band´s sound are not very dominant on "Transhuman". Instead it´s the progressive metal and the melodic metalcore elements of the band´s sound that are now in focus. "Transhuman" is as a consequence less harsh than any of the previous releases by the band. Keyboards are now an integrated and rather dominant part of the sound. That was to some degree also the case with "Gabriel", but much more on "Transhuman". Lead vocalist Kurt Bachman´s usually caustic vocal delivery is now much more melodic. He has maintained a raw tone though so don´t expect angelic singing.

The tracks vary between melodic metalcore and melodic progressive metal, which means that most of the songs are vers/chorus based with a strong emphasis on hook laden chorus lines (not completely unlike an act like Killswitch Engage), while a few have more intricate progressive structures (examples are "Ego Machine" and "Mindsteps"). The focus is always on accessebility and memorability though.

The sound production is very professional and detailed. I think the album lacks the warmer more full sound that "Gabriel" had, but the sound production suits the new musical direction very well.

"Transhuman" doesn´t exactly go down well with my personal tastes, and I really do miss the thrashy riffs, but personal tastes aside, "Transhuman" is a very professional and at times quite intriguing progressive metalcore album that I´m sure will appeal to a great deal of listeners. Fortunately after my shock reaction had passed upon my initial listen, I´ve found that the album has grown on me considerably and I won´t rule out the possibility that "Transhuman" might even grow on me to a degree where I´ll end up being really fond of the album. For now a 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted. I think Believer lost just a slight bit of their trademark sound on this album, but they are still a very unique sounding act and that always deserves praise.
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

It Gets Worse Sludge Metal
KULK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Černé Srdce Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ARCHETYP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anomalia Metalcore
AGREMORTA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ingräte Metalcore
INGRÄTE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Fossil Gardens Black Metal
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 14 hours ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 1 day 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