Extraction from Mortality

I found out about Believer some time in the late-90’s when a guy gave me their three albums, quite surprised that I had never heard of this “great act”. Well, one can’t hear all the music that has been created through the years, but in this particular case I did feel a bit ashamed being an avid thrash metal fan and all. And I even discovered Tourniquet later, another thrash act who belonged to the Christian metal movement. So I listened to “Dimensions” first, and I found it a pretty cool, ambitious, albeit a bit too varied affair that was kind of trying to shift the band away from the more rigid thrash canons; a process which remained unfinished until much later.

Then I listened to “Sanity Obscure” and was left utterly delighted by this first-class technical shredfest the guys even making a U2 cover (“Like a Song”) sound relevant to their visions. And finally I lent the album reviewed here an ear hoping that it would be something along the lines of its successor. Well, “Sanity Obscure” is not an album that can be beaten easily, but as a start of their career the band have done very well with this manic rifforama which goes the extra mile to bemuse the listener with an overlong (nearly 2-min) pompous orchestral intro before “Unite” “unites” all the thrash maniacs with its wild polished riffs giving a template to the Swedes Merciless and Devastation (“Idolatry”) to follow also with its more aggressive proto-death metal-ish flair. “Vile Hypocrisy” tries the gallops which work just fine to make this a perennial rousing anthem with blissful headbanging moments for the fans as well as several more moderate stomping sections. “D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom)” is one of the band’s finest achievements, their first attempt at a more technical, more intricate song-writing with the multiple time and tempo-changes following in quick succession creating a dense riff miasma the latter dissipated by the short melodic lead section.

“Tormented” has a curious, quirky, almost doomy, beginning which is way less intense than the “assault” encountered so far, but expect everything to get back to normal with some exemplary vigorous semi-technical thrashing, its stride intercepted by the balladic romanticism that inaugurates “Shadow of Death”, the next in line full-on thrash riff-fest leaving more room for the dazzling leads to shine this time. “Blemished Sacrifices” thrashes hard with no remorse as well turning to less tamed death metal-ish rhythms which would make even Obituary and Death listen with care; more intriguing riff-patterns get introduced later, but the death metal “pain” remains, the brutal delivery put under control on “Not Even One” which moshes with more sophistication and a tad of melody both in the riff and the lead department. Another lengthy operatic passage awaits at the threshold of the title-track, a marginal nerve-stretcher this time as the guys have already showed their penchant for the more orchestral officiancy; at least what follows is a most captivating feast for the ears with the fast ripping guitars, the virtuous leads, and the clever eventful riff-formulas. “Stress” at the end is a thrash/crossover joke with less bridled semi-blasting strokes and quirky funky bassisms, the guys relaxing at the end in a less serious, jocund fashion.

There’s no reason why this grand effort shouldn’t be mentioned right beside other meisterwerks of US thrash from 1989 like Exodus’ “Impact is Imminent”, Overkill’s “The Years of Decay”, and Dark Angel’s “Leave Scars”. It’s much more than just a passable beginning of the band’s career the guys sounding like fully accomplished musicians at this early stage, touching the up-and-coming death metal although they never got really tempted to venture fully into its realm. Kurt Bachman, the band founder, the guitar player and the singer should be proud of his achievement putting his act strongly on the metal map right next to the big names on the scene. Mentioning singing, his deathy shouts can hardly pass for that, bordering on rending at times, but if nothing else they suit the relentless cannonade which was given a more technical shape on the brilliant “Sanity Obscure”. A culmination of some sorts was achieved on that one so I guess the more experimental turn things took on “Dimensions” shouldn’t be such a surprise as the band had to look for other ways to express themselves in order to fit the swiftly shifting musical scenery in the 90’s.

Some of the band members did that as the progressive gothic metal formation Fountain of Tears surviving long enough for the recording of two full-lengths before splitting up. One of them was the drummer Joe Daub, Bachman’s comrade and a co-founder of Believer, who put an end to the gothic metal stunt in 2009 due to his main band’s reformation. “Gabriel” was a fairly decent comeback opus elaborating on the more progressive touches from “Dimensions” those alterations arrived for the sake of the harder thrashing. Stylish more aggressive, technical riffs were still around, but the overall delivery was clinging more towards a more encompassing progressive metal palette. “Transhuman” released two years later was a misstep, though, removing all vestiges of thrash adding modern 90’s elements into the already diverse progressive picture, consequently failing to convince the fanbase that this was the right decision for the band’s evolution in the new millennium. What lies ahead, it’s hard for one to envisage, but it wouldn’t hurt if the old veterans find these tomes of ancient classic metal history somewhere in the attic, wipe the dust off them, and browse through them if for nostalgic reasons alone. Cause some of those pages were written by them, and they turned many a sceptic into firm classic thrash metal believers...

Believer was one of the forerunners in a wave of technical, compelling Christian thrash acts dropping albums in the later 80s, including such others as Tourniquet, Deliverance, and Sacrament. Though their religious interests certainly wouldn't prove popular among many metal circles today, and in truth weren't such a hot commodity even back then, they married their convictions to some admirably aggressive songwriting, which in my estimate places their appeal far beyond the bounds of those of like-minded faith. Granted, I'm not and never have been one to hold a bias against worship-based metal (of any creed) unless it's excessively preachy or cheesy (and not in a fun way), but I think a lot of folks who balk at the terms 'Christian' and 'metal' in unison would be taken aback at just how pissed off this Pennsylvanian outfit was through their earlier records. Tracks like "Blemished Sacrifices", "D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom)" and "Vile Hypocrisy" on the debut Extraction from Mortality are quite scathing in terms of their message, and not leaving a lot of room for interpretation, yet the music is surgical and meticulous enough that non- or anti-Christian fans of hostile thrash could easily hurdle the lyrics.

That's not to say Believer's debut was a masterpiece by any definition, and in fact it leaves something to be desired, but even this early, they were performing a brand of thrash quite rare, and remaining so. Musically this felt like a veritable tornado of semi-technical riffing aesthetics redolent of what bands like Destruction, Mekong Delta, Vendetta and Deathrow were writing over in Germany, only supplanted into a muscular momentum familiar to West Coast US acts like Testament, Exodus and Heathen who were offering us a more progressive, or more pummeling variation on the laws set by a Master of Puppets. Vicious, busy, and abusive sequences of palm mutes and triplets drive much of the action, and the guitars are mixed with a soulless and unapologetic certainty which is sure to induce fits of headbanging. The leads aren't great, but they're definitely practiced and clinical in nature, like a poor man's Alex Skolnick; the setback is simply that they're rarely so memorable as those strung together on a record like The New Order, Master of Puppets or Rust in Peace. One couldn't argue that a lot of thought was put into this selection of tracks, but apart from a pure visceral level, I've never been able to connect with them. Extraction from Mortality was no 'hit generator', at a time when more proficient and complex albums by Artillery, Deathrow, Coroner and so forth were able to provide both instant accessibility and accumulated depth through repeated listens.

Ultimately, I remember this more as a setup for its successor Sanity Obscure than anything else, because that sophomore was able to take this existing blueprint and fashion it into a superior set of songs. The lack of distinct bass lines (or bass presence in the mix) definitely drops a possible dimension from its appreciation, and thus so much focus is spent just on the guitar patterns and the angered vocals of Kurt Bachman. In the case of the former, there are a handful of cuts like "Unite", "Tormented" and "Extraction from Mortality" itself which manifest enough excitement through their onslaught that they could throw down with the lion's share of their US peers, but looking at Extraction as a whole it often feels like a tireless parade of notes that just don't form themselves into emotionally resonant phrases. Bachman sounds quite goddamn convincing, if you'll pardon the pun, sort of a missing link between the two best known Dark Angel frontmen (Don Doty and Ron Rinehart); a hoarse and furious treatment which occasionally channels a bit of angrier Snake (Voivod) or Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.). At the same time, though, you get tired of his inflection after just a handful of tracks, because there's not enough variation or interesting syllabic delivery to compensate for the matrix of skilled but dispirited guitar progressions thundering beneath it.

I did like the few hints of real experimentation here, like the disjointed use of samples and discordant pianos to open "Unite", creepy clean guitars inaugurating "Shadow of Death", or the lengthy and moody symphonic intro to the title track; things to pay attention to, as they'd play a role in influencing Believer's third album Dimensions (1993). That said, there were not enough of these balanced throughout the length of the record to make a difference, and other instances of stepping out the comfort zone, like the funk/reggae closure to "Stress", or the dumb 'skit' that heralds the "Vile Hypocrisy" remix on the reissues, which I can't imagine was ever funny to anyone but the band themselves. Neither lasts long, but they still mar the surface of a record which seems so predicated on tension and conviction. All told, Extraction from Mortality is indeed an ambitious and proficient introduction to Believer canon, with a riff set that might sate those into bands as diverse as Exodus, Mekong Delta, or more recently, Vektor and Ritual Carnage; but it simply did not have the songwriting charm of so much else that was happening in that 1988-91 period, and at best serves as a second or third tier filler between binges of No More Color, Control and Resistance, Think This, Deception Ignored, Victims of Deception and Paradox's Heresy.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

If you take into consideration that this album was put out in 1989 when the insanely amazing albums ‘…And justice’, ‘Darkness descends’ ‘Reign in blood’, ‘World order’, ‘Peace sells’, ‘Extreme aggressions’ where ALREADY out this definitely falls short. With those albums we got everything we could get from speed-thrash metal, saying progressive-yet doom complex songs with Metallica, pure sheer brutality with Dark Angel and Kreator, speedy yet technical precision with Slayer, technical and super catchy hooks with Megadeth, etc. I could go on but the point is rather established: for a debut this even sinks itself because of many elements that went wrong.

Let’s start with the production: the vocals are (and this to me only) better than those on Sanity Obscure. Here we have a straighter from the throat aggression instead of the excruciating chilling tone from subsequent albums. Of course it does not take away the point he is an utter bad singer, but who said in thrash metal singing capabilities are quite amazing? The point is showing the pure feeling and aggression of the thrash metal culture and I think here is better. Nevertheless the production doesn’t help either and comparing it to the pissed off James Hetfield on ‘justice’ or Mile Petrozza, Kurt Bachman is just lifeless.

The flat sound comes next. When you listen to Sanity Obscure you almost get a good production, pointing the fact that the bass is almost nonexistent. On the other hand, with this we get to hear the bass quite loud, but the problem comes with all the rest and specially the drums. The tombs sound weak and buried. Although the guitars have a certain crunch, reminiscent of early death metal acts they sound buried and fussy.

There is a simplicity in the riffs which is miles behind the complexity of riffing style by Annhilator, Toxik or Sodom for that matter. The riffs are really flat and tremolo picking riffing is definitely overused. The drums are quite simplistic as well and if you pay close attention to the changes he only used 2 tombs to perform them, over and over song after song. That shows how naïve they were, considering that again monstrous drummers already broke our heads trying to figure out how they did what they did (who said Ventor on Pleasure to kill and Gene Hoglan on Darkness Descends?). This drags the album immensely since all the sounds sound alike and there are no hooks. The songs are utterly forgettable except perhaps ‘Vile hipocrisy’ with its catchy riffs and drumming patterns. This was already pointed out by the other guy and boy, do I agree with him!

The use of classical instruments as intros (violins and viola) certainly doesn’t help anything. I say this because ‘Dies Irae’ from Sanity Obscure was the first song where they incorporated this in a very good way. The use of classical instrument in a rather brutal album sounds out of place. The guys can argument that it was to enhance the atmosphere but it certainly didn’t work here. What is then, the use of violins at the beginning of a thrash song that has nothing to do with its actual atmosphere?

The amount of mediocre songs has already pointed out too so I think I just have to say that there are really ‘brutal?’ songs on: ‘Tormented’, ‘Blemished sacrifices’. There are mid speed songs on ‘Vile hipocrisy’, ‘Desolation of Sodom’. Weird paced songs like the awful ‘Stress’ where the funky-punky bass lines which lead the armony are an abomination. I guess that being the topic of the song they wanted to des-stress from such run of speed and supposedly aggression but in the end it is all forgettable. The other problem appointed to mediocrity is the fact that although the amount of tempo changes and rhythm sections they don’t save the songs from sinking. They are too forced and too schematic and it definitely shows after a couple of spins. This is an album you can live without. I have it because I like Believer and I enjoy their albums but this is without any doubt the worst of all so far. Too bad they didn’t even have a logo, less points then!

I Am NOT new to Believer at all. I have been listening to them for the past four years, and I have to say, these guys have some talent, and stand a chance. A lot of God-Haters LOVE Believer (they are indeed a Christian band), but with the amount of hard work they put into their music makes you totally forget that they are a Christian band in the first place. Extraction From Mortality is a pretty good start, but it’s not as technical, or as melodic as Sanity Obscure, or my favorite Dimensions. Most people seem to favor Sanity Obscure, and I think it’s probably because it’s their heaviest, and their most Technical album out there. Now, I favor Dimensions, a lot of people probably think that this one is a classic.

One thing is for certain, I do NOT look to this one as a classic, but it is pretty kickass. There is nothing really all that special here- just a real montage of heaviness and head banging. It has quite a number of throw-away-tracks, but it also has some of the best Believer tracks on it. Also not to mention that this album is really what got me into them, thanks to my personal favorite song “Shadow Of Death.” Ever since I heard that song, I have been into Believer. Unfortunately why I believe that this deserves no higher than an 75 is (no offense Kurt Bachman, you are indeed one of my hero’s but still) because of the vocals. Kurt’s vocals drag on a lot, and I don’t see why his voice is so great on THIS album in particular which is also probably because they are a little underproduced. As for Sanity Obscure, his voice is awesome.

Something that I have a hard time understanding is that a few people say that these guys are Death Metal, which is absolute bull because there really are no Death Metal influences unless you compare it to Possessed Seven Churches, which in my opinion is just a Thrash Metal album. The only influences of Death Metal to believer are probably the heavy crunch distortion, and how brutal the Thrash gets. This is merely just Bay-Area Thrash played with heavier distortion and more speed (at least in some parts).

The album starts off with a KILLER track entitled Unite. Unite starts off with a little sound montage and a NICE organ being played. When the music actually comes in, it shows us one of the heaviest Believer tracks EVER. Still the vocals are annoying and drag on. 9/10

Now, the single on the album would be this next one, Vile Hypocrisy. This is the one song on the record that most people would know and remember if they knew Believer. Not only is it heavy, but it is also insanely catchy with some nice crunchy guitar riffs. 8/10.

D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom) is next, and personally, I think that this one is NOT their best effort at all. It actually really is one of the more throw-away-tracks that really has no life or air to breathe. Some may like it, but I never really gave to shits about this track. There is NOTHING special here, 6/10.

Tormented is a step up and is really fast. This one is a nice fun head banging track but the intro is rather pitiful and slow which makes me feel someone different. As the song progresses, we get to see heavier and insane amounts of speed to this one. 7/10

Alright, now THIS next one is not only my most favorite song on the album, but is my most favorite Believer song EVER. This is the one song that got me into these guys, and it is called Shadow Of Death. The intro to this one is kinda scary, and this one in a way is what I would call a mini-epic that illustrates the war of Armageddon. There is not a lot of progression or any real melody, but I love this song how it is and I will continue to love it. 10/10.

Blemished Sacrifices is probably the fastest song on here, because the drums sound like blast beats from a black metal band. Unfortunately, the song loses it’s taste, because it’s more of a wall of sound. It’s not until half way through the song that we actually get to hear the awesomeness of the song. Once it reaches that point for about a minute, it goes back to the blast beats and I CANNOT stand blast beat sound on drums. Sorry Believer, but this one just don’t cut it 6/10.

Not Even One is a nice tune, but Kurt’s vocals go real awful. In some ways, his vocals are more annoying than Wrath’s Gary Golwitzer. That could probably because Gary Golwitzer is one of my favorite vocalists and his voice is unique. You could in a way say the same thing about Kurt Bachman’s voice, because he has originality to his voice. Unfortunately, this song sounds a lot alike the other ones and gives off kind of a circus kind of tune to it. 7/10.

Extraction From Mortality is a SWEET track, with the nice atmospheric intro with beautiful strings and wind sound effects. The funny thing is when Believer’s part kicks in it goes to a completely different direction. This song shows us more of a violent sound to Believer, but also sounds a lot like some of the other songs. I still enjoy this one though. 8/10.

Finally coming the closing of the album with this one, Stress. The music starts off giving off a very Possessed kind of feel to it, and that’s okay, because that’s what I like about it. Unfortunately, it seems like Believer is trying to preach to little kids with this one because of the silly riffs and lyrics. Kind of a bad effort with this one. So sorry Believer. 5/10.

BOTTOMLINE: Though this album has a number of throw-away tracks, it still is pretty good. Do I recommend this one? It depends to whom you’re recommending it to. Believer fans? Yes of course, BUT the real Believer comes in with their other two albums. Metal-heads/Thrasher’s? Metal heads maybe not so much, and Thrashers some-what. The production is great, but the sound of the drums, and the amount of tremolo picking/galloping gets annoying because it shows no originality. Just watch out for Kurt’s vocals. 7.5/10.

Kinda uninspired thrash we have here. Yes, the band is Christian. I will not take that into account in the course of this review... I'll just note the musical points, both good and bad.

General style - imagine the Viking album "Man of Straw" - that's kinda what it's like, including the fact that about 1.5 songs in, the album is pretty much over. That's the real problem with it - the riffs aren't so overwhelmingly interesting, and the songs are far too long. There are a lot of quick one-note riffs, and also some more bouncy ones, but overall after the first song it doesn't sound all that inspired. Lots of the fast "Damage Inc" style riff that doesn't really go anywhere.

Oh yes, and the vocals are terrible. They sound like Tom G. Warrior on valium. And what's worse than the lead vocals? The backing vocals.

Highlights... Tormented has that one riff that would also appear on their next album, on the song Dies Irae (now THAT is a great fucking song) and is general decently uptempo and isn't 9 minutes long like Vile Hypocrisy (which just doesn't even have enough riffs for 6 minutes). Also, the opener Unite is pretty cool. Blemished Sacrifices sounds like Damage Inc. meets Anacrusis's first LP gone wrong - really fast riffs with lots of snares and not much guitar. Too fast, my ass. No no, too fast is right. They only throw in some really thrashy stuff very rarely, and that's not enough for me. Coma of Souls this is not.

Oh yeah the last song is absolutely fucking awful. It's punkish without any true anger - think Suicidal Tendencies. Other than that, all the songs sound really similar and tend to run together and none of them are particularly memorable, as I said before. If you want some fourth-rate thrash, then here's some. Enjoy.