Sanity Obscure

Believer (Performer)

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Retroactive
• ASIN: B00076S8N8
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #336,893 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
After dropping their groundbreaking debut album on an unsuspecting world in 89, just two years later they unleashed a new level of aggressiveness and creativity that no one could have expected. Somehow effectively blending the use of violins / violas, a female opera singer, and thrash metal, Believer stretched the boundaries of metal beyond the normal limitations of the genre. By maintaining the highly technical aspect of their progressive speed metal they thrilled metal fans in both the mainstream and Christian markets. Sanity Obscure would go on to become a standard must have album for fans of thrash metal in the vein of Slayer, Tourniquet, Kreator, Exodus, and early Living Sacrifice. Fast and furious, the dissonant and growling aural mayhem ensured Sanity Obscure was one of those albums that grabbed the hearts and souls of even casual metalheads. To say that this 1991 album has stood the test of time is a grand understatement. The release of this album opened the doors for the band to play mainstream venues with bands like Bolt Thrower, as well as have their albums widely distributed in mainstream markets. Even in the year 2004, Heaven's Metal Magazine reviewed this reissue and describes the Sanity as "...one of the classics of yesteryear...highly technical thrash with addicting, hypnotic riffs, and aggressive drumming that pound relentlessly at your skull."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Instant Classic, October 16, 2005

By	Paul Conroy "Paul Conroy" (Novato, CA) - See all my reviews

The Composition is breath taking, artwork stunning, just simmply amazing. This album Is a must have for any Slayer, Anthrax, Extol, Living Sacrifice, Old Metallica or Becoming the Archetype Fan. Excellent Album. Theres just not enough good things to say about it. Go buy it Now!

5.0 out of 5 stars This cd is awesome, August 27, 2007

By	C. Wilkinson "some random reviewer" (somewhereworld) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Old Christian thrash music with good time changes, drumming, and lyrics.
You probably will have to get used to the singer, but soon its all good.
Stop The Madness is a song that deals with drug abuse, and there is a unbelievable(no puns) instrumental with violins.
Go ahead, its worth it.

4.0 out of 5 stars very good Christian technical thrash, July 11, 2006

By	the eclectic extrovert (PA USA) - See all my reviews

Once again, I could justify a 5 star rating, but I'm trying to use discretion. If you know Believer's other work, what you need to know is that this is more technical, lyrically superior development from their first album, but only shows the slightest hints of what is to come in the third (and final) album. The lyrics draw from Ecclesiastes-type themes, and the music is definitely experimenting with more time changes (though not overdone) and occasional dashes of what I think are acoustic parts (very brief) to make this an interesting listen. But it remains intense throughout. One song experiments with female vocals, but this is long before this became the trend with various goth doom and black metal bands. Only Celtic Frost could have been an influence on that score. In general, this is lyrically strong, good, straight up thrash with enough changes to keep it interesting. A nice listen, and particularly well done when one considers the dearth of original Christian bands at the time. (Also, the CD version has a not-too-bad sort of punkish
rendition of U2s "like A Song"--not a bad touch).