Believer

Gabriel

The return of the one band that made the term “Christian metal” cool | Cesspool/Metal Blade

Surprises abound! Not only is it mildly shocking that Believer have even returned after breaking up in the mid ’90s, but what’s also confounding is that Gabriel is being co-released via Howard (Killswitch Engage, not “What Is Love?”) Jones’ label, the cover isn’t a Photoshop creation, and the self-indulgence of the album’s last quarter. This last point deserves exploration because you’d think that after a decade-plus hiatus, Believer would hit the ground with something to prove; that they’d nail your balls to the wall (or hands to the crucifix, in this case) with a non-stop hive of venomous creativity all in the name of complex and inventive, yet raging and nuanced, left-field thrash. They do do this for nine of the 13 listed tracks, but then succumb to the lack of self-censorship that comes with recording yourself in your own studio; an activity analogous to starving an eight-year-old for two days, then asking him to guard a candy store.

—Kevin Stewart-Panko

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