Sanity Obscure

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Sanity Obscure
Sanity Obscure cover
Studio album by Believer
Released 1990
Recorded 1990, Morning Star Studios, Spring House, Pennsylvania
Genre Thrash metal
Length 37:49
Label Roadrunner Records (1991)
R.E.X. Records (1990)
Producer Doug Mann and Paul Krueger
Professional reviews

All Music Guide 4/5 stars link
Believer chronology
Extraction from Mortality
(1989)		 Sanity Obscure
(1990)		 Dimensions
(1993)

Sanity Obscure (RR-9312-2) is the second album by the Christian thrash metal band Believer, published in 1990 by R.E.X. Records and a year later by Roadrunner Records. Several mainstream magazines praised the album.[1]

Contents

[edit] Recording history

Sanity Obscure was recorded and mixed in Morning Star Studios, Spring House, Pennsylvania in 1990. The album was produced by Doug Mann and Paul Krueger. Sanity Obscure was mastered in The Hit Factory, New York. The intro for "Sanity Obscure" was recorded at HMS Productions and was engineered by Ted Hermanson. All songs, apart from "Dies Irae", are written by quartet Kurt Bachman, Joey Daub, David Baddorf, and Wyatt Robertson, who replaced the former member Howe Kraft.[2]

[edit] Overview

Sanity Obscure begins with an intro called "Teddy Bears", which credits were given as Matt and Bran. On this intro, a well-known musical box tune distorts into a twisted noise. This is followed by rhythmically complex structures and bizarre time signatures, which makes the album a unique thrash metal classic.[3] The guitars have a peculiar distortion, and Joey Daub's drumming is varied while mostly emphasize on the typical two-part thrash metal beat. Kurt Bachman's vocals are raspy shouts.

The lyrics deal with humanistic themes from Christian point of view. The liner notes include Bible citations that support the message.[4] The dominant lyrical theme is the connection between "the fear of the Lord" and wisdom. For example, "Wisdom's Call" is about personal wisdom and its calling that simple people reject.[4] "Stop the Madness" is an anti-drug song: it begins with a sample of a youth entering a room and faints after taking a dose of heroin.[4] The lyrics talk about this person as someone who has been brainwashed by decaying world, and is always searching to belong but is too blind to see his shattered dreams.[4] "Nonpoint" takes a stance on the dark side of the industrialized society where general ignorance has caused pollution that corrupts nature, and in the end, man's soul.[4] "Like a Song" is a cover of a U2's rebel song which ponders that one must start revolution from within oneself before one can change the world.[4]

[edit] "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)"

"Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" is usually cited as the highlight of the album. It is possibly one of the earliest symphonic thrash metal songs.[5] The orchestral section was conducted by Scott Laird. The song begins with breath of wind, followed by strings and the soprano vocals of Julianne Laird Hoge. After two minutes, the band joins the musical chaos with its thrash metal output in contrast with the orchestration. Doug Mann executed the concept of the song and the band section was composed by Kurt Bachman. Dies irae itself is a Latin poem or hymn which prays mercy at the dawn of apocalypse. The poem was originally written by Thomas of Celano, an Italian friar of the Franciscans, who lived in 1200s. The hymn was used as a sequence in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass until the 1970 revision of the Roman Missal.

[edit] Reception

Sanity Obscure received a wider audience than Extraction from Mortality. Although Sanity Obscure never really became popular, several mainstream magazines praised the album.[1] Some critics couldn't look past the Christian lyrics but most of them wrote that the band was talented.[6][7] According to Sea of Tranquility webzine in a 2008 review of the album's re-issue, Sanity Obscure was "ahead of its time," and the reviewer recognizes it as "a long forgotten classic".[8]

According to the users of Doomworld, the video game musician Robert Prince covered the title song "Sanity Obscure" for the video game Doom in E1M6 level's song "On the Hunt" (see: Making of Doom). The song "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" also appeared on the soundtrack of the skating video series of CKY.

[edit] Tour

Following the release of Sanity Obscure, Believer toured with the British deathgrind band Bolt Thrower and the Canadian death metal band Sacrifice. They did tours in Europe an US, with Believer as the support act. Based on the band's live videos, they played the songs faster in concerts than on the album.

[edit] Reissues

The original pressings of both R.E.X. Records and Roadrunner Records are sold out these days and are hard to find.[1]

In 2005, a Canadian record label called Retroactive Records (RAR7790) a 1000 units pressing of Sanity Obscure, in which they had included an instrumental "bonustrack" from Believer's 1987 demo The Return titled "I.Y.F.". This caused some controversy when both Kurt Bachman and Joey Daub informed that they would have not give permission to include extra material if they were asked. In their opinion, the track listing should have stayed as it originally was. However, the record company did not break any copyright laws.[9]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Kurt Bachman, Joey Daub, David Baddorf and Wyatt Robertson except the intro and the orchestration.
  1. "Sanity Obscure" - 6:06
  2. "Wisdom's Call" - 3:44
  3. "Nonpoint" - 5:14
  4. "Idols of Ignorance" - 4:39
  5. "Stop the Madness" - 3:56
  6. "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" - 5:41
  7. "Dust to Dust" - 5:02
  8. "Like A Song" - 3:27

[edit] Singles

Information
Stop the Madness (8:27), 1990 Roadrunner Records

The first and only Believer single. Features the radio edit of "Stop the Madness" and its separate intro as well as the U2 rebel song cover "Like A Song".

  1. Anti-Drug PSA - 1:04
  2. Stop the Madness - 3:59
  3. Like a Song (U2 cover) - 3:24

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Believer

  • Kurt Bachman - guitar
  • Joey Daub - drums
  • Wyatt Robertson - bass
  • David Baddorf - guitar

[edit] Guest musicians

  • Scott Laird - orchestral composition of "Dies Irae"
  • Julianne Laird Hoge - soprano on "Dies Irae"

[edit] Other

  • Doug Mann and Paul Krueger - production
  • Paul Krueger - engineering
  • David DeVries - cover art
  • Tom Storm - photos
  • Deana Baddorf - road manager
  • Robert Baddorf - video tech
  • Eric "Cecil" Greenwalt - crew chief
  • PGM Management - management
  • Matt and Bran - "Teddy Bears" intro
  • Ted Hermanson - engineering for "Teddy Bears" intro at HMS Productions

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Torreano, Bradley (2005-04-30). Sanity Obscure. All Music Guide. Open Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  2. ^ "Liner notes of Sanity Obscure booklet" . Sanity Obscure. RR-9312-2. 
  3. ^ Bartholemew, Biff. Believer - Sanity Obscure. The Whipping Post. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Sanity Obscure album lyrics" . Sanity Obscure. RR-9312-2. 
  5. ^ Reviews for Believer - Sanity Obscure. Encycopaedia Metallum. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  6. ^ Gary. Believer - Sanity Obscure. The Whipping Post. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  7. ^ Waters, Scott. Believer - Sanity Obscure. No Life 'til Metal. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  8. ^ Pardo, Pete (2008-01-20). Believer - Sanity Obscure. Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  9. ^ Waters, Scott (2005-05-06). Believer Frontman Slams Label For Reissuing Band's Catalog With 'Bonus' Tracks. Blabbermouth. Roadrunner Records. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.

[edit] External links

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