Sanity Obscure
Sanity Obscure | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Studio | Morning Star Studios, Spring House, Pennsylvania | |||
Genre | Progressive metal, thrash metal, symphonic metal | |||
Length | 37:49 | |||
Label | R.E.X., Roadrunner, Retroactive, Metal Mind | |||
Producer | Doug Mann, Paul Krueger | |||
Believer chronology | ||||
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Sanity Obscure is the second studio album by the American Christian thrash metal band Believer. It was initially released in 1990 on R.E.X. and later in 1991 on Roadrunner, marking the band's label debut for Roadrunner.[1] Several mainstream magazines praised the album.[2]
Style, writing, composition
The band thought that the album "highlighted our German thrash influences such as Kreator and Destruction". Also, they "started experimenting with different rhythm structures" and "decided to expand our use of strings" with the song "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" as a result.[1]
Sanity Obscure begins with an intro called "Teddy Bears", in which a musical box tune distorts into obscurity. The album contains "dissonant guitar riffs, unusual stop-start rhythms and complicated arrangements", with Kurt Bachman's vocals being "the only conventional sounding characteristic of Sanity Obscure."[3]
The lyrics deal with theology and social issues. "Wisdom's Call" is about personal wisdom and its calling that simple people reject. "Stop the Madness" talks about a drug user who has been brainwashed by a decaying world, and is always searching to belong but is unable to tell where their shattered dreams are. "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. "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.
According to Jeff Wagner in his book
Recording, production
Sanity Obscure was recorded and mixed within approximately two weeks. The band used four layers for the rhythm guitar tracks.[1]
Release
The band released a promo single for the track "Stop the Madness", which also featured album track "Like a Song" and an anti-drug PSA.[5]
The original pressings of both R.E.X. Records and Roadrunner Records are sold out these days and are hard to find.[2]
In 2005, Canadian record label Retroactive Records issued a 1000 units pressing of Sanity Obscure, in which they had included an instrumental "bonus track" 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.[6]
Polish label Metal Mind Productions reissued Sanity Obscure as a remastered digipak version with liner notes by the band on November 5, 2007, along with the albums Extraction from Mortality and Dimensions.[7]
Reception and legacy
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Cross Rhythms | 10/10[8] |
Fear | [9] |
Guitar World | [10] |
Sanity Obscure received a wider audience than
According to the members of Doomworld, the video game musician
The alternative metal band Nonpoint got their name from the namesake song off Sanity Obscure.
In 2010, HM Magazine ranked Sanity Obscure #42 on its Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of all-time list stating: "When Christians make art that blows people away with its creativity, skill and excellence ... well, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be when people are in relation to the Creator? Sanity Obscure – case in point."[12] In the August 2010 issue of Heaven's Metal fanzine, the album ranked #10 on the Top 100 Christian metal albums of all-time list.
Touring
Following the release of Sanity Obscure, Believer toured first in Europe and then, in 1991, with British death metal band
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kurt Bachman, Joey Daub, David Baddorf and Wyatt Robertson except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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" (Written by U2) | 3:27 |
Personnel
Believer
Additional musicians
- Julianne Laird Hoge – soprano (6)
Technical personnel
- Doug Mann – production
- Paul Krueger – production
- Paul Krueger – engineering
- Jeff Spencer – cover art
- Tom Storm – photos
- Ted Hermanson – intro engineering (1)
- Scott Laird – orchestral composition (6)
Chart positions
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Contemporary Christian (Billboard)[14] | 25 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Bachman, Kurt; Daub, Joey (2007). Sanity Obscure (booklet). Believer (band). Katowice, Poland: Metal Mind Productions. p. 2.
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c Wagner 2010, p. 155
- ISBN 978-0-9796163-3-4. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ Waters, Scott. "Believer". No Life 'til Metal. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ Waters, Scott (May 6, 2005). "Believer Frontman Slams Label For Reissuing Band's Catalog With 'Bonus' Tracks". Blabbermouth. Roadrunner Records. Archived from the original on May 7, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
- ^ "Believer Albums To Be Reissued". Blabbermouth.net. October 12, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- OCLC 500100046.
- OCLC 878444575.
- ^ Treppel, Jeff (November 9, 2012). "The Lazarus Pit: Believer's Sanity Obscure". Decibel. Alex Mulcahy. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ HM Staff. "Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time". HM Magazine. Open Publishing. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-906002-01-5.
- OCLC 4086332.