Believer

To start off with then, how are things going currently in the Believer camp? 

Things are going well thanks. We’re getting ready to play some live shows and Joey and I have been working on some ideas for the next album. 

Considering the fifteen year gap between your initial dissolution and the release of your fourth album, Gabriel, in March, how did you find the process of writing new material; after such a long time did you find it difficult to get into gear once more? 

It took a bit of time to get back into writing mode but actually much shorter than we expected. Once Joey and I started getting together more often, things just really started to flow and it was as if 15 years was 15 days. 

What would you describe as the most significant reasons for your recent reformation? 

I would have to say my relocating back to the area near where Joey lives. Writing and recording music is something that has been a huge part of my life, so when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it. We did not have any intentions to put out a new record when we first started getting together again. This is just something that gained momentum as we wrote new songs. Therefore, we don’t look at this as a reunion…but rather an extension of what we started in 1988. 

Your latest album was marked throughout by an overall sense of complexity and atmospherics, alongside the usual clutch of massive riffs and thrash elements... was there any pressure to ‘contemporise’ your sound for Gabriel, or did it just seem natural to develop those facets of your sound further? 

We actually didn’t think too much about it. We just let things happen and if it sounded good to us at that point in time, we kept it. We never were a band that had consistent sounding records and always wanted to do something new. This is a detriment in the music business but we always wanted to make sure writing and recording was fun and pushed us creatively. 

A number of musicians guested on the new album, including Deron from CKY, and Howard from Killswitch Engage, both big Believer fans. Have you encountered a lot of goodwill and excitement since reforming, and could you identify any particular highlights from the band’s newest chapter? 

It was quite strange for us to hear how many new and amazing bands we influenced. It does make us feel old, but we are truly humbled by it also. We have had a great response from our fans and other bands about us being back in the scene. Working with Deron, Howard, Joe Rico (Sacrifice) and Rocky Gray (Living Sacrifice) was definitely a highlight of making Gabriel. These guys are amazing musicians. The other major highlight was working with Michael Rosner who did the artwork for Gabriel. He and the folks at Eye Level Studio did a fantastic job and we are looking forward to continuing our relationship. 

Have you any plans to tour internationally in the near future, or indeed release new material at some stage? 

We hope to do some international mini-tours but nothing extensive at this point. We are working on some new material and have 2 albums left on our with Metal Blade/Cesspool Recordings. There will be more so standby! 

The worldwide heavy music scene is in almost rude health at the moment, with some of unlikeliest bands breaking through to the music mainstream. What is your opinion on this state of affairs, and can you identify any upcoming bands who seem to be spiritual successors of the scene that Believer emerged from? 

Wow that is a tough question. There are so many heavy bands that it basically comes down to marketing and promotion. There are still bands, like Opeth, who ascend the ranks with excellent musicianship. I think the oversaturation will die down and only a few bands will be able to maintain a business which is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Having tackled many difficult ethical and philosophical issues in the lyrics of your previous three albums, which areas did you draw upon in order to craft lyrics for Gabriel? Are there any aspects of our world today, be it religious, philosophical or otherwise, that you would wish to explore in the future? 

The lyrics on Gabriel are quite personal and were influenced by things in our everyday lives. Things like relationships, TV or movies, books, etc went into Gabriel. We hope that those who listen to the album can interpret the lyrics in a way that is meaningful in their lives. Not sure what we’ll explore in the future. Really depends on what sort of stuff is in our heads at the moment of writing. 

Finally, do you have any special ambitions for the future of Believer, any goals that you still aspire to reach? 

We want to release at least 2 more albums that we are happy with and play live for our fans. That would be looked at as a very successful career in our eyes.