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Being unfamiliar with their previous work, I had to do a little research on these guys. For the uninitiated such as I was, Believer released a string of albums throughout the late 80's and early 90's. Running along with Prog/Thrash acts such as Pestilence or Cynic and garnering minor critical success, these guys seem to have a solid fan base. More than 15 years since from their last effort Dimensions, we're graced with Believer's presence again. Think a less polished, more Thrash-sounding Meshuggah and that's pretty much what's in store on Gabriel.

Really there isn't a lot of good to be said about Gabriel, a decidedly average album hiding behind a façade of pretension. The majority of the riffs fail to get a reaction, and the vocals are absolutely dire – certainly something I wouldn't expect from a veteran act. These guys sound as though they're just leaving their teens. Some of the guitar solos are pretty nice and are certainly the finest weapon in their arsenal. "Focused Lethality" is easily the best track, and if the other nine were of this caliber we'd have a good release on our hands. "The Brave" features guest vocals from Howard Jones of metalcore giants Killswitch Engage, providing us with the lamest track on offer. Ultimately Gabriel fails to get the blood pumping, something I would be hard pressed to recommend to anyone. There are a lot more interesting releases so far this year to spend your hard earned cash on. Avoid this one.