Believer

One of the greatest joys about metal is that sometimes it never goes away, and in the case of scene vets Believer, it just gets better and better. After a 15-year hiatus, these Pennsylvania prog-ers returned with 2009's outstandingly thrashy Gabriel, and the new Transhuman is even more superlative. The album's theme deals with Transhumanism, a philosophy that condones the improvement of the human condition through technology, though it's more about anti-aging than installing bionic limbs and robotic brains. While Gabriel boldly brandished their thrash roots, Transhuman reflects a band that's older, wiser and more comfortable in crafting music that speaks to strong songwriting and complex structures without coming off as excessively technical. "Traveler" and "Being No One" emphasize said melodies, while "Clean Room" spotlights mastermind Kurt Bachman's fluid soloing, alongside Joey Daub's no-frills drum intricacies. Keyboardist Jeff King gives a Cynic-al approach to "Transfection" and "Multiverse," while "Entanglement" might be a Rush composition in a parallel, but more metal, universe. Despite this newfound melody, Bachman still deals in well-defined thrash, as in the heavy "G.U.T." and the heavier "End of Infinity." "Mindsteps" and "Lie Awake" resemble a crooked cross between Queensrÿche and Tool. Like similar cuts interspersed on past albums, "Currents" acts as an instrumental respite from the prog fray, placed in the middle of the album, though this record doesn't need a breather. Bachman and company inject more melodicism and vocal harmonies ― the most in their long career ― into this excellently paced and executed metal workout.