Kurt:  Thank you.  It is great to be part of the metal scene again.  Joey and I just started writing music again because I relocated closer to the studio and where Joey lives.  We never planned a reunion or discussed it in those terms.  One thing led to another and we were given the opportunity from Metal Blade to release what we were working on.  Trust me, we never imagined we would become famous or rich with the kind of music we play.  We are definitely not doing this for those reasons.  We are just excited to be working together again and recording our ideas.

Could you tell our readers why you split up in 1994?

Kurt:  I wanted to pursue my medical education and Dimensions was primarily a studio album so we were not going to tour.  There was never a fight or anything like that.  Joey and I just put the band on an indefinite hiatus.

The music business has changed a lot since Believer left the stage (downloading instead of buying albums etc.). Did you take that into consideration when starting again?

Kurt:  Absolutely.  We wanted to offer our fans something different if they bought the CD so we have a lot of artwork in a 16 page booklet.  We don’t mind the downloading as long as it is from a source that has high quality and is legal.  It does hurt musicians at our level of popularity when the record is not bought.  As with many other bands, the future of Believer recording more albums depends on sales.  Many of the illegal download sites also have horrible sounding mp3s.  The CD quality is the best as you can really hear the separation, clarity and heaviness.  It bothers us when people judge the production using sub par quality mp3s.

What have you all been doing the last 11 years?

Kurt:  I earned my PhD in Molecular Medicine from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and started my own cancer research lab.  I am still doing this as I also love science and would like to have an impact on curing this horrible disease.  Joey was playing in the band Fountain of Tears with Jeff for 1o years and also playing with many local musicians.

In 2005 the band was reformed again, why did it take so long to record a new album?

Kurt:  We just started getting together in 2005 but did not seriously think about putting out a new album until 2007.  Most of Gabriel was written in late 2007 and recording started in early 2008.  We spent about 10 months recording Gabriel as we did it ourselves and on our own time.  We all do other work outside of Believer, so we had to schedule recording around our other commitments.

I can imagine you must be very pleased to have signed with Metal Blade, not the smallest label in the business. How did you get such a deal?

Kurt:  We are very stoked about working with Metal Blade.  It is truly an honour.  Howard Jones from Killswitch Engage did guest vocals on “The Brave” and while he was in our studio, he mentioned that he was starting an imprint on Metal Blade called Cesspool Recordings.  He asked us if we would be the first band on his imprint.  It’s been great working with Howard and the people at Metal Blade.  We are looking forward to our next 2 records with them.

Who are the new members and did you ask Baddorf and Robertson to join the re-union?

Kurt:  We parted ways with Dave Baddorf and Wyatt Robertson after the Sanity Obscure US tour.  They wanted to pursue other interests at the time, so Joey and I wrote and recorded Dimensions with musician friends of ours.  The new members include Jeff King (keyboards/programming), Elton Nestler (bass/programming), and Kevin Leaman (guitar).  Joey worked with Jeff in Fountain of Tears and Elton and Kevin have been friends of ours for some time.

When did the song writing for the new album start?

Kurt:  The song writing started in late 2007 with recording starting in early 2008.

Believer still has the same kind of guitar sound as on the first albums, a little dry and crunchy I would call it. Do you agree that the sound is very recognizable?

Kurt:  I think the sound is a bit different.  I went for a thicker sound with less mid frequencies to mix better with the bass on Gabriel.  I think my playing style is what might make the sound more recognizable. 

I hear a lot of musical parts similar to a band as for example Cynic. Do you understand that and is it one of your main influences?

Kurt:  I think bands like Cynic, Pestilence and Atheist have similar musical influences as Believer and therefore our writing styles may seem alike at times.  To be honest, I think these bands are far more talented than us and it is humbling to be associated with these amazing bands.

Howard Jones has a guest appearance in the song “The Brave”, is he a good friend of yours? And are there more guests on the new album?

Kurt:  During this process, we became very good friends with Howard and talk with him often.  He is truly a great guy and has been into Believer since our beginning.  Deron Miller from CKY, Joe Rico from Sacrifice and Rocky Gray from Living Sacrifice do amazing guest guitar solos on Gabriel also.

How are the reactions on the album so far and what do you expect from it?

Kurt:  Most of the reaction has been great.  There will always be some people that don’t like what we do or might not understand the direction of the album, but that is expected.  We actually are not expecting much from this record as far as record sales are concerned.  Many people have never heard of Believer before, so we look at this as another first album in a sense.  Hopefully people will enjoy the record even if we are new to them.

The title ‘Gabriel’ obviously refers to the angel Gabriel in the bible. Why does the album have this title, what is your message?

Kurt:  There is no message we are trying to push and the title may not refer to the angel Gabriel.  There could be many meanings or underlying themes to this title.  We want people to determine what the title and lyrics mean to them in their own lives.  We only wish people to think for themselves and develop open minds.

Believer has always been described as a Christian band, but I don’t have the idea that you want to preach and tell people what to do. Is there any purpose behind your choice to have religious lyrics, what do you want to tell the people, or is it just an image?

Kurt:  The media has described us as a Christian band but we do not refer to ourselves as a Christian band.  Our lyrics come from personal things we were experiencing at the time of writing, basically subjects that might have affected us in some way from TV, books or personal interactions with others in our lives.  We try to write lyrics that get people to think and create their own meaning.

When not metal fans listen to metal, they always think it must be satanic. When I tell them there are also Christian bands, they do not understand that. They suggest: how can you sing such lyrics when playing (in their opinion) satanic music. What would you tell them?

Kurt:  Music has no religion or belief basis.  Music is entertainment.  Metal is just another form of music but many bands will try to push a message using music such as satanic and Christian bands.  There is nothing wrong with pushing a message using music, but this is not what Believer is about.  We want people to enjoy the music and if they get  a meaning from our lyrics that affects their lives  in a positive way, then that is a bonus.

Any touring plans?

Kurt:  We are rehearsing now to play live, but we have no concrete tour plans at the moment.  We will see how the album does and then decide where and when to play.  We would like to do some mini-tours and select shows.  It would be great to play live again for our fans.

Will the band Believer still be there in about five years you think?

Kurt: We have 2 records left with Metal Blade and given the time it takes us to write and record our albums, I would say that Believer will definitely be around in 5 years.

Which five albums would you take with you to Heaven, to teach Jesus to love metal music?

Kurt:  That is an interesting question.  I’m pretty sure he loves metal music and all music in general.  But if I were to take 5 albums with me to listen to in Heaven I would take, Destruction-Release From Agony, Kreator-Extreme Aggression, Tool-Lateralus, Cynic-Traced in Air, and Sacrifice-Soldiers of Misfortune.

Anything I didn’t ask what you definitely want to tell our readers?

Kurt:  I hope they give Gabriel a chance.  Listen to it several times before making your final decision whether or not you like it.  Thank you to those fans that have supported us through the years.  We really appreciate it!!!

Thanks for the interview.