In 2005, drummer Joey Daub and guitarist/vocalist Kurt Bachman began to write again. They eventually reformed Believer with new members Jeff King, Elton Nestler and Kevin Leaman. "Gabriel", was released March 17, 2009 on Howard Jones' (of Killswitch Engage) Cesspool Recordings imprint on Metal Blade Records. Their newest albums entitled "Transhuman" was released in 2011, featuring a less thrashy and more avant-garde style.
Joey Daub and Jeff King also play in progressive/gothic metal band Fountain Of Tears.
Shadow of Death
Believer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fighting for your life
Swords are drawn
'Midst the battle strife
You feel your life slip away
Limbs grow numb
Your flesh starts to burn
Slowly you discern
Your life blood will drain away
The sands of time
Drain from the hourglass
Your life thread
Fraying in your grasp
The gates of death draweth nigh
Morning dawns
The sun begins to rise
Blood and sweat
Cloud your weary eyes
Straining to view your cruel foe
Gripping fear
No one can be seen
Fighting air
Yet your wounds bleed real
You fight the Shadow of Death
Distant form, drawing into sight
A man draws near
With no armor for the fight
Death thrusts the sword in His sight
Hope has gone
Surely you must die
Suddenly
Through the blackened sky
He rises and conquers death
We must die
Our sins will bring us death
At the end of time
Jesus Christ
Death no longer reigns
Human sacrifice
The song "Shadow of Death" by Believer is a powerful and intense depiction of a battle scene in which the singer is fighting for their life against an enemy who is slowly defeating them. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the physical and emotional struggle of the battle, with lines such as "Swords are drawn 'midst the battle strife" and "limbs grow numb, your flesh starts to burn". The imagery of blood and sweat clouding the eyes and wounds bleeding real adds to the realism of the scene.
As the battle continues, the singer begins to feel their life slipping away, with the sands of time draining from the hourglass and their life thread fraying in their grasp. The gates of death draw near as the sun rises, and the singer is left fighting the shadow of death. The verses create a sense of hopelessness and despair, with the singer seemingly doomed to die.
However, in the final verse, the song takes a turn as the distant form of a man draws into sight, and suddenly the singer is saved by Jesus Christ, who rises and conquers death. This shift from despair to hope is a powerful message of the power of faith and the ultimate triumph of life over death.
Line by Line Meaning
Running scared
Feeling afraid and panicked as if something terrifying is going to happen
Fighting for your life
Engaged in a struggle for survival against all odds
Swords are drawn
Weapons have been unsheathed in preparation for a battle
'Midst the battle strife
Amidst the chaos, conflict and confusion of a fight
You feel your life slip away
Sensing your life slipping away from your grasp like sand through your fingers
Limbs grow numb
Feeling a loss of feeling or sensation in your limbs
Your flesh starts to burn
Experiencing searing pain in your body
Wounds grow deep
Suffering serious or profound wounds to your body
Slowly you discern
Gradually becoming aware of, and painfully accepting, the gravity of your injuries
Your life blood will drain away
Realizing that the life-giving fluid that sustains you is leaking or flowing away from you
The sands of time
The inexorable and irreversible flow of time, indicative of the fleeting nature of life
Drain from the hourglass
Tick by tick, seconds slipping away like sand trickling through an hourglass
Your life thread
The fragile and delicate line that separates life from death and all that it signifies
Fraying in your grasp
Deteriorating steadily, like the worn-out edges of a well-used garment
The gates of death draweth nigh
The threshold between life and death is fast approaching, and the portal to the other world is about to open
Morning dawns
The beginning of a new day, hopeful and refreshing
The sun begins to rise
The start of the day, symbolizing the promise of a new beginning and the hope for daylight and clarity
Blood and sweat
Essential elements of the fierce struggle for survival that has led to exhaustion and weariness
Cloud your weary eyes
Dimming your vision due to fatigue, injury, or tears caused by pain
Straining to view your cruel foe
Making a great effort to see your dangerous, ruthless, and heartless adversary
Gripping fear
Paralyzing terror that appears to be without an object or cause, such that everything becomes a source of dread
No one can be seen
Surrounded by an eerie emptiness and overwhelming silence devoid of human or animal presence
Fighting air
Struggling against an invisible enemy or unyielding force that cannot be vanquished by mere physical strength
Yet your wounds bleed real
Although the source of your injuries may be ethereal, the pain is very much physical and genuine
You fight the Shadow of Death
In a battle for your life, against the specter of annihilation embodied by the Grim Reaper
Distant form, drawing into sight
Something coming closer, gradually becoming visible and distinguishable, but still too far to discern details
A man draws near
A human figure approaches but, for the moment, remains anonymous and gender-neutral
With no armor for the fight
Having no defensive or protective tools or weapons to use in self-defense, vulnerability is evident
Death thrusts the sword in His sight
Death, personified as a force with an intent of its own, brandishes the weapon that could lead to the man's demise
Hope has gone
The belief that despair will continue is crushing, making prospects for the future appear bleak and dismal
Surely you must die
There is no saving possible or hope of recovery, so the certainty of your inevitable death is established
Suddenly
Out of nowhere, jolting or confusing events occur, shattering expectations and surprise
Through the blackened sky
Piercing through the dark, foreboding clouds that indicate calamity and misfortune
He rises and conquers death
An act of transcendence, an occasion in which mortality is overcome, and complete and final victory is achieved
We must die
No matter what, we are all ultimately fated to die
Our sins will bring us death
The idea that sin can bring death or spiritual separation from God, and eventually lead to eternal damnation
At the end of time
The final days of human history or the final moments of an individual life before death
Jesus Christ
The savior and redeemer of humanity, who offers eternal life and salvation
Death no longer reigns
Death's power is finally defeated, and life can be lived without the constant fear of dying
Human sacrifice
The voluntary or forced offering of someone's life for the sake of a higher purpose, often religious or moral
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ibleedwhiskey Planetone
Brutal thrash, my best friend, now dead, at the time said the vocals were like a chainsaw. He didn't mean it in a flattering way, but I've always taken it that way. Great song.
Tim Baker
Love the vocals on the album. Pity they changed them for subsequent albums
Chad Gautier
Bought this cds the day it came out on a whim. At first I was like ohh I don't know. It was one of the heaviest albums I had ever heard. Fell in love. Still listen to this and all their other albums all the time. Yes they have changed alot. But their were so ahead of their time. I was glad I got to see them live on this tour.
efogg3
this whole cd shreds \m/
Thrashlist Smith
Sorry for your loss. Great band \m/
aNOmaly1ATE
These dudes are dope
nostromohp
Excelente thrash!!!!
Lyndon B.
So much harder to play than mainstream secular thrash! Kurt is Hetfields dad!
Nick Megadeth
Wish I could find a good drummer in Greece so I could make some dope music like this...
Amazing thrash...
03focussvt943
Still sick to this very day!!!!!