Disturbed Get Fired Up

Despite all their critics, Disturbed's momentum in the metal world just can't seem to be derailed. Their latest album, the aptly titled Indestructible, has given the band their third consecutive number one album, a feat accomplished by a mere six other artists: Pearl Jam, Metallica, U2, Staind, the Dave Matthews Band, and Van Halen - not bad company to be in.

As for the music, well, it does feature some songs that will go down among Disturbed's best work. However, on the whole, it lacks innovation. They give us a full album of hard-hitting, melodic metal that simply does not let up. It's an excellent, 50-minute adrenaline rush, but at that length it needs more variety to hold listeners' attention throughout its entirety.

Indestructible opens with the title track, a menacing song with enough heaviness, confidence, and strength to make it live up to its name. In fact, if were a pro wrestler or MMA fighter (which I'm very far from ever becoming), I would want this as my entrance music. It's followed by the huge first single "Inside the Fire." It's another heavy track with a choppy yet very catchy cadence. Lyrically, it's a very dark one about a young man who finds his girlfriend has committed suicide and now has the devil over his shoulder attempting to convince the man to join her. Not the most cheery of subjects, but it still makes for a great track to crank loudly out your car windows.

The rest of the album is loaded with plenty of beefy metal to get you pumped for whatever you need pumping up for. The crunchy guitar work and crisp drumming drives the songs' energy while David Draiman continues delivering his unique vocals, which deeply growl or roar in dramatic fashion so as to give the songs a bigger feel and make them perfect for singing along with. I especially like the choruses in "Enough" and "The Night," two tracks where Draiman effectively slows down his pace for the purpose of creating a more epic flair. And of course, Indestructible has plenty of instances of Draiman's even more unique, psychotic-sounding outbursts that fans love to scratch up their vocal chords to while trying to imitate the frontman.

However, despite the album's energy, it lacks innovation. Scattered bits of difference create minor standouts like "Perfect Insanity," "Criminal," and "Deceiver," but the bulk of the album tends to bleed together, especially during early listens. The slight differentiations just aren't enough to set songs apart and make them seem less formulaic. If you enjoy Disturbed, then by all means pick up Indestructible. It's a solid album that delivers twelve straight tracks of energy and aggression. Just don't expect too much else in the way of newness.


Also from Disturbed:

Believe