Review Summary: Disturbed manages to rewrite the same songs three albums in a row, but you are going to listen to it anyway.
One's opinion of Immortalized really depends on what they expected to result from Disturbed's brief hiatus. For those that were hoping for a glorious return of form, something like "The Sickness II", grave disappointment awaits. The more reasonable listener will get exactly what they thought would happen, which is a continuation of the trend that started somewhere around the time of 2008's Indestructible: riff heavy verses and epic chorus melody's that are sure to make several radio singles. The days of Mommy issues and wild baboon noises are long gone. Still, the record isn't bad.
Opening the album is "The Eye of the Storm", a minute-twenty intro . It's carnival-esque sound puts it somewhere between Asylum's "Remnants" and "Intermission" from Tool's Ænema (no, I would never compare Disturbed to Tool), and it leads straight into the next two tracks "Immortalized" and "The Vengeful One". Both songs follow a similar formula, with chuggy riffs and huge choruses, "The Vengeful One" being the more successful of the two. So far, it's probably sounding a lot like Asylum, but Disturbed does start mixing it up. "Open Your Eyes" and "You're Mine" go in a different direction with pop-like beats, background synth, and some "whoa-ohh-ahh's". I personally prefer most of the riffs from "Open Your Eyes", which has proven to be the more popular song, but the chorus to "You're Mine" feels less forced and is a better melody in my opinion.
"The Light" is sure to be a single somewhere down the line, and it is a bit of a treat to have Draiman using his voice in a major key. They still retain a sliver of dissonance in a few parts, which along with Draiman's voice, helps it still feel like a Disturbed song. Honestly, it's one of the best songs on the album. You can't help but like it, even if it lacks some originality. Another song that has gained a lot of attention, even if for the wrong reason, is "Fire it Up". It's a song about their affection for marijuana, and it's also pretty fun. Forgetting about the lyrics for a moment, a back and forth beat between the drums and percussive guitars makes this one of the more unique songs Disturbed have put out in a while. It seems that the ganja is working in their favor.
Spread throughout this album are a few more songs that are actually pretty decent. "What Are You Waiting For", "Who", "Never Wrong" and "Who Taught You How to Hate" could just have easily have been on Indestructible or Asylum. What they lack in progression over nearly the last decade they make up for with no-nonsense, technical, rhythmic guitar playing, never straying too far into obscurity or going too far over the top. Unfortunately, they fail grab the listeners attention the way some of the current singles do. These are songs that will take a few listens to appreciate, but they are the meat of the album and are worth trying out.
The least enjoyable song on this album is definitely "Save Our Last Goodbye". It is about someone who died sometime surrounding a procedure mentioned in a voicemail from the beginning of the song. There are plenty of good parts, but they feel forced together in an attempt to convey both the fearfulness of death and sorrow over death. It just sounds like it should be two different songs. It isn't awful, but trying to make it work results in too many interruptions for an enjoyable listen.
As we have come to expect, there is another rarely heard throwback that Disturbed manages in the mix. Although it feels misplaced in the track listing, the cover of Simon and Garfunkel's 1964 "The Sound of Silence" is a welcome addition. What is new about this cover is that instead of forcing it into becoming a Disturbed song, they played it almost exactly like the original, with soft instrumentation and the melody carried by the vocals. The only difference is the longer piano intro and a slower tempo.
Thirteen songs later, this album is over. The bonus tracks are, however, worthy of a listen. After playing through a few times I must say that Immortalized has grown on me, but let's not get carried away. There is nothing groundbreaking going on here, but if you are willing to come down from the throne of metal elitist judgment and can get over Draiman's gimmicky lyrics, you may find some enjoyable music here. Some important things to mention also, the bass is indistinguishable for the majority of the album, but the quality of sound on this record is top notch.
Songs I would recommend for a first time listener are "The Vengeful One", "The Light", and "Who".
