Review Summary: Asylum is essentially Indestructible Pt. 2
A lot of bands these days are known to build a ‘signature sound’ of sorts when they release a debut and, which each following album, build on that sound. Some bands take an approach into different territory and experiment a lot with what they have built, while others seek to rather refine their sound and add more to it in the process with each album cycle. With their debut album, The Sickness, Disturbed solidified their place in the nu-metal era of the late 90’s. David Draiman’s unique vocal style and staticco screams were at the core of the bands sound. Dan Donegan has proven himself to be more capable then just playing power chord riffing, as his technicality increased on 2002’s Believe and evolved into soloing and more melodic passages on 2005’s Ten Thousand Fists and 2008’s Indestructible, where the band shed its nu-metal influence and focused more on a more metal and hard rock sound. John Moyer has yet to prove himself of any real value, as Fuzz (the bands former bassist) still beats him out as far as bass lines go, and Mike Wengren’s polyrhythmic drum style has been part of what has driven Disturbed’s music since the very beginning.
10 years after their debut, we are presented with Asylum, the bands 5th studio effort. One thing everyone should know before going into this record is that you will not be getting anything completely new. They kept the formula they used on Indestructible and raised up their bar a little as they do with each studio effort. With the opening track, “Remnants”, we hear something we have never heard before from Disturbed – an instrumental. The 2 and a half minute piece serves as an intro to the album’s title track (the two were originally meant to be one 7 minute song, but they were split in case the radio picked up the title track). The piece serves as a nice intro that flows into the song and allows Donegan to show off his skills for a bit. Lyrically on the title track David is still up to his old tricks, with that laugh in the beginning of the song that he seems to use a lot and lyrics about an Asylum being a place of comfort as well as a place of torment in which a person is trapped. The song might be a bit disappointing to some, as there is no solo within it and it doesn’t do much to change up its pace or anything, but together “Remnants” and “Asylum” make a good opening combo for those who appreciate the sound Disturbed have built over the years.
Donegan’s soloing is absolutely superb not just on “Remnants”, but on the entire album. Despite how cringe worthy the lyrics are on “Another Way To Die”; it has one of the best solos on the album, showing once more that he goes along with the feel of the song in his soloing and compliments it well. If anything, Asylum proves that Donegan still continues to develop as a guitar player. However, this is not enough to make the album entirely memorable. David has some moments where he shines on this album, as his vocals soar in songs like “Never Again” and “The Animal” where he proves himself the most, but his lyrical content is somewhat boring and ridiculous in certain songs (“Another Way To Die” and “Never Again”) which can make the listener annoyed even after one listen. Moyer, as much as he is drowned out by Donegan as usual, has some cool bass lines hidden throughout the record. The opening bit of “Asylum” has a thumping, distorted bass line that opens the track and the bridge of “My Child” has a part where he follows Donegan in solo-like fashion as he did on “Inside the Fire”. As far as the drums go, Wengren just keeps the pace most of the time, which is disappointing, as he sounds like hes on auto pilot most of the album. “My Child” has some parts where he shows he can still drum well though.
While the rhythm section is very tight, there is no denying that Disturbed’s sound is beginning to shift and rely on Draiman and Donegan almost entirely. Draimans vocal melodies infuse with Donegans guitar playing and soloing to form the force of what drives almost every single Disturbed song now, and although this isn’t that much of an issue, it would be nice to see Moyer and Wengren step up to the plate a bit more next time. The bass lines following the guitar all the time seem to be one of their weak points, and Wengren doesn’t keep up with his promising performance on 2008’s Indestructible this time around.
Asylum, though it has faults just like every other Disturbed record, is not a bad album. It is essentially Indestructible Pt. 2, and a lot of people might be led away from the album because of this. Some of the songs are quite terrible, but there are some great moments on this album as well. The guitar work is excellent, as it improves with each album, but the rest of the band doesn’t bring as much to the table as Donegan does this time around, and that might be why the record isn’t exactly incredible. Disturbed have brought new things into their ‘signature sound’ over the years, but one can only wonder what’s next if they keep with this formula for every album.
