Review Summary: Disturbed is back, and nothing has changed.
When it comes to the numerous reunions that have been happening throughout this year, Disturbed was probably the one band that most people hoped would never return. Not only are they are one of the biggest laughing stocks in modern metal today, but many have noticed the band’s complete lack of progression, both musically and in maturity. As the years passed, Disturbed had the tendency to repeat the same exact formula with each and every record they released. Catchy melodic rhythms and choruses as David Draiman blasts out with his rather identifiable voice, the oddball being their debut
The Sickness with its crunchy nu-metal influences and lyrics about as edgy as a dull knife. The entire trend kept up for a good thirteen long years and it wasn’t until
Asylum hit the music stores that everyone began to realize something was wrong.
As a Disturbed album,
Asylum was fine. It stayed on the same formulaic approach (aside from the opening instrumental), with overproduced sound and David Draiman’s recognizable voice powering through the entire album. Yet at the same time the gimmicky ideas of their past didn’t contain the same impact (or lack thereof), and those who wanted something more innovative (and better) had to look elsewhere.
Immortalized, their first full record since ending their hiatus, is essentially the exact same thing.
In certain respects, there are a few moments of experimentation to be found on
Immortalized. ‘The Light’ is one example of this, as Disturbed incorporates pop into the mix. It delivers a surprisingly uplifting appeal from both the vocal work and the instrumentation while still keeping the metal aspect in check. Then there’s the Simon and Garfunkel cover ‘The Sound of Silence.’ On one side, it breaks away from the overall tone of the rest of the album, but in a bad way as it feels more like a closing song. However, Draiman is the song's selling point as he carries the whole track from beginning to end. Say what you will about David Draiman, it’s hard to deny that he has a voice that’s both strong and memorable. As for the songs containing the typical Disturbed formula, there are those that do work in the band’s favor, such as the title track and ‘What Are You Waiting For’ as both contain infectious choruses that get stuck in your head while ‘Open Your Eyes’ and ‘The Vengeful One’ deliver the catchy rhythms that Disturbed are so good at creating.
That being said, much like
Asylum, it’s that formulaic structure in
Immortalized that for the most part is the records biggest downfall. The stretch between ‘Your Mine’ and ‘Save Our Last Goodbye’ as well as the last two songs are by far the most dull and forgettable in the whole album. There’s very little substance contained in all of the aforementioned songs as none of them deliver a noteworthy performance from any of the members. Even after fifteen years, the lyrics contain very little maturity and will only appeal to their fanbase of angsty teenagers and immature thirty-year-olds. Then there’s the one song that everyone is going to associate this album with the rest of the band’s career, ‘Fire It Up.’ This song is by far one of the worst songs of the year, yet also one of the most amusing at the same time. While there’s nothing wrong instrumentally, as far as a Disturbed song goes, it’s the lyrical content that makes the song so noteworthy. A song about smoking weed is so rare for a metal band to write that it’s intriguing to even realize it exists.
Immortalized is the Disturbed album that everyone expected to hear. There are enjoyable moments to be found on here, as well as cringe-worthy moments, but that’s essentially every Disturbed album that’s ever been released. It’s infectious, catchy, obnoxious, predictable, and it’s going to be loved and hated by everyone who knows the band’s ‘iconic’ brand of musical talent and tomfoolery. Disturbed is back, and it seems as though nothing has changed.
