Disturbed doesn't do anything remarkably well. Rather, Disturbed is a band comfortable with being in the middle; their musicianship is good enough, heavy but not
heavy, with David Draiman exuberating passionate vocals over mostly simple song structures that don't sway too far away from verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus. While for most bands this would seem like a problem, like the band was in a rut and completely uninspired, Disturbed make it work however, throwing in slight variations of their sound (a change in tempo here, a nasty palm-muted riff there) and allowing Draiman's voice to carry the tunes into extremely catchy territory. This is heavy music for a party; nothing to step back about and say "wow, that was incredible" but enough oomph to make anyone want to headbang along and throw up their fists in delight.
Believe is the pinnacle of Disturbed's successful formula as it carries the best of the tunes Disturbed has to offer and remains very consistent, albeit at times boring.
Believe starts with "Prayer", the album's hit single with timely bass drum work that correlates with the guitar riffs until Draiman's signature vocal bite entrances the listener into a rather uplifting chorus. Lyrically, Draiman is nothing special and is probably one of the weaker aspects of Disturbed's aesthetic; songs about life, death, relationships, the usual. As unoriginal as the lyrics may be, they fit with the music well and give the album a rather sinister tone.
Believe continues in its unwavering path through a somewhat soothing title track thanks to Draiman's excellent vocal performance in the verses leading up to the chorus with his passionate croons of
"Penance can't absolve your sin, into me / All your belief, cannot absolve your sin" and somewhat decent tom-tom work from drummer Mike Wengren. They even add some slight keyboards here and there in "Believe" that really add a nice touch.
The strongest track on the album seems to be "Devour" with a beginning guitar lead that anyone would love to learn if you were starting to play the guitar. There is an excellent gap between the verse and what is arguably the best chorus on the album where everything but awesome drum work and hints of guitar propel the song into a powerful chorus, where Wengren really shines.
"I will devour you / take all the pain away / I cannot stay my hand / From reaching out so that I can / empower you" Draiman belts out with such force it's actually one of the moments on
Believe where you might get chills. The song is tight, forceful, and memorable with a double bass ending that could very well knock your socks off.
While you might grow out of your Disturbed phase when you turn 15, there is something kind of timeless when it comes to
Believe. It's a great example of consistent heavy mainstream music with powerful vocals and anthemic tracks. There are some stinkers, sure; "Intoxication" does nothing for listener and by the time you reach closing track "Darkness" you've pretty much heard all the tricks in Disturbed's bag. Regardless,
Believe holds its own amongst the constant uninspiration of mainstream music and I applaud Disturbed for sticking to what they do well and believeing in themselves.
