Nu-metal act Disturbed comes back with their third release in six years. Their first was
The Sickness (2000), which was entertaining for maybe a one time listen, but extreme repetitiveness kept it from being anything that people would listen to more than just once in a while.
Believe (2002) was an improvement over
The Sickness with greatly improved musicianship, including some great lines from former bassist Fuzz. However, that album still failed from many songs being fairly weak, and was still slightly repetitive. In 2005 Disturbed returned with a promise of having a spectacular album that would unite the peoples, to stand up against anything that threatened them. It sounded promising, but would all the hype end up disappointing with an album that once again suffered from too many weak songs? The answer is in fact no. Disturbed fulfill the promise they made, creating a record full of angst. Angst is most likely a word that some would cringe at, expecting something that would reminisce of bands such as Linkin Park, or Papa Roach, two highly overrated nu-metal acts, not here though. This is an almost hour-long, mature record that has obviously been developed with care, lyrically, as well as musically.
Two major things have changed for Disturbed since the release of
Believe.The first is the fact that bassist Fuzz is no longer a member of the band. He left right before the band started recording
Ten Thousand Fists. With his departure, something else was lost; Fuzz’s wonderful bass lines are no longer a part of Disturbed, and are rather simple, particularly evident on political rager
Deify. This is something old fans of Disturbed will most likely not be happy with, but sadly will have to deal with that fact for this record. The second huge change that is noticeable on this record is the fact that axe man Dan Donegan has included soloing into his repertoire, plainly evident on the second single
Stricken. This is actually perhaps of the fact that Fuzz is gone, and Dan felt the need to step up. Will, he made a wise choice, as all of the solos he has on this record are all superb.
The second single,
Stricken, features Dan Donegan at perhaps his best. For the most part he plays basic straightforward riffing, but his solo is stellar, and the best one on the whole album. The entire song just pulls together with the drums, and guitar working with David’s voice, which showcases some of his best vocal work ever.
“You walk on like a women in suffering. Won’t even bother now to tell me why. You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment. Leaving me broken, another time. When he opens the song up with that verse you can tell this was a wise choice to be a single. The title track
Ten Thousand Fists was an overly hyped song by several magazines, and the band themselves as an classic anthem that is dedicated to the fans of Disturbed who buy their albums. Well obviously one would expect great things of the song, but it fails to deliver. It’s not a bad song, but it is like most of Disturbed’s other works, and fails differentiate anything special about it. If any track on the album meets the hype both the media, and the band themselves gave
Ten Thousand Fists, that would be
I’m Alive.
I’m Alive is easily the best song Disturbed have ever written, and is the anthem that the title track should be, and is equally representative of the whole album with the message of rising up from oppression. Upon hearing the chorus, many would mark that as one of the most memorable things that Disturbed have ever done.
“The thing I treasure most in life, can not be taken away. There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your read lies. To change myself, I’d rather die, no they will not understand. I will make the greatest sacrifice. You can’t predict where the outcome lies; you’ll never take me alive. It is catchy, but also full of anger, and defiance at the same time. This song is another example that David Draiman’s voice is the main highlight of the band. Plus, Disturbed cover the Genesis song
Land Of Confusion, which they turn into something that would easily sound like something they would write, both musically, and lyrically. One song that sticks out lyrically is
Sons Of Plunder. David basically attacks bands that only write songs to become a hit to the point where it “doesn’t have any soul”.
Ten Thousand Fists has many great things going for it. David’s voice is at the top of his game. Hardly any songs would qualify as filler. The whole concept of the album being about rising up, and not being pushed around works within David’s well-written lyrics. Mike Wengren has nice drum fills, and Dan Donegan has finally stepped up to the plate with the inclusion of a few nice solos on some songs. The only bad things about the album is that Fuzz is gone, as well as his groovy bass lines, and the disappointing title track, which was supposed to be the “anthem” of the album. This is an excellent album, but it may take some to listen more than once to fully appreciate it.
