Review Summary: Let the madness fly.
Asylum was a lackluster way to leave Disturbed fans before the hiatus, and the collection of B-sides and unreleased covers on
The Lost Children ultimately did nothing to sate fans appetites during the long wait. Disturbed was forgotten about, and many could care less whether they came back or not.
Immortalized announces that Disturbed is back with a vengeance while establishing a shift in style similar to
Believe.
This is the heaviest Disturbed has been since
Believe, despite the band members aging. David Draiman still has quite the killer voice and especially utilizes a gritty low range on the heavier tracks, while showing off an unexpected falsetto on a surprising cover. Guitarist Dan Donegan actually abandoned the standard Drop C/Drop C# tuning (for the most part) in favor of the beefier Drop B, and it benefits the band. In addition to this, the new record favors the stripped-down approach of
Believe, keeping electronics to a relative minimum.
“Open Your Eyes” has one of the best Disturbed riffs to date, not to mention a pulsating beat and a gripping, moving chorus. This is admittedly a “pump-up” track, but the new elements like gang vocals and heavier riffing combined with Dave’s strong vocals and added drum presence make the track an easy album highlight. Both the title track and popular single “The Vengeful One” propel Disturbed’s new, harder-edged sound with a new energy that couldn’t be found on the past two Disturbed albums, while “The Light” shows the band at its most optimistic. It’s one of the only tracks on the album to feature a strong synth presence, not to mention the 80’s metal-aping chorus and the “sometimes darkness can show you the light” hook. Still, it’s not a bad song and is one of the better tracks off the album, especially with the pitch-shifted guitar riffs not experimented with since “Hell” and David’s soaring, impressive performance. “What Are You Waiting For” seethes with the energy and power from the beginning of the album, and if it doesn’t get you up with your fist pumping and latent teenage angst proudly on display, I don’t know what will. Seriously, David sounds like he could take down a lion. Finally, “Never Wrong” displays some of his best screaming to date.
Of course, this review wouldn’t be complete without the polarizing cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s classic “Sound Of Silence”. Honestly, I get chills hearing this. It’s the most emotional David has sounded since “Darkness”, the middle of the song is absolutely beautiful, there’s even a thrilling orchestra to add to the sheer power of this track. This may even rival the likes of “Land Of Confusion” in terms of a Disturbed cover song.
But despite all this positivity and admittedly even progression, Disturbed are still held back by their classic fatal flaws: tedium and repetition. “You’re Mine” would’ve been an awesome moment of the record had it not already been done through “The Animal” on Asylum. “Save Our Last Goodbye” tries to copy the thrill of “Overburdened” but falls flat on its face, and other than that, there’s a fair bit of filler. Lyrically, most of this is standard Disturbed fare, so with one exception, nothing really bad, but certainly nothing to write home about. That exception is the laughably bad “Fire It Up”. Whoever thought it was a good idea that the same band who conquered topics like domestic abuse and teen suicide should write a song about marijuana must have been screwed in the head, because this song doesn’t work in any shape or form and is probably Disturbed’s worst.
There are some very strong moments here and even some of Disturbed’s best work. It’s better than the previous two albums and is a more worthy successor to
Ten Thousand Fists, but it’s not perfect. The recommended tracks are more than worthy for any alternative/modern metal fan, but the mundane prevents the listener from fully getting down with the sickness.
