Review Summary: After returning from hiatus, Disturbed return with some new great songs, as well as several duds.
If you're still considering Disturbed to be a metal band, then you would be incorrect. At this point, Disturbed have transitioned to more of a hard rock band, with perhaps some nu-metal elements. And there's nothing wrong with that. While their best album "The Sickness" was clearly nu-metal, plenty of people refuse to accept when a band changes their style. While Disturbed may not be as heavy as they once were, that doesn't diminish the fact that this new set of songs has some great tracks.
The hiatus seemed to do some good for Disturbed. Their last album, Asylum, seemed all to familiar to previous albums and was easily the worst album of their career. The hiatus helped refresh the band as Disturbed clearly wanted to diversify their music. With songs such as "The Light" and "The Sound of Silence" we see Disturbed take a different approach to their music for the better. These two songs are clearly some of the most unique songs Disturbed have ever written and even the song "The Vengeful One" seems to be unique on it's own. These three songs are highlights and are the best songs Disturbed have written in years. While some songs have a unique approach, some songs also feel all to familiar to previous Disturbed songs. The title track "Immortalized" feels similar to the song "Asylum", while the song "What Are You Waiting For" also sticks with the tried and true formula. Neither of these songs are bad, but neither bring anything new to the table.
I'd be wrong if I didn't say that some of these songs just don't work. Specifically, "Save Our Last Goodbye" seems like an overproduced mess that doesn't work on any level. Other songs like "You're Mine", "Who", and "Who Taught You How to Hate" are completely forgettable. Overall this album is a good return from Disturbed. The album isn't perfect, but it's nice to see Disturbed try something new and hopefully they continue to take risks in the future.
