Down with Disturbed

Disturbed has been familiar with the top of the rock charts since stepping into the limelight with its 2000 debut album The Sickness. Thanks to songs like “Stupify” and “Down With The Sickness,” the band sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone and was instantly considered a major force in the metal world. Two subsequent albums showed the band trying out more melodic styles that deviated from its original sound. Despite its changes, the band has remained popular with fans and on rock radio. Indestructible is Disturb’s fourth album.

The first single on the album is the catchy “Inside The Fire.” Lead singer David Draiman shows once again that his distinct voice can be a hook all by itself. The band’s ethos of melody mixed with heavy riffs is continued here, as Draiman’s voice is still the guiding force, despite the fact that his vocal antics of The Sickness era are completely gone now. Guitarist Dan Donegan, who also produced the album, does a great job of creating a big sound on this song with his hard and fast riffs. “Fire” even has a decent guitar solo, something that’s far different than what is found in most of the band’s songs. The song has already helped the band to its third consecutive No. 1 album.

“The Night” is one of the best songs on the album and will likely be Disturbed’s second single. It starts off with a chillingly good guitar riff that ends up being a recurring hook throughout the song. Draiman’s voice is memorably melodic once again and something of a reminder of the band’s penchant for playing music in the style of ’80s pop/rock, such as when it covered Tears For Fears’ “Shout” in 2000 and Genesis’ hit “Land Of Confusion” on the last album Ten Thousand Fists. Draiman is able to sing something like a raging Phil Collins; melodic but heavy.

Indestructible has its bright moments without a doubt, but the songs start to sound the same somewhere in the middle of the album. Fans of the previous two albums will be thrilled with the band’s body of work here, but any fans who were expecting the members to expand on their sound are sure to be at least mildly disappointed. Regardless, I have a feeling that this will be one of the best selling rock albums of the year.