Disturbed - Believe Review
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 09.19.2002
Does the sophomore effort from the best new band of 2000 live up to the first album? Are rhetorical questions in teasers annoying? Amazingly, the answer to both of these questions is the same.
For me, Disturbed is always somewhat linked to Godsmack. Godsmack's self-titled album was my personal "Album of the Year" for '99 (yes, I know it was released earlier, but '99 is when it started to break), while "The Sickness" was my pick for the '00 Album of the Year. These were two bands that came out with straight-forward rock, kicked your ass, and really made you feel what they were doing musically. The albums simply came out and grabbed you. I remember the first time that I heard "Voodoo," and the first time I heard "Down with the Sickness" and "Shout 2000." It was a musical excitement that this fan of hard rock hadn't heard in a while. While everyone was blowing their load over Limp Bizkit, here were bands that were straight-up heavy music, with no BS in between.
I waited anxiously for the Godsmack follow up album. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. "Awake" had none of the originality of "Godsmack," and, musically, was not up to the same standard. There was no growth, no new direction. In fact, the innovative direction that worked so well on "Voodoo" was nowhere to be found on this album. This CD holds a secure spot in my CD case, where I don't think it's been taken out for over a year. This disc gave me no reason to take it out and listen to it over and over again.
Well, I've already listened to the Disturbed album 6 times, which is more than I've listened to "Awake" in the past year and a half. That should tell you something right there. I'll be the first to admit that "Believe" doesn't beat out "The Sickness," but it sure as hell tried to. Disturbed has grown considerably with this album, both musically and lyrically, exploring new directions and allowing the lyrics to take a much more positive twist at times. Disturbed is back, and showing the ability to kick ass in many different ways.
The first track (and first single) Prayer, opens the album on a hot note. The song immediately gives us the vocals that Disturbed is known for, while also allowing Dave Drainman to use his voice to actually SING, something that we didn't hear much of on "The Sickness." Liberate is the first song that shows the darkness to come on the rest of the album. The song, however, shows the band as much more cohesive than anything off of the first album. It also shows more of a positive lyrical spin in the chorus "Waiting for your modern messiah to take away all the hatred that darkens the light in your eye." This is a definite departure from the unbridled fury that Disturbed is known for.
Awaken comes across as a song of personal power and how the evil will "feed on your nothing and you'll never live up to me." The title track has a very catchy hook, that, if it wasn't Disturbed, could almost work in a pop song. This anti-religion tirade, however, keeps the dark, heavy feel of the album flowing. Remember is a track that every "angry about my childhood" singer should be forced to listen to. Instead of the "Why daddy, why" of every single Staind song, you get a more poetic, vague look at the past, without all the whiney bitch stuff. Intoxication and Rise sound like songs that could've easily been on their first album, showing that, even with all the growth shown on this album, the band still has the power to kick ass. Also, the Intoxication gives us the insane vocalizations that only Dave can pull off.
Mistress is a turning point for the album, bringing it from the straight-forward heaviness, and moving it in the direction of finality. This song stays on the brink of getting extremely heavy, without crossing over. It simply stays as a dark, almost goth-like tribute. Breathe follows suit, with a heavy chorus, but a more mellow bridge that makes the song more than just another heavy track. Bound riles against conformity and compromising who you are and what you believe. Devour serves as the lead-in to the final track, and the last heavy track on the album. Darkness was the biggest surprise of the album, and showed just what type of chances this band was willing to take. Stripped down to acoustic guitars and some great vocal work, this song shows just what type of versatility Disturbed is capable of.
"Believe" is everything that a followup album should be. It includes some of the elements that made their first album excellent, along with some new, experimental direction. The album was well-made, with the band sounding much more "together" than the first album, and Dave doing more than expected. Most importantly, they didn't put out an uninspired re-hash of their first album (see smack, God). This album is right up their with their first, and shows that Disturbed will continue to be a dominate force on the hard rock scene for quite a while.
The 411: With something for everyone, if you're any sort of fan of heavy music, there's no reason you shouldn't go out and pick this album up right away.
