Disturbed – Ten Thousand Fists Review
Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 09.20.2005
What a dumb name.
Disturbed – Ten Thousand Fists
Release Date: September 20, 2005
Label: Reprise Records
Website: Disturbed1.com
First Single: Stricken
Recommended Downloads: Stricken, Ten Thousand Fists, Just Stop
Disturbed is:
Vocals: David Draiman
Guitar: Dan Donegan
Bass: John Moyer
Drums: Mike Wengran
First of all, this review is obviously a bit different than all of my others for two reasons. One, I have a slew of new albums to cover in a short amount of time, and two, the way I usually do them just takes too damn much time. It takes close to three hours per review on my usual format, and I feel all that extra stuff was unnecessary anyways, so this one will be a lot more streamlined.
So, Disturbed, for a lot of people, is a love them or hate them band. Yes, they are technically nu-metal, but just like a lot of the bands from that era that are still around, they left that tag behind with their 2002 effort Believe. A lot of people would have called that a sophomore curse as it seemed to lack the originality of 2000’s The Sickness, but it still was a solid album on it’s own right. Now, after three years, they are finally ready to release their third major label album. The band’s career will more than likely ride with this album, so it was definitely imperative that they please their fanbase more than Believe apparently did.
Upon first listen, this album is much better than Believe was. They brought back a lot of the favorite elements of The Sickness, but they combined it with the smooth production and better melodies of the former. In addition, guitarist Dan Donegan apparently spent some time defining his songwriting skills, as, while some of the riffing is basically the same old stuff on a new album, quite a bit of it is much better, and a lot heavier. Also, he makes a respectable technical showing with the addition of guitar solos on the album. While it’s true that soloing doesn’t make an album good, it’ll definitely get a band a lot more respect from the metal elitists, like the people that troll the Blabbermouth forums. That is definitely something that Disturbed needs. While they would sell enough to easily make themselves (and especially Reprise) a good amount off of this album, it’s always good to have fans from every category possible. Of course some people will remain close minded simply because it doesn’t have a ten minute long solo that few people beyond John Petrucci could nail perfectly in a cover, and it just goes to show you can’t please everyone. However, this album will definitely please former fans and new ones alike. Is this Disturbed’s best album?
Yes, yes it is. As I said the songwriting far surpasses that of both of the earlier two albums, and especially for their genre, that was something even I didn’t expect would happen. I honestly don’t think there’s a simple “bad” song on here. All of them are good in their own right. You have your more The Sickness styled songs here, your Believe styled songs, and some that are far beyond both. And let’s not forget the fun Genesis cover “Land Of Confusion.” Draiman once said they’d never do any more covers, but it turned out wonderfully, so fans should be glad that they did. Normally I’d point out specific songs that are good or bad, but the simple fact is that they are all good. I’m very impressed with this album, and if you were a former fan, you definitely will be too.
The 411: Disturbed offer up what’s easily their best album yet, despite the bad title. Better songs, more solos, more heaviness. What more could you ask for? There’s a good reason Disturbed survived the fallout of nu-metal, and this album is a perfect showcase of all those reasons.
