Hyped (Over/Under) 06.05.06: Disturbed
Posted by Andrew Mellick on 06.05.2006
In another exciting edition of the hype, Mellick examines another numetal band. Disturbed is ready to take over for Ozzy...so they say. Do they have what it takes to lead rock into the future? Plus, a band you should be listening to, reader email, and a rant about the forums. All this goodness and its free!
Hello and welcome to the pentad edition of Hyped (over/under) . I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I got to go home and see the family which is always a good time. So now my batteries are recharged and I am ready to dissect my next subject. Who to tackle this week you ask? Well, I've had my eye on a particular band for a while. I've been listening to their records again and I have finally come up with a verdict for these guys.
The target this week is Disturbed. Their latest album 10,000 Fists has been a huge success and they head into summer poised to headline a portion of Ozzfest (due to limited appearances by Ozzy himself).
People either love them or hate them and the time has come for me to dissect Draiman and co. and decide if they are worth the hype.
History
Disturbed was born in 1996 when David Draiman (vocals), Dan Donegan (guitarist), Steve "Fuzz" Kmak (bass), and Mike Wengren (drums) came together. Donegan and Fuzz were currently in the band Vandal when they hooked up with Draiman and Wengren. They struggled early on to find a label. The band produced two EP's and sent them to record companies. It has been said that the reason for this was to show the record companies their level of commitment, as well as show that the first EP wasn't a fluke. They were able to land a deal with Warner Bros. and released their first studio album in 2000.
The Sickness
Before this album even released, Disturbed was receiving praise their first single, Stupify. On March 7th the album hit stores. It experienced great success, reaching 29 on the billboard charts. The album spawned four singles and put Disturbed on the map.
I still like this album, even today. The ‘monkey sounds' on songs like Down with the Sickness are great. Draiman has a distinct voice and while musically this album didn't set any standards, it is still a great listen.
Stand Outs: The Game, Voices, Meaning of Life
Believe
In September of 2002 Disturbed released there second studio album entitled Believe. This effort was a success for the band, releasing at number 1 on the billboards. It also had its fair share of singles including; Prayer, Liberate, and remember.
This album was more evolved than their first. They dropped all the monkey sounds and Draiman really belted out the lyrics. His voice is pretty crazy for a rock band. I like this album but it showed a shift from their original sound that I was not so sure about.
Stand Outs: Prayer, Awaken, Believe
10,000 Fists
2005 saw the release of Disturbed's most recent studio album, 10,000 Fists. It too released at number 1 and currently has four singles; Guarded, Stricken, Just Stop, and Land of Confusion.
The first time I listened through this album I was impressed. Since then I have listened to it a few times and I still feel it is a great album. The one problem that I do have is if you listen to the second album and then listen to this one it sounds like it is all the same album. There is very little growth or evolution in sound from Believe to 10,000 Fists.
Stand Outs: 10,000 Fists, Deify, Decadence
File Sharing
I'm including this quote from lead singer David Draiman because I think it is a great line and it shows how the band feels about a pretty big issue in music today.
"This is not rocket science. Instead of spending all this money litigating against kids who are the people they're trying to sell things to in the first place, they have to learn how to effectively use the Internet. For the artists, my ass... I didn't ask them to protect me, and I don't want their protection."
People can say its just lip service but I am still impressed by this stand. Disturbed is basically going against their bosses and saying what they are doing is wrong. I have respect for that.
Today
That brings us to today. Disturbed will be on the main stage again this year at Ozzfest. They have their own tour, "Music as a Weapon" which has been extremely successful and produced two albums of live music. They have legions of loyal fans and they are known the world over.
Verdict
I like Disturbed. They are a good band and have some great songs. Their first album is still my favorite but the other two have plenty to offer.
On the other hand, I think their more recent music can get repetitive and Draiman's singing voice can cause a good many headaches if listened to for too long.
In a recent interview Disturbed said they were ready to take over Ozzfest since Ozzy will only be performing at a handful of the shows. While they have been there many times and can certainly handle it, there is something unsettling with Disturbed being mentioned as taking over for a rock legend like Ozzy.
They are good but they are not there yet. So it is with much deliberation and thought that I give Disturbed a verdict of Overhyped.
Deep thoughts
If you got a chance to go to the rock forums at all you might see that someone started a thread about the column I wrote about Godsmack. He disagreed with me very much so and went on to articulate that they suck balls and he wants them to die.
I am not offended by this. I find it amusing. I'm glad that my article is causing people to lash out in emails and forums. Because when you write a column like this you expect that. Now my goal is not to piss off everyone on the net. My goal is to do my best to look at these bands without letting personal prejudice get involved. Now it is impossible to say that I have been completely unbiased. No matter how hard I try, my like or dislike for a band will certainly surface in one form or another. However, it is my goal to be as unbiased as I possibly can.
Take this article for example. I like Disturbed, I really do. So why did I give them a rating of Overhyped? They got this rating because right now Disturbed is given too much credit in comparison to what they have accomplished in music. They are a solid band but not anywhere near ready to take over for the likes of Black Sabbath.
On the other hand a band like Godsmack gets hated on a lot and they deserve more credit for what they have accomplished in music, thus the Underhyped rating.
This little explanation is just to give you some insight into what I am trying to do with this column.
So, continue to email and start threads and rant and rave and tell me why I am wrong. I love to hear it because we are talking about music and it should be debated and discussed.
Thank you for your time.
Ok enough of this crap lets move on.
Under the radar
Because some articles are shorter than others I'm going to throw in this little piece from time to time to even them out. Everybody has a band that you've "got to listen to". It is with that idea in mind that I bring you Under the Radar. In this section I will bring up a band you should check out and why. Also, I want to hear what you have to say, so tell me if you check them out and if you like them or not. Also, submit to me you're Under the Radar bands and I'll check them out and either include them in a future column or I'll tell everybody you are wrong.
It should be fun.
Since this is the first one and nobody has emailed me yet, I'll start with a personal favorite of mine.
The band you should all check out is called Blood Brothers. They have three albums worth listening to. They are as follows: March on Electric Children, Burn Piano Island, Burn, and Crimes. They have a great sound. They are loud and aggressive. The vocals are absolutely crazy. They go from singing to high pitched singing to screaming. Their albums are varied nicely so they don't get repetitive or dull. It's brash and loud and in your face! You need to listen for yourself.
Stand Outs: Trash flavored trash, Cecilia and the Silhouette Saloon, Wolf Party
Check ‘em out and let me know what you think.
Everyone's a critic
Chris Baumgart
First off, I'd just like to say congrats on landing a column of some type on 411. Not an easy task to do as I'm sure an assload of people send in samples. Secondly, I have to say you are getting better as a writer already. I didn't enjoy the first few you did, especially good ol' Limp Bizkit. Back in the day, yes, overhyped, but with all the problems they've been having since Borland's first departure, they've quickly gone down the "where are they now?" road. And I believe they're way underhyped now, especially when it comes to The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), as Durst was stupid enough to not promote it, not shoot any videos, and not do a tour... and not piss off Borland, who the band needs. That was the strongest album I've heard the Bizkit since Three Dollar Bill, Y'alls. But I'm not writing you about Bizkit! I'm writing you about Korn. When I saw Korn in your title, I had a fear that it could turn ugly if I clicked on it. I feared you were going to totally bash them like you did Durst and co. So naturally, I clicked on it because Korn is one of the bands that inspire me as a musician, among others. You were going to get an e-mail either way, whether you totally bashed the band or said good things. So I start reading about your thoughts on the first album. Of course, you (like everyone else at the time) seemed blown away by this new sound that brought. Then we get to Life is Peachy and that's where we don't see eye to eye. I consider that album to be WAY better than Follow The Leader. Why? Because FTL had some of the most stupidest lyrics I have ever heard in my life. The album starts off great all the way up to "B.B.K.", then we get "Pretty" which has to be one of the worst songs ever done by Korn. And then there's "All In The Family", which IS the worst song done by Korn. "Seed" and "Justin" were good songs, but the album seemed to drag from there, with the exception of "Cameltosis". Issues was the better album, 'nuff said. Untouchables was a step in the right direction. TALITM was good when it first came out, for me at least. But then See You On The Other Side came out and blew me away. It's one of their strongest albums, no contest. Way better than FTL. But I guess this is where I will end this little e-mail. You'll probably be hearing more from me if you pick the right bands. Until then, be safe and be cool.
Cuzzo
Well, thanks for the congratulations. As for FTL, I don't think Pretty is all that bad, Reclaim my Place is decent, My Gift to You is a great song and Earache My Ear is awesome. I do think Issues is a much more cohesive effort but I still think that FTL is their best work. By the way All in the Family totally sucks.
