Disturbed
31st August 2010 | Reprise
**
American four piece cause further disturbance to the metal scene...
Disturbed are an American heavy metal band orgininating from Chicago. They have worldwide album sales figures of over 11 million, with three consecutive albums debuting at peak position on the famous Billboard 200. Their fifth effort in a decade, 'Asylum' is intended to take a fresh direction in the band's music career, while simultaneously remaining consistent with the band's previous releases.
This album is lyrically their darkest yet and is based on the Draiman's feelings of his recent life as well as global conditions, therefore providing an aggressive, angry and hard-hitting album, which in my opinion, are the typical attributes of every Disturbed album. The frontman described the album as 'still identifiably Disturbed, but showing more maturation. We feel this is one of the strongest bodies of work we've ever put together. It definitely goes in the familiar areas, but with new levels of precision and skill'. He added that lyrically 'the themes range from very personal and introspective, to the political and provocative.' I was intrigued to hear the results of five months of self-production in the studio.
Instrumental opener 'Remnants' begins the album in a rather subdued fashion and pays homage in places to some of their senior rock inspirations. This was orginally intended to be the intro to 'Asylum' to create an epic track of over 7 minutes, but was separated to set the mood for the rest of the album. Title track 'Asylum' ensues and by contrast kicks off the natural mayhem of the album with a gritty bassline and quick distorted guitar work. Lyrically, it concerns life in an asylum and the desire to escape. Although slightly one-dimensional, it is a relentless anthem with all the classic hooks. 'The Infection' has an electro-tinged opening reminiscent of 'Inside The Fire' from 2008's 'Indestructible'. Some funky guitar-shredding add texture to a pounding song. 'Warrior' is another fast-paced track which makes an attempt at reviving some of the nu-metal magic from a decade ago, most significantly on the vocals. Planted at fifth in the track listing is 'Another Way To Die', the first single to be taken from the album. It commences in a slow manner before exploding into a classic Disturbed guitar attack, as the vocals reach full throttle. Lyrically,this rather straightforward song, concentrates on global warming and is similiar in sound to their hit '10,000 fists'. The subject matter in 'Never Again' is the struggle the Jews faced in World War II with the dreadful Holocaust, offering some of the most inspired lyrical work on the album. It has a rapid guitar heavy intro, perfect for any pulsating mosh-pit. By contrast, 'The Animal' is a slower-burning song, which, lyrically, rather weak. 'Crucified' and 'Serpentine' follow the same slow-burning style and vague lyrical themes as the previous track. 'My Child' begins with a sample of a child crying before exploding into a vicious intrumental assualt. Lyrically, the song is about Draiman impregnating a past girlfriend and her subsequent miscarriage. It is perhaps the darkest track on an already dark album, but is filled with essence and is psychologically evocative. This song, I feel indicates the end of the slower-moving tracks in the middle of the album. 'Sacrifice' carries the best guitar solo of the album, clocking around 30 seconds, but it is disappointing that we had to wait until the eleventh track for it to arrive. Closing song 'Innocence' has thrusting beats and haunting vocals singing about corruption.
Disturbed are currently headlining the 'Uproar Festival' in America, a touring event which features acts such as Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour, amongst others. They then cross the atlantic to Europe where the tour continues until mid-December. Disturbed have undoubtably been debuting new material from 'Asylum' fitting perfectly into a setlist along with their back catalogue. This brings me onto the most prominent downside of the album. The songs sound very similiar to eachother and to previous releases, showcasing scarcely any change in sound as promised by Draiman pre-release. The classic harsh, dark sound of Disturbed is prevalent across the album as no new ground is covered on the record. I had the same problem with this month's other major metal release, Iron Maiden's 'The Final Frontier'. On the other hand, it is a solid follow up to 'Indestructible', maintaining that signature forceful and distorted Disturbed sound while introducing some relevant lyrical themes, which will definitely keep Disturbed fans across the globe satisfied, but will fail to expand their devoted fanbase profoundly. But as this record is nothing of real significance in the current music scene, it might be best played within asylums across the globe.
Track Listing
1. Remnants
2. Asylum
3. The Infection
4. Warrior
5. Another Way To Die
6. Never Again
7. The Animal
8. Crucified
9. Serpentine
10. My Child
11. Sacrifice
12. Innocence
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