Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists
Album of the Week
Date - 2005-07-31 00:00:00
Hot damn, I really like Disturbed. Their latest disc has done nothing to persuade me to think otherwise. They bring the rock with plenty of energy to go around. The melodies are strong for the genre and the vocal harmonies are signature Disturbed. The one big difference in Ten Thousand Fists, other than the strong political theme, is the introduction of guitar solos. They show up from time to time and I am pretty sure they were non-existent on earlier Disturbed albums. However, their introduction is executed extremely well, not forced upon any song but only appearing in songs where they are a perfect fit for the energy and flow. Hot damn, I really like Disturbed.
Ten Thousand Fists starts off with the appropriately titled "10,000 Fists", and right off the bat you know that the Disturbed formula has not been altered too much from their previous efforts. The slow introduction gives way to screaming and a pulsing hard rock beat. The lyrics seem to be politically charged: "You will remember the night you were struck by / The sight of ten thousand fists in the air;" the political message becomes clear soon enough, but this song is a rousing start to this album. It's amazing how Disturbed is the only band that is capable of combining this high-level of energy with excellent vocal harmonies and truly brilliant guitar melodies within the 'confines' of very hard rock - they are proof that other, more boring bands are just not trying hard enough, and "10,000 Fists" is Exhibit A.
The second track, "Just Stop", is arranged pretty damn well and again, the energy and unique sound of Disturbed carry the track through to "Guarded". "Guarded" raises the energy level with rapid-fire lyrics at the outset, but then the dual-personalities of Disturbed set in. The song dips into a bit slower, melodic verse but kicks it right back up at the chorus, only to dip back down again. As simple as it sounds, this trick keeps the song interesting right into one of the stronger tracks on the album, "Deify".
"Deify" gets its own paragraph. The lead is comprised of snippets of speeches from President Bush, which pretty much solidifies the political message behind this entire album, in case anyone was left wondering. You hear words like 'freedom' and 'strong' and 'defend' stick out, but the song soon takes over, with the lead singer screaming "I was too blinded to see / what you stolen from me" and "I won't be pacified". It seems more and more like Disturbed's energy and anger is legitimate and not just a stage act, as the anger is focused directly on the President. "I won't let them deify you" is the main line from the chorus and it sums up this album pretty well - it is a strong attempt to angrily take a chunk out of the legacy of President Bush.
Track 5 brings forth a new element for Disturbed, as far as I can tell: the guitar solo. "Stricken" is a good enough song on its own, but the guitar solo really takes it up to another level. It takes over when it seems the lead singer is incapable of showing his anger through his mere voice any further, as if he is exasperated, and needs some sort of instrument with which to spread his message. It is just another example of the tremendous amount of energy Disturbed has brought to this album.
I'll stop with the track by track progression and only point out the highlights here on out. This is a difficult task because I really enjoy every song on this album, but a few tracks do stick out. "Overburdened", which is track 8, is a great song - the song is actually sung instead of screamed, and it is a more methodical song. I guess it is the closest Disturbed can get to a power ballad, but it is instead a very approachable rock song. The first time I heard track 11, "Land of Confusion", I thought that there was no way this was a Disturbed song. I listened for another 10 seconds and realized that it had to be a cover of an 80's song, and it is in fact a cover of Genesis. It's incredible how the lyrics fit in with the rest of the Disturbed album and how they seem relevant. We're talking Genesis! Phil Collins! Still relevant! Just don't tell him, ok?
The final track, "Avarice", is short but sweet - the elements of classic Disturbed are laid out within the first 30 seconds and the song does not feel like a final track, which may or may not be a strike against it. The way the album ends leaves the impression that Disturbed is not at all done. There is more work to be done and more attacks against the establishment to be made. "Avarice" is the "To Be Continued...", I suppose.
I am somewhat partial towards Disturbed: I absolutely love their sound and I think the focus they brought to this album shows itself in each one of the excellent 14 tracks. You should listen to Disturbed with an open mind and allow yourself to let out a little rage when you listen. If you have listened to Disturbed before and you are not entirely interested in the sound, then honestly, there is not much here for you. However, if you have not listened to Disturbed before, this album is an excellent starting point. Of course, if you already love Disturbed like I do, you will love Ten Thousand Fists.
Ten Thousand Fists starts off with the appropriately titled "10,000 Fists", and right off the bat you know that the Disturbed formula has not been altered too much from their previous efforts. The slow introduction gives way to screaming and a pulsing hard rock beat. The lyrics seem to be politically charged: "You will remember the night you were struck by / The sight of ten thousand fists in the air;" the political message becomes clear soon enough, but this song is a rousing start to this album. It's amazing how Disturbed is the only band that is capable of combining this high-level of energy with excellent vocal harmonies and truly brilliant guitar melodies within the 'confines' of very hard rock - they are proof that other, more boring bands are just not trying hard enough, and "10,000 Fists" is Exhibit A.
The second track, "Just Stop", is arranged pretty damn well and again, the energy and unique sound of Disturbed carry the track through to "Guarded". "Guarded" raises the energy level with rapid-fire lyrics at the outset, but then the dual-personalities of Disturbed set in. The song dips into a bit slower, melodic verse but kicks it right back up at the chorus, only to dip back down again. As simple as it sounds, this trick keeps the song interesting right into one of the stronger tracks on the album, "Deify".
"Deify" gets its own paragraph. The lead is comprised of snippets of speeches from President Bush, which pretty much solidifies the political message behind this entire album, in case anyone was left wondering. You hear words like 'freedom' and 'strong' and 'defend' stick out, but the song soon takes over, with the lead singer screaming "I was too blinded to see / what you stolen from me" and "I won't be pacified". It seems more and more like Disturbed's energy and anger is legitimate and not just a stage act, as the anger is focused directly on the President. "I won't let them deify you" is the main line from the chorus and it sums up this album pretty well - it is a strong attempt to angrily take a chunk out of the legacy of President Bush.
Track 5 brings forth a new element for Disturbed, as far as I can tell: the guitar solo. "Stricken" is a good enough song on its own, but the guitar solo really takes it up to another level. It takes over when it seems the lead singer is incapable of showing his anger through his mere voice any further, as if he is exasperated, and needs some sort of instrument with which to spread his message. It is just another example of the tremendous amount of energy Disturbed has brought to this album.
I'll stop with the track by track progression and only point out the highlights here on out. This is a difficult task because I really enjoy every song on this album, but a few tracks do stick out. "Overburdened", which is track 8, is a great song - the song is actually sung instead of screamed, and it is a more methodical song. I guess it is the closest Disturbed can get to a power ballad, but it is instead a very approachable rock song. The first time I heard track 11, "Land of Confusion", I thought that there was no way this was a Disturbed song. I listened for another 10 seconds and realized that it had to be a cover of an 80's song, and it is in fact a cover of Genesis. It's incredible how the lyrics fit in with the rest of the Disturbed album and how they seem relevant. We're talking Genesis! Phil Collins! Still relevant! Just don't tell him, ok?
The final track, "Avarice", is short but sweet - the elements of classic Disturbed are laid out within the first 30 seconds and the song does not feel like a final track, which may or may not be a strike against it. The way the album ends leaves the impression that Disturbed is not at all done. There is more work to be done and more attacks against the establishment to be made. "Avarice" is the "To Be Continued...", I suppose.
I am somewhat partial towards Disturbed: I absolutely love their sound and I think the focus they brought to this album shows itself in each one of the excellent 14 tracks. You should listen to Disturbed with an open mind and allow yourself to let out a little rage when you listen. If you have listened to Disturbed before and you are not entirely interested in the sound, then honestly, there is not much here for you. However, if you have not listened to Disturbed before, this album is an excellent starting point. Of course, if you already love Disturbed like I do, you will love Ten Thousand Fists.
Ah, Disturbed. Hey, they are from my neck of the woods now, being from Chitown! (p.s. what the hell does "neck of the woods" mean anyways?). Disturbed, for me, has always been one of those bands that I enjoyed but was never really sure why. Not that I think they are a bad band, by any means... but when I look at myself from a third-person perspective, who I am, and what other music I like, it always kind of surprises me that I really like their music.
Anyways, let's get the focus back to the band. By now, you pretty much know what Disturbed sounds like. Hard rock, nu-metal, whatever you want to call it, they are pretty distinctive. I have to admit I'm not entirely familiar with all of their previous work, having mainly only heard their singles, but to me, this album is pretty similar to their other albums. If anything, I would say it seems more polished and maybe a little bit less gritty.
The music is passionate and energetic and strong. The guitar is deliciously heavy, as usual. One wouldn't say that the vocals are 'musically impressive', but he does demonstrate a good amount of rage, it works very well with the instruments, and really, it can be said that they are what makes the band. Dark and loud and angry, everything you want and expect from Disturbed.
My one complaint would be that the songs seem a bit repetitive at times, but I think that's more a function of how his voice sounds, as opposed to them actually being repetitive. I really liked the beginning of the album, thought the middle faded a bit, and then liked the end again. One interesting thing I noticed was a cover of a song called "Land of Confusion", which I think is a Phil Collins song. [Edit: after a quick Google search, it was by Genesis.]
So yeah, I liked this album. If you like Disturbed, you'll like this album. If you don't, you probably won't, as it's not a huge departure or anything from their previous work, though I do feel like they are progressing and polishing themselves.
The verdict: 7.5/10
Anyways, let's get the focus back to the band. By now, you pretty much know what Disturbed sounds like. Hard rock, nu-metal, whatever you want to call it, they are pretty distinctive. I have to admit I'm not entirely familiar with all of their previous work, having mainly only heard their singles, but to me, this album is pretty similar to their other albums. If anything, I would say it seems more polished and maybe a little bit less gritty.
The music is passionate and energetic and strong. The guitar is deliciously heavy, as usual. One wouldn't say that the vocals are 'musically impressive', but he does demonstrate a good amount of rage, it works very well with the instruments, and really, it can be said that they are what makes the band. Dark and loud and angry, everything you want and expect from Disturbed.
My one complaint would be that the songs seem a bit repetitive at times, but I think that's more a function of how his voice sounds, as opposed to them actually being repetitive. I really liked the beginning of the album, thought the middle faded a bit, and then liked the end again. One interesting thing I noticed was a cover of a song called "Land of Confusion", which I think is a Phil Collins song. [Edit: after a quick Google search, it was by Genesis.]
So yeah, I liked this album. If you like Disturbed, you'll like this album. If you don't, you probably won't, as it's not a huge departure or anything from their previous work, though I do feel like they are progressing and polishing themselves.
The verdict: 7.5/10