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Disturbed: Ten Thousand Fists

Most proggers hear the name Disturbed and say "Aren't they that nu-metal band that does the awful cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion"?". Well, yeah, they do a cover of "Land of Confusion" on their latest Ten Thousand Fists, and it's pretty good all things considered, but it's a small speck on an otherwise powerhouse slab of melodic and solid modern metal on the band's third album. In fact, I hate using the nu-metal tag on these guys anymore, as they have moved so far away from the screaming vocal , chunka-chunka riff driven sound that permeates so many albums these days. Disturbed create wonderfully catchy songs that have plenty of bruising yet intelligent guitar riffs, thought provoking lyrics, and the unique vocal delivery of David Draiman.

Packed with 14 memorable and heavy numbers, Ten Thousand Fists comes across like the album Metallica should have made a few years ago. From the ballsy and reckless opening anthem that is the title track, complete with Draiman's forceful venom, to the sledgehammer melodies of "Just Stop", this album begins and never lets up for one second, with strong track after strong track at every stop on the CD. Crunchy speed metal is all the rage on "Guarded", while the band pulls some cagey metal out of their hat on "Deify" and "Striken", complete with plenty of catchy melodies. If you liked the bands raging debut album, give a listen to the aggressive metal of "Sons of Plunder", and the mix of atmospherics, keyboards, and soaring vocal harmonies on "Overburdened" recall the bands sophomore release. In fact, much of Ten Thousand Fists takes the styles of the two first albums and combines them quite well, as the album is as hard hitting as The Sickness but has the catchy melodies and sophistication of Believe. It works on all levels here.

Oh yeah, how about "Land of Confusion" you ask? It's a capable homage to Genesis, although whether the band are fans of the prog rock legends remains to be seen, but I give them credit for covering a song that obviously falls outside the metal genre. Disturbed have proven with this release that they are more than capable of putting together solid and melodic metal time and time again. They now have three winners in a row, let's see if they can continue the trend. Check it out.


Track Listing
1. 10,000 Fists
2. Just Stop
3. Guarded
4. Deify
5. Stricken
6. I'm Alive
7. Sons of Plunder
8. Overburdened
9. Decadance
10. Forgiven
11. Land of Confusion
12. Sacred Lie
13. Pain Redefined
14. Avarice

Added: April 8th 2006
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Disturbed Website
Hits: 3970
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Disturbed: Ten Thousand Fists
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-04-08 08:18:06
My Score:

I remember the first time I heard of Disturbed, it was this weird "ooh wak ka ka ka ka" thing he did that stuck in my mind at first and then of course the quality of their music remained. Songs like "Down With The Sickness" and "The Game" had the band quickly establishing themselves a dedicated following. "Ten Thousand Fists" is probably the most traditional in the Hard Rock/Metal sense as there is little experimentation present and instead rock solid performance and song-writing. There is also very little of the
synthesized sounds from the debut and previous effort as this record aims mainly at knocking you out with Hard Rock power. There are songs that call to mind the speeding train of Motorhead in their consistency and overall this proves that Disturbed has what it takes to keep the attention of an often wavering music audience. I enjoyed most of the album to be brutally honest and this does not happen for me all the time. I listen to too much music and so much crosses my path that giving new releases more than the normal
reviewers listen of a couple of spins is impossible. "Ten Thousand Fists" has remained close to my changer since I received it. Some of my most referred to tracks are the title itself, along with "Just Stop", "Deify" and "Decadence". I also liked "Guarded" since that was as close to vintage Metal as one could find present. The guys lend their style to the classic Genesis track "Land Of Confusion", which the Progressive Rock fans will probably hate - but then again that is not the audience of Disturbed in most cases. However, this might spark some interest in Genesis themselves based on the band covering the song. The Disturbed rendition is closer than you might expect and does not do the original any disrespect. Photos lyrics and artwork make up the included booklet which features art by Todd McFarlane.

I never purchased the bands second album but I have to say that my exposure to them from the first album and this one makes me say this is so far the best of the three. There is an easy to enjoy feel to this album and Draiman (vocals) is on top across the whole album. The drumming of Mike Wengren is rock solid and the guitar work of Dan Donegan is on target on every song. If you are a fan of solid Hard Rock with a Metal twist mixed in then this is an album for you. I'm adding my fist to the number and now ten thousand one are raised in the air. Join us.



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