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Printer-Friendly Mode'Ten Thousand Fists' disturbing
September 26, 2005 —
Ten Thousand Fists, the new album from Disturbed, had the potential to be a great record. After all, the band's first two albums, The Sickness and Believe, both went multi-Platinum, got tons of play on the radio, and ensured that millions of Americans tried to emulate the primeval grunts of frontman David Draiman.
Unfortunately, Fists disappoints on many levels. The fourteen-song album lacks the great singles from their first compilation, and has a disjointed feel to it that sharply contrasts with the mellifluous Believe.
This may not be a sophomore slump for the band, but it definitely is a letdown from the previous two albums.
Disturbed took a different approach than most bands, releasing two singles months before the record even came out.
The band's first single, "Guarded," relies too much on the double-bass of drummer Mike Wengren, and fails to let the band's signature style - Draiman's ability to mix random noises with a decent melody - shine through. The second single, "Stricken," is fairly bland rock that doesn't distinguish itself from any of the other bands out there.
"Land of Confusion" is a cover of the 1986 Genesis hit, and it would have been best left in the 80's. Several songs attempt to portray Eastern-style music, with mixed results. There are some excellent songs on the disc, notably the title track "Ten Thousand Fists," which would have made a better single than the ones released. The disc's final tune, "Avarice" is one of the best Disturbed songs I have ever heard.
But rather than being an exorcism of personal demons, or a commentary on the effects of religions on society, Fists focuses more on making noise for the sake of being loud. Often the message (if there is one) is lost in the repetitive beat, which sounds like it was ripped directly from the previous album. There is a definite lack of creativity and direction on the new album, and it shows with lackluster songs.
Disturbed did lose bassist Fuzz since the last album, and in his loss, the album has a substantial loss in the bass section. The guitar work - never a Disturbed strong point - is again used more to create catchy hooks for Draiman, and ends up serving as more of a complementary feature to the songs, than a high point.
Can I recommend this album? Yes - to the diehard Disturbed fans out there. Anyone who is a big fan of Disturbed will still enjoy this album, warts and all. They will just find themselves taking the CD out of their rotation sooner than the previous albums. But for the casual rock listener, I recommend the latest System of a Down album Mesmerize, and advise you to stay away from this disappointing record.