Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
66 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life after nu-metal, September 26, 2005
To many music fans, Disturbed are a typical nu-metal band. That's fine when nu-metal was popular, but when it collapsed, being the poster boys of that genre took on a whole different meaning. Disturbed are now considered by some as a band which demonstrates all that's wrong with nu-metal. So, what could they do? They could be like Linkin Park, and continue to be the nu-metal band that they have always been and hope that their fans stick with them and keep buying their albums; or they could follow in Papa Roach's footsteps and evolve and add new ingredients to their music, in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.
Well, for their third record, this Chicago based four piece did a little of both. "Ten Thousand Fists" is kind of like a combination of their first two albums. Most of the songs (i.e. "Just Stop" and "I'm Alive") have both aggressive vocals and "Believe"-esque clean singing, and singer David Draiman doesn't scat (or make monkey noises) as much as he did five years ago. But some of the songs (like "Stricken," "Sons of Plunder," and "Decadence") bring "The Sickness" to mind, and most of these riffs are heavier and less mellow than those of "Believe."
But this album also has a few new things. For instance, most nu-metal bands usually steer clear of guitar solos, but, perhaps in an attempt to rid themselves of the nu-metal label, guitarist Dan Donegan sprinkles on a few solos, here. Plus, Draiman shows his newfound political awareness on the bold album closer, "Avarice."
The lead single, "Guarded," is a good example of the album as a whole. It begins with a strong, propulsive, jackhammer riff, but the beat then turns to bobbing riffs with staccato vocals, and the song climaxes with a melodic chorus. Some clean singing and a guitar solo are also slipped into the mix, here. "Stricken" is the other single. It has some of David's famous scat, and its choppy, Motorhead-influenced riff and rhythm make it sort of sound like Disturbed's 2002 single, "Liberate." Other album highlights include the skipping riffs on "Deify," "Overburdened" (a slower song and a monotony breaker), the very angry and aggressive "Decadence," "Forgiven" (which has a wah-wah solo), and the crunchy, almost explosive riffs on "Sacred Lie."
"Ten Thousand Fists" does have a few flaws, though. Aside from having a few guitar solos, it doesn't really show Disturbed evolving or maturing. Plus, not all of the lyrics are great. Draiman is none-too-worried about hitting cliches in the song "I'm Alive," which features the somewhat confusing line "You'll never take me alive!" Fortunately, this album is catchy, contagious/infectious, and energetic enough to make up for these flaws, and make it possibly Disturbed's best and most mature album to date.
So, "Ten Thousand Fists" has defied the critics and shown the world that there is indeed life after nu-metal...even for Disturbed! If you like nu-metal or if you enjoy Disturbed's first two discs, this album is made for you. If you don't enjoy this genre or this band, however, this album won't change your mind, so you'll want to give it a wide birth. But if you're only so-so on nu-metal, don't immediately dismiss this as "just another nu-metal album." Go ahead...give this disc a whirl, and pump your fists in the air to the songs of "Ten Thousand Fists."
|
|
|
29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still The Kings of Metal, September 21, 2005
My review of Disturbed's debut The Sickness labeled them "The New Kings of Metal". I think that there would be more than Ten Thousand Fists in the air in agreement that Disturbed certainly still hold their position in the hierarchy of Metal with the release of this new disk.
What an impressive follow-up Ten Thousand Fists is to Disturbed's 5 star sophomore effort Believe. Ten Thousand Fists is a disk of hard rocking, melodic music with terrific vocals by David Draiman that can be understood all the way through. Dan Donegan (guitar)and Mike Wengren (drums) once again work together in a way that keeps every song rocking along with head bobbin, foot stompin precision (this as opposed to music where the drums and bass merely keep time in the background).
There are many bands trying to be hard these days. Disturbed do not have to try. Clearly their music is what comes naturally to them. Ten Thousand Fists is not the awful manufactured Pop Metal like Nickelback and most recently Trapt (Draiman sings about manufactured music in "Sons of Plunder"). Ten Thousand Fists is not Nu Metal like Staind or 10 Years; Nu Metal isn't bad...but it's not Heavy Metal. Ten Thousand Fists is not Death Metal like Lamb of God or Cannibal Corpse. And Ten Thousand Fists is not Punk like Blink 182, Green Day and the hundreds of others that all sound alike plaguing the radio today.
Ten Thousand Fists is Heavy Metal in the purest form of the art...vocals that you can follow, harmonies, melody, intensity...a uniqueness to each song where there is no confusion as to whether the track has changed. Ten Thousand Fists is great, hard rockin' fun.
And to my surprise..supporting my contention in a couple of my other recent reviews that guitar rock will once again dominate the rock genre...Dan Donegan even throws a few very awesome solos onto this disk.
This disk is an absolute must for your Metal collection. You Will Remember The Night You Were Struck By The Sight Of Ten Thousand Fists In The Air!
|
|
|
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily their best ablum!, September 20, 2005
Last time Disturbed released an album was 2002 with Believe, which took a step away from the pure brutality of The Sickness, and added
much melody and complexety to the mix. It was good in it's way, just in a different way than the Sickness, which was just a heavier
album. Again, both good in their different ways. So now Ten Thousand Fists is released, and it is a GREAT mixture of the two ablums, it really is. The songs have taken both the more complex nature of Believe and combined them with the heavier nature of The Sickness to create something entirely new and awesome.
The band really shows their growth in this album, with guitarist Dan Donagan stretching out into several solos on the album. Also, with Fuzz leaving last year, they have a new bassist in the form of John Moyer (Formerly Union Underground). David Draimen(Vocals) also goes in new directions with his voice, and continues to show why he is one of the best vocalists of his generation.
1. Ten Thousand Fists- This song is actually not all that complex, but is more of a warcry than anything, sure to be a favorite at the concerts it was inspired by.
2. Just Stop- Not one of the standout songs in my opinion, but still very good.
3. Guarded- I personally think this is better than their actual single (Stricken). This was the first I heard of the new album, and it is a perfect example of this new album. It is both melodic while being heavy and furious.
4. Deify- A politically charged song with a voice sample of the President at the begining, the band attempts to discourage the ellevation of people to godlike status, with George Bush simply being an example of this.
5. Stricken- The first single off the album, and while I don't think this is the best song, it's pretty close. Dan's solo in this one is excellent, and is a good example of how he has grown as a musician.
6. I'm Alive- Another song that doesn't stand out quite like some of the others do, but it's still keeping to the standard the rest of the album offers.
7. Sons of Plunder- In my opinion this is the best song on the album. I love the sound that it has, and would make a great second single after Stricken has had it's run.
8. Overburdened- This is the band's story of a soldier who is in hell, and doesn't know why he's there. Another politically charged song. Also it has a decidedly slower pace than most of the other songs.
9. Decadance- Like Just Stop and I'm Alive this doesn't stick out like some of the other songs do.
10. Forgiven- This one has another excellent guitar solo at the end that I absolutly love, and is enough to make this one of the best on the album.
11. Land of Confusion- A cover of the Genesis song, this is a great cover better even than their Shout cover. It's amazing how well this song lends itself to Disturbed's sound, and how you can easily translate it's message into today's world.
12. Sacred Life- Last non standout song, but again very good, just not great to me.
13. Pain Redefined- This is an interesting song, and I really have grown onto the sound and feel of this song.
14. Avarice- Possibly the hardest song on the album, this one really takes them back to their Sickness days, great song here as well.
An incredible album that has a solid level of quality throughout. It's Disturbed's best to date, combining the elements that were best from their 1st and 2nd outings to make the mix that is present in Ten Thousand Fists. Easily worth the purchase.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
is Disturbed's 
