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Disturbed delivers

'Indestructible' lays foundation for hard metal band to go down in infamy
By: Ben Johnson
Issue date: 8/29/08

Many bands in today's music industry go their entire career with only one successful album. A few others are able to string together two consecutive albums that show a progression in proficiency and achieve mass appeal. The number of bands capable of producing an evolving level of thunder and
lightning dwindles as the number of albums released increases. For this reason, "Indestructible," the fourth release from American born-and-bred band Disturbed, manages to impress on multiple levels.

Released on June 3, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained in the top-10 for five weeks. As the band's third consecutive No. 1 debut, the album put Disturbed among only six other rock bands to achieve such levels of stardom. By July, the album reached gold status in the U.S.

The album begins with the low wail of a siren accompanied by the sounds of distant gunfire and explosions, reminiscent of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." In that song, Black Sabbath preached against the evils of war. The title track of Disturbed's album, however, shifts into a thickly layered anthem filled with militaristic and combat oriented imagery. "Inside the Fire," the album's first single, follows in the track lineup and offers one of Disturbed's more personal moments lyrically as vocalist Dave Draiman tells the story of a loved one he lost to suicide. The song brims with references to the afterlife and centers around the idea that the singer can only be reunited with his beloved in hell. Accompanied by a thoroughly disturbing (no pun intended) music video, the band has used the single as a means to promote awareness of suicide and begins the music video with a message from Draiman and a suicide hotline number.

From there, "Indestructible" meanders down many a dark path, although the most recurring theme appears to be that of Draiman's romantic misfortunes. In "Façade," "Haunted" and "Deceiver," Draiman pours out his anger against deception, betrayal and failure as only he can.

Musically, "Indestructible" is not strikingly original or teeming with innovation. Having said that, for an album that finds itself in the center of the nü metal mainstream, "Indestructible" delivers some exceedingly satisfying music. Whereas Draiman has long since left his unique vocalizations that made previous hits like "Down With the Sickness" so memorable, his vocal abilities and range have nonetheless evolved with the passing of time. "Enough" even finds him dabbling a bit in that signature death metal hiss. The presence of Dan Donegan's intricate guitar riffs also adds an extra dimension to the album's already "muscular" mood.

"Indestructible" finds drummer Mike Wrengren utilizing a double bass pedal more than ever before. This infuses the track with a few old-fashioned metal breakdowns. This puts the album just beyond the confines of mainstream rock and pushes it further into truly heavy metal territory.

"Indestructible" takes the band back to their roots in many ways, while continuing the musical evolution that can be traced throughout their discography. Two of the tracks on the disc ("Perfect Insanity" and "Divide") are truly old-school material for the band, as both were written before the release of "The Sickness." The album nonetheless manages to maintain Disturbed's signature sound while displaying their musical evolution. Managing to do so on their fourth consecutive album makes "Indestructible" a truly impressive piece of art, and all the more satisfying to fans of heavy music worldwide.