Even compared to the massive blur of Indestructible, this LP has some of the most criminally undercooked tracks ever written by the group. Sadly, Disturbed’s lack of invention has reached a fever pitch this time around. The heaviness hasn’t left, especially in slammers like the great “Open Your Eyes” and the lesser, but still solid “Fire It Up.” The latter also has a great guitar solo from Dan Donegan, something that feels noticeably lacking on Immortalized. The rest of the band sits just as comfortably as Draiman, for better or for worse. That’s been something that’s earned Draiman both praise and criticism, but it’s clear that his voice is still instantly identifiable. His rougher vocals still tend to suffer from an identity crisis you never know if he’s trying to channel reggae-inspired rhythmic grunts or try to do something more melodic. It’s a decent formula, admittedly, and Draiman’s clean vocals are still mystifyingly hypnotic. Immortalized follows in the footsteps of all four albums to follow, with a stronger focus on traditional metal features and Draiman’s mix of clean and semi-rough vocals. Immortalized marks Disturbed’s first studio LP since 2010’s Asylum, and despite some nice little breaks in character for the band, runs in place far too much to be anything more than simply solid, though that’s not entirely a bad thing.ĭisturbed might have claimed its calling card on the nu-metal cruncher The Sickness (with its now legendary “Down With the Sickness”), but immediately after that record, Disturbed found a formula and stuck with it.13 years and counting. It’s made the anticipation, or at least the curiosity toward Disturbed’s return all the bigger. Disturbed’s hiatus brought about the side projects Device and Fight or Flight, neither of which reached Disturbed’s sky-high following. After three more albums running the gambit between “solid” to “mediocre”, Disturbed took a break. Since 2002’s Believe, however, this metal edge steadily showed its worn parts, as future albums did very little to evolve the band beyond that step from the debut to the sophomore.
Review Summary: A mix of promising highs and dull-as-dirt lows, Disturbed's return balances itself out, putting the group right back where they left off.ĭisturbed’s rise to power might have coasted off the shores of nu-metal with 2000’s The Sickness, but their steady move into a more traditional metal territory is where they became stars on rock radio.