It’s been three years since Disturbed released Immortalized but they have returned with their long-awaited new album, Evolution which is set for release on Oct 19.
Three years may not seem like a long time to some, but for bands often people assume when they have been gone for this period of time they are over. But Disturbed have returned with a new album, Evolution, announcing they are back. Not only did they return, but they did with the same lineup of David Draiman (vocals),Dan Donegan (guitar), John Moyer (bass), and Mike Wengren (drums).
The album opens strong with “Are You Ready Now,” which, if you are familiar with the band’s live performances you will know, is a phrase often uttered by Draiman. This is not an unusual concept for them, using phrases from their shows as inspiration for songs. They did this in the past with “10,000 fists,” which is another phrase screamed by Draiman during their live shows. At first listen this is exactly what the fan expects from Disturbed. It has their signature musical sound and the distinctive vocal of Draiman, which is best described as a very punctuated style breaking up words into their syllables and his trademark scream. There is no mistaking Draiman for any other vocalist of the nu-metal genre. This style is shown throughout the record with other tracks like “Savior of Nothing,” “Stronger on Your Own” and “Best Ones”. The track “No More” manages to incorporate this style but it has more percussion on the forefront showcasing Wengren and Moyer. These are the songs that the Disturbed fan expects and will love.
The remaining tracks are a departure from the normal sound and seem to be taking inspiration from their cover of “Sound of Silence,” which was the last track they commercially released. In fact, there is a live version of this song on this album featuring Myles Kennedy. Songs like “Reason to Fight,” “Hold onto Memories” and “In Another Time” all are slower and feature a lot of acoustic instruments. They are solid songs, it is just a departure from their usual style and what you might expect. In the past, there were no, or possibly one, slow song on a Disturbed album. Evolution has many more than that. The album seems to be a mix of the classic and some experimentation with new sounds. This is also shown in the track “This Venom” which has a very heavy electronic element. You should respect bands that grow and mature with their sound and this album seems to alternate tracks from the old to the new.
Like all Disturbed songs, these ones are full of meaning. Songs like “Hold onto Memories” has a strong message and that is not the only one. These messages are what always makes Disturbed songs resonate with the fans and get the crowd singing along at shows. These songs make the listener want to pour over the lyrics and attribute them to their own lives. Draiman’s singing style allows for the listener to actually hear the lyrics in their entirety. It is easy to picture the crowd at a concert singing along with these songs like they do on the rest of their catalog.
Evolution is a strong album that mixes the classic Disturbed sound with songs that have a new approach. For the fan that wants to listen to the songs and their meanings they are sure to enjoy this album. The long-term Disturbed fan is going to enjoy the classic sounding songs and the new sounding songs are likely to bring in a new fan base. The album is a 50/50 mix of these two sounds which should appeal to a variety of people.
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