"Ten Thousand Fists" is Disturbingly disappointing

Disturbed's latest CD, "Ten Thousand Fists," is the same sound that fans have listened to since their debut, "The Sickness," but sans passion and emotion. Sure, there's screaming and angsty lyrics, but the guttural screams, the sense of attachment to the lyrics and the raw anger is all gone. Disturbed's new sound is fake and boring, and the screams and angst seem like a show for cash.

Take "Deify," for instance. On the track, lead singer David Draiman sings "Deify you/They view you as the new messiah/Deify you/Renew belief in some demented man." It's hard to place exactly what Draiman is doing though — it's not quite screaming and yet not quite singing. The verse just sounds awkward and, to be frank, horrible. The point (if there ever was one) of the lyrics is completely lost amid the noise emitted from the speakers.This album's sound isn't just plagued by poorly almost-sung lyrics, though. The band tries to stick a few instrumental solos in the middle of songs like "Stricken" and "Overburdened." The vocal silence is unnecessary and the interludes sound like filler noise.

Not surprisingly, the lyrics aren't too ingenious either. For instance, in "Forgiven," the phrase "forgiven to me" is sung 18 times, not quite a sign of lyrical brilliance or even competence. Similarly, in "Pain Redefined," the phrase "memories don't lie" is repeated 12 times. And if you're looking for substance (or even comprehension) you might want to don some ear muffs. In the album's title track, Draiman sings, "Power unrestrained dead on the mark/Is what we will deliver tonight, deliver tonight/Pleasure fused with pain this triumph of the soul/will make you shiver tonight, will make you shiver tonight, yeah." I must say that I have yet to shiver, or even witness this supposed power, because it for sure isn't on this album.

The album does have two almost redeeming songs, "I'm Alive" and "Overburdened." In "I'm Alive," Draiman finally gets some emotion in his music. As he sings, "Danger, then, cannot be considered/I rage again, dispelling my anger/Where do I begin?/The choices are endless" his voice gets more and more frantic and questioning, connecting the listener to the song. Unfortunately, the chorus to the sound is rather bland and cheesy, ending with an inappropriately energetic "I'm alive/I'm alive/I'm alive."

"Overburdened" is perhaps the only track really worth listening to. The song is lyrical and slightly haunting. The song brings to mind Breaking Benjamin, with perhaps a touch of slightly harder rock. Unfortunately, as in the other tracks, "Overburdened" suffers from the filler-instrumentals that are scattered throughout the album.

If you like the typical Disturbed sound, please, just skip purchasing this album and instead buy a few tracks off of iTunes. "Just Stop," "Guarded" and "Sons of Plunder" all sound like the old, emotionally-charged Disturbed. However, "Ten Thousand Fists" definitely deserves 10,000 thumbs down.