Disturbed

Believe (Reprise)
by Martin Popoff

One of The Big (insert low number here) of the second wave of nü metal, Disturbed return after two years of good gigging with another record of relentlessly punchy chop metal, of which “Liberate” is the insanely catchiest example. Like Papa Roach, Disturbed are moving into a filmy zone of odd, convoluted pop and pop-punk hooks (check out the highly obtuse “Believe”), reinforced by various singing styles, one of which dredges Keith Caputo from Life of Agony. Also like Papa Roach, the production is tight and bright. But that’s where the comparison ends, Disturbed sticking a little closer to the cerebral nü cure, writing a bit like Mudvayne and Machine Head, but distinguishing themselves greatly with those staccato vocal riff combos which are Draiman’s dastardly domain pretty much alone, a place and space where he gets to exercise his attention deficit persona to perfection.