DISTURBED - Ten Thousand Fists 20th Anniversary Edition Vinyl

Disturbed solidify their stance as the black knights of gaming-console rock. Creepy electronics slither behind Dan Donegan's guitar, and he mostly forsakes soloing to concentrate on the visceral groove. When he's not hacking like a chained-up pit bull, Draiman emotes from the valley of reverb (that's next to the valley of death), and his moments of epic roar make the songs' choppier parts more effective. Now, 'Overburdened' takes the epic stuff a little too far. Draiman starts off the song in narration, muttering 'Fate is so unkind' like a monster who's been given the power to feel. But even in its swirling pretentiousness, you can't deny his intensity. Luckily the majority of Fists sticks to mid-tempo punishers that pound back anger-gritted teeth and no anesthesia. (Remember, Disturbed's tours are underwritten by Jägermeister, the black licorice firewater that punches Saturday night in the face.) 'Deify' rails against blind devotion to political leaders and 'Sons of Plunder' stalks at a faster, more aggressive faster heart rate, while 'Decadence' and 'Sacred Lie' drop into the rhythmic grip that by mid- to late album is almost comfortable in its gloomy thump. 

Tracklist:

Side One:
Ten Thousand Fists
Just Stop
Guarded
Deify

Side Two:
Stricken
I'm Alive
Sons of Plunder

Side Three:
Overburdened
Decadence
Forgiven

Side Four:
Land of Confusion
Sacred Lie
Pain Redefined
Avarice