It seems to me that Disturbed has always been one of those love 'em or hate 'em bands: Ozzy praised them as the future of metal, many dismissed them as just another nu-metal band, and some just considered them "the band that makes that noise" after the title track to the 2000 debut The Sickness. Now three CDs into their career, are Disturbed doing anything to attract new fans, or are they simply a part of a dying trend?In short, they're somewhere in the middle, although leaning away from being part of the dying trend. Vocalist David Draiman said they wanted this CD to be different from anything else they had recorded, and while they didn't exactly achieve that, Ten Thousand Fists is very much the natural progression from 2002's Believe. All of the elements of the signature Disturbed sound are still here: Draiman's unique vocals, Dan Donegan's guitar tone and stuttering riffs, and Mike Wengren's tom-heavy drumming. For those concerned about the change in the lineup, there isn't a severe difference between the bass writing/playing of former bassist Fuzz and new bassist John Moyer (formerly of the Union Underground).
What is different, however, is that as they have matured as a band, they've become better at what they do, particularly Draiman and Donegan. No need for long-time fans to worry, there are still plenty of grunts and yells in the vocals, but David has continued to expand his vocal range and his ability to write melodies. Likewise, Dan seems to have spent a lot of the time off between records practicing on his guitar--there are a few riffs that the average kid playing guitar for 6 months would write, but there are also plenty of interesting riffs as well as (gasp) solos! Not many of the songs have solos, but "Stricken" and the cover of Genesis's "Land of Confusion" have solos inspired by 80s metal, and "Overburdened" includes a harmonized passage inspired by European bands. On the other hand, the solo on the closer "Avarice" feels more like noodling in the studio that was tracked anyway. Finally, they've taken more advantage of what they can do in the studio, overdubbing some melodic parts during choruses, and even using a slight orchestral backdrop on "Overburdened."
Disturbed are nearing the peak of their form, but I'd say there's still room for them to grow as a band, particularly in structuring of the songs. Ten Thousand Fists is still plenty aggressive, but there aren't any tracks which are overly abrasive like "Down With the Sickness" or "Liberate." If you're among the group of people that have loved Disturbed since their debut, this one won't disappoint; if you like a little bit harder music but were turned off by some of the aforementioned songs, I'd say give this disc a try anyway.
