America’s Disturbed have rolled out another slab of rock metal, and it’s more of the same – what else would you expect? Disturbed are basically a heavier version of Nickelback, and that’s not a bad thing – it’s fucken tragic.
This will no doubt appeal to the masses (they’re actually playing the Acer in a few months), but without sounding like a heavy metal snob I have to say this type of ‘bogan metal’ really is ‘metal for dummies’. It’s dull, derivative, too easy to digest, and yes – now I sound like a heavy metal snob.
Not that brainless music is entirely bad – a look at the top 10 reveals most people love it. This album isn’t a complete write off either; there are some decent moments of melody and tracks like The Infection, Sacrifice and The Animal. With some lyrical themes touching on politics and social upheaval, Disturbed have at least demonstrated some intelligence. And while they’ve slowly moved away from their nu-metal beginnings, it’s still permeating many of the radio-friendly tracks.
Asylum is no doubt built to appeal to the current fanbase of Disturbed while attempting to woo those who appreciate ‘safe’ hard rock that’s not too taxing. As a hard rock album it will definitely have a few toes tapping, and I think Disturbed will be happy with that.
