Indestructible is the eagerly anticipated forth album from the acclaimed Masters of Rock, Disturbed.  After a three year absence, the band returns with strong melodic vocals and the crunching riffs of the guitar do not leave fans disappointed. But is it enough to match or even better the brilliance of  ‘The Sickness’, ‘Believe’ and ‘Ten Thousand fists’ ? 

This album was self-produced therefore the band had much more leeway and freedom on its content.  We hear the use of new vocal styles by David Draimen as well as the skilled guitar solo’s that are finally back in full swing, after years of ‘Alternative’ bands snubbing them.  The solo used in ‘The Night’ demonstrates just how talented guitarist Dan Donegan is. 

As Draimen describes, this albums takes on a more ‘darker, more evil character’ than previous albums, with the tracks being more personal to himself and the band.  The use of such dark messages and meanings in their song writing can be seen in previous tracks such as ‘Stricken,’ and ‘Violence Fetish,’ as well as ‘Land of Confusion’ despite being a cover.  It is quickly apparent that the single ‘Inside the Fire’  revolves around the key issue of suicide.  It tells the story of the struggle a man undergoes following the suicide of his partner. Draimen assumes the role of the ‘whisper’ in his ear, or even the devil himself, offering him away out by following in his partners footsteps.  This song is particularly personal to Draimen, due to his encounter with suicide in his younger years.  Other tracks on this album deal with more recent difficulties that he has faced, such as his motorcycle incident a few years ago.  

The head banging beats entwined with powerful chords match the terrifying vocals and the evil laugh that can be attributed only to Draimen is no surprise to any Disturbed album, however, their use of the English language just gets better and better; who else can rhyme ‘Devastation, Obliteration’ with the word ‘Exacerbation’?  The lyrics of each track are evidence that alot of creativity and imagination went into the songs; this is highlighted by the brilliant poetry found within ‘Haunted’. 

As for criticism of this album, there isn’t much to say. There are a few tracks that seem to loose that memorability and high energy edge, but there are plenty of tracks that are able to stand on their own merits,  up against their classics such as ‘Ten Thousands Fists’ and ‘Down With The Sickness’.  Overall, this album is a typical Disturbed album.  Only you can decide whether this is good or bad thing.   

Following a few disappointments of certain new releases this year, I wasn’t holding out much hope for ‘Indestructible’.  I’m not against artists altering their sound to attract new listeners, like many artists have chosen to do over recent years.  But when it causes the loss of those they already have, then it becomes a problem. I naïvely feared Disturbed may go down the same path. Luckily I was proved wrong. 

This album may be described as their ‘darkest, angriest outing yet’ but it does not stray from what Disturbed is renowned for.  Straight up Hard Rock.  This album may not be their best, but I recommend you enjoy it for what it is.  This album wasn’t created to change the minds of those who don’t like their music, or don’t believe Disturbed isn’t “metal enough”, it was created solely to please their fans.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Reviewed by Hayley Herrick

Date Added: Monday Jun 30th, 2008