You would think that a band who sprung into the world’s consciousness with a song as gloriously goofy as ‘Down With The Sickness’ would be destined to occupy nu-metal’s cavernous bargain bin. Disturbed instead avoided also-ran status by evolving their sound, and cultivating a surprisingly large cult following. This all seemed to fly under the radar until a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel song, of all things, saw the light of the mainstream media thrust upon them once again.
So, with a big, chartbusting ballad under their belts, and singer David Draiman removing his iconic chin piercings, ‘Evolution’ is set up to be a step in a more mature direction. In fact, Draiman cited Metallica’s landmark “black album” as a major reference point for ‘Evolution’, and it’s heartening to hear that on some level he achieves these lofty ambitions. Disturbed aren’t reinventing the steel, but they are a refreshingly solid mainstream rock act that harks back to good old days when the genre was on top.
As rock ballads go, you could pop ‘A Reason To Fight’ in a playlist along with ‘November Rain’ and ‘The Unforgiven’ and no one would grumble, whilst ‘Are You Ready’ is a ready-for-the-radio metal single bound to destroy festivals next summer. ‘Already Gone’ is the most successful attempt to capitalise on the surprise success of ‘The Sound of Silence’, with its immaculately produced strings and suitably melodramatic performance from Draiman.
The album’s downfall is twofold. The first major problem arises in the number of ballads on ‘Evolution’. Disturbed would have been fools if they didn’t try to replicate the success of ‘The Sound of Silence’, yet the sudden shifts between metal posturing and folksy strumming can be jarring. Out of context, ‘Hold on to Memories’ is a cute little tune about holding onto the ones you love; after the industrial metal bounce of ‘Stronger on Your Own’, it comes across a bit Spinal Tap.
This self-seriousness is also a problem when Draiman decides to indulge his vocal idiosyncrasies. Take the “evil” laugh at the start of ‘Stronger on Your Own’ as an example. Great rock is built on a foundation of camp. When its combined with a serious effort to mature a sound, it leaves you not knowing whether to laugh or cringe.
‘Evolution’ is a commendable stab at making Disturbed the premiere act rock needs. Unfortunately, the desperation to hold on to the crossover success of ‘The Sound of Silence’ is a little too on the nose. This, combined with Disturbed’s unwillingness to grow out of their nu-metal roots, makes ‘Evolution’ an uneven ride.
SEAN LEWIS