Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Disturbed – Ten Thousand Fists

Monday, October 17th, 2005

Just today, I got my hands on the Disturbed Ten Thousand Fists album and I am loving every second of it. I have been a Disturbed fan ever since The Sickness. I feel in love with the raw and gritty sound and it has come to refine my listening tastes even today. Believe was later announced and I scrambled to order the Limited Special Edition, bonus DVD and all. My opinion was that it was a little weak but still a great album and a wonderful emotional exploration for the band. Now comes Ten Thousand Fists bangin’ on my drums. This is by far their best album yet. It’s hard. It drives. And it’s beautiful.

The CD opens up with the title track Ten Thousand Fists to set the tenor for what is to come. This songs plays like a battle cry foretelling the coming of an unstoppable force. I feel like adding my own fist to this massive chant.

Just Stop is second up with a nice blending of styles form The Sickness and Believe. It’s a slower piece but with plenty of that “demonic lyric” stuff that Disturbed fans fell in love with to begin with.

Guarded follows giving a brief reprieve of the aural assault with periodic breaks into melodic ballads. But don’t be fooled, the soul of this song is hard, like a thump on the head.

Deify is an angry political retort aimed directly at George W. Something I’ve never been able to comprehend is why the music industry became such a huge political platform in the elections last year. And why was it so biased towards John Kerry? Neither one of these men really give me much confidence, but Kerry flat scares me. My own personal politics aside, this song rips at those who hold our president in such high esteem that they deify him.

Next up is Stricken, the emotional piece in the album (though I think everyone of their songs carries deep emotional context). It seeks a self-mourning with its dire lyrics and long, heavy chords. Not my favorite but still quite good.

I’m Alive and Sons of Plunder are tracks I can really relate with. It’s rolling rhymes call out to those who force others into conformity. Then with one fell swoop denies them the pleasure over taking this one into their grips. “Be your own person” would be a good theme for these songs.

Overburdened starts of very not like Disturbed. A clear guitar strumming awakens a voice a memory while waiting in hell’s line. But it doesn’t take long for the distortion to kick in and bring down the angst driven lyrics I have come to love.

Decadence is one of those non-creative songs that you still love because of its sound. Lyrically, there isn’t much here but a lot of repeated phrases. But set to a sound that will get your head bobbin’ in no time flat. There is a nice guitar solo at the end which is something that has been lacking in other Disturbed albums.

Up comes Forgiven with more throw backs to their older style. I could envision this being one of those great driving songs. Not particularly pumped with energy but it has a rhythm which is unrelenting that just gets into your skull.

Next is Land of Confusion, a cover of a Phil Collins song by the same name. I have never heard the original but if it’s anything like Disturbed’s other cover songs (Shout2000 & Fade to Black) then I have no doubt it is a faithful remake brought to bear with the bold style that Disturbed has come to embody. I can certainly hear Phil Collins-esque elements which make me love this song even more.

Sacred Lie is another political salvo aimed at the war in Iraq. In a more general context however, it speaks about not fighting futile battles in life, personal or otherwise. Constant battles for peace ride any such from ones life. Pretty powerful statement.

The sturm und drang lyrics of Pain Redefined combined with a bit of electronica make for a nice mix.

Avarice ends out the set in fast and furious tirade against the evils of greed and those that trample for the almighty dollar.

Truly an excellent album that should new and old Disturbed fans alike.

Metallica: St. Anger Review

Thursday, June 5th, 2003

me-`tal-i-ka
me-ta-`le-ka
tal-i-`ka

However you chose to say it, Metallica still rules. Their new CD (St. Anger) is further proof of their ruleage. They have hit their audience with a very raw sound that many people are taking a while to get used to. The drums sound like something out of Blue Man Group. But I like it. Makes me want to monkey-stomp something.

Godsmack: Faceless

Tuesday, April 8th, 2003

Picked up the new Godsmack CD today. I love it! There is a very melodic sound to it, far different then the hard thrashing sound from their previous albums. But it’s all good.

And while I’m at it, let me tell you about the new CD player I am using to listen to this CD. I recently bought the iRiver SlimX iMP-350. This thing is incredible:

  • MP3/WMA/CD-RW/FM Player
  • up to 3 minutes of anti-shock on audio CDs
  • 8 minutes of anti-shock on compressed audio
  • extremely slim design: Approx. 135×145×16.7mm
  • intuitive remote control

This by far the best portable CD player I have ever owned. Being priced at US$129.99 (Best Buy) might be a slight set back to some but I find it well worth it.

Evanescence CD Review

Monday, March 17th, 2003

I picked up the Evanescence CD last Thursday and haven’t stopped listening to it since. I became intrigued by them when I heared “Bring Me To Life” on the radio. Their sound is so fresh and ethereal. They even remind me a little of Linkin Park.

With two of their songs on the Daredevil Soundtrack and just being in the right place at the right time, they are poised for even better things.

TRAPT CD Review

Friday, February 28th, 2003

I picked up the TRAPT CD last night. I had heard the radio single “Headstrong” and loved the style. Still, new band, debut CD, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I played it and was quite surprised by the range of styles these guys covered. I would deffinetly reccomend this album to anyone especially if you like Chevelle, TRUSTcompany or Audiovent.