Nu-metal may be dead, but Disturbed are, as the title of their fourth album indicates, Indestructible. Whether this is a promise or a threat depends on your level of tolerance for the same vaguely thrashy, vaguely alternative songs repeated over and over with little variation. Disturbed haven’t exactly evolved since their 2000 debut single “Down With the Sickness,” and it’s easy throughout Indestructible to expect singer David Draiman to break out in an “Ooh wah ah ah ah” at any moment.
“Perfect Insanity” does open with an “Ah ah ah ah ow,” though, which is nearly as good, and the energy of the band’s early hit infuses the entire album. A few electronic blips and brief drum loops aside, there isn’t much nu here, but of course there isn’t exactly much new, either. That turns out to be the album’s greatest strength; as metal moves back to more traditional sounds, Disturbed seem more in their element. Draiman has a strong voice, and here he’s not stuck trying to rap, and is only occasionally given to guttural screams. Mostly he sings out his rather clichéd pain atop familiar-sounding riffs, broken up by some bitchin’ solos from guitarist Dan Donegan. The song titles (“Haunted,” “Torn,” “Divide”) tell you all you need to know about the level of originality, but like the songs themselves, they generally get the job done.
The bottom line: **1/2
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