Disturbed is an American rock band. Since their formation in the mid-nineties, they have released four studio albums – The Sickness (2000), Believe (2002), Ten Thousand Fists (2005), and Indestructible (2008).
I’ve enjoyed listening to Disturbed since I first heard them being over-played on the radio in the early 2000s. While many of their songs are tainted with anger and bitterness, they also convey a wide array of emotions:
10. ‘Overburdened’ (Ten Thousand Fists)
Starting at the low end of the scale is complete spiritual despair. Part of Disturbed’s first bend toward political messages, this song tells the tale of a dead soldier (“I was fighting for a reason/holy blessed homicide”) waiting in line in Hell, possibly for eternity. The mood of the song is completely forsaken without room for hope; the stanzas are regretful, the choruses tinged with bitterness and confusion.
09. ‘Inside the Fire’ (Indestructible)
Twisted with competing and repetitious melodies, this song and its music video tell a story of loss. The lyrics hint at depression and the temptation to die to escape pain. Like Overburdened, this song deals with death, but from the perspective of the living. There is more energy, the beginnings of rebellion against the same despair to which the previous song’s soldier resigned himself.
08. ‘Down With the Sickness’ (The Sickness)
In this, Disturbed’s most famous song, we’ve risen out of despair but fallen into incoherent rage. The Sickness’ near-titular song are the rantings of a psychotic individual unable to grasp reality through his burning resentment. The album version contains an intense bridge in which the singer screams profanities at his own mother, a controlling and violent figure. Beyond the first stanza, there is no hesitation in the singer’s jabbering; he has ‘gotten down’ with his sickness.
07. ‘Guarded’ and ‘Deify’(Ten Thousand Fists)
(I included both songs because they are adjacent on this album and have similar messages.) Again, Disturbed’s political bent comes through in these two songs, the latter of which opens with a voice clip of then-President George W. Bush. The tone is defiant and disgusted, protesting that his authority figure is “holding something just in front of” him and that his “will’s been fortified”. The first song wins for driving melody, the second for lyrics.
06. ‘Remember’ (Believe)
“[I must] hide behind/the mask this time/and try to believe”. Reminiscent of ‘Unforgiven’ by Metallica, ‘Remember’ is the inner struggle of a man hiding his true feelings. The song evokes confusion; the man is plagued by memories of his true self and the dreams he has abandoned. If he can remember, his newfound resolution to be his own man will “conquer” him; if he can walk alone, away from controlling influences, he will escape into himself.
05. ‘Fear’ (The Sickness)
Just as the singer has overcome rage and begun trying to find his true self, he is slapped with derision. “I bet you think you have a good reason to be living . . .” But despite his confusion and fear, the singer grows angry and self-righteous in the final stanza, even swearing off fear with, “You can’t deny what has been given to me.” The melody is repetitious and absorbing, while the lyrics make the listener’s blood boil.
04. ‘Mistress’ (Believe)
The singer reaches past finding only himself and grabs at a woman “to idolize”. The melody is dark and sultry, full of his desire and, at the halfway point, doubt. Even if he never gains the attention of his desired mistress, he begins to see that finding himself has not magically fixed everything. He is learning to fight.
03/02. ‘Ten Thousand Fists’ (Ten Thousand Fists) and ‘Indestructible’ (Indestructible)
Backed by a driving, marching beat, these semi-political album-openers scream, “I know what I want and my want will be considered tonight!” I consider these melodies as some of Disturbed’s best. Every inspiring, headbanging note proclaims the singer’s determination to seize what he desires.
01. ‘I’m Alive’ (Ten Thousand Fists)
“Never again”, the song repeats, hammering home the motto of the reformed. The melody is simple and powerful, but it is the lyrics (“The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away”) that lift up the listener. I recommend this song to anyone in need of a quick tug on the bootstraps.
These ten songs, which can bring out such varied emotional reactions, are only a sampling from Disturbed’s four albums. If you’re interested in hearing more, check out their official website or your favorite music store. I hope you enjoy their songs as much as I do!
