Album A Day: Disturbed – Believe

Artist: Disturbed
Album: Believe
Release Date: September 17, 2002
Random thought: Every track on Believe has a one-word title. Can anyone think of another album that can claim that?

Despite having a slew of hits in their career thus far, Disturbed still remain something of a casualty of the nu-metal days of the early part of the 00s. Face it; chances are your first impression of Disturbed involve the monkey sounds from “Down With The Sickness”. Never mind the fact that this album couldn’t have done much more to distance Disturbed from that part of their career. Even though Indestructible is probably their best album musically and cements the band’s tranformation into the new kings of heavy metal, Believe remains my favorite album of theirs. There’s hardly a bad or half-assed moment from start to finish, and as a songwriter, David Draiman is a master of writing great hooks while still packing enough hatred and fury to remind listeners who they’re dealing with. “Prayer”, the albums electrifying opener and lead single, is ferocious on every possible level. But that same ferocity doesn’t always translate into loud and angsty, as the pseudo-balladry of “Remember” and the pained falsettos of “Darkness” makes quite clear. But in truth, the best moments on Believe, are when the band lets the metal out to play, as they do on “Devour” and “Intoxication”, among others. In the grand scheme of Disturbed’s career, Believe is the red-headed stepchild, but it’s a gorgeous stepchild nonetheless.

Disturbed – Prayer [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==