Average Rating: 
Rating: - Better than most Nu-Metal, but...
Let's all be realistic - there was no way Disturbed could live up to the expectations left by The Sickness, their debut album, and it's not fair to compare it as such. The Sickness raised the bar with urban and techno backbeats combined with crunchy guitar and the growling vocals of David Draiman. It is still the only Nu-metal CD I would dare give a 5.Believe is definitely a case of taking one step forward and two steps back. On the positive side, DAVID SINGS! David has one of the most distinct and powerful voices in hard rock today, and he is showcased even more on Believe. "Prayer" and "Remember" probably best show off his abilities, though on other tracks his more melodic voice occassionally gets lost amongst the instruments. There are definitely two things that seem to be missing from Believe. First, what happened to the techno and rap influences? With the exception of the "Liberate" and perhaps "Bound," this CD takes on a quite different sound than the Disturbed we once knew. The breakdown raps, almost club-worthy beats and smooth, eerie bass lines have basically disappeared in favor of melodic croonings and choppy, treble-heavy riffs. Bands like POD and Linkin Park just don't fill that rap-rock void like Disturbed (and once upon a time, Bizkit) used to do. Secondly, Believe just seems to lack originality in terms of sound and tone. Nine out of the 12 songs start in such a similar fashion as to make them indistinguishable the first couple times through the CD. I swear my equalizer looks identical from song to song as well - every song starts with heavy guitar and ends with heavy guitar. I'm a big fan of bass... However, on a brighter note, Disturbed is still disturbed. The message is perhaps more psychological than The Sickness, which was more emotionally driven, but it gets across just the same. The first two tracks really set the tone for the CD, strongly indicting religion, fate and complacent thinking. All in all, this CD is relatively strong, and Disturbed is still a step above most of the Nu-Metal one-hit-wonders being spit out over the last year and a half. However, Believe is a step below its predecessor in terms of originality and catchiness. Some people will understandably miss the heavy bass and beat of The Sickness, while others may appreciate the new sound and David's "not-so-much-like-a-gorilla-anymore" voice.
Rating: - progress
After reading other customer reviews, it seems obvious that many people believe that Disturbed has sold out. I was never a Disturbed fan. I don't have the Sickness, nor do I have any wish to obtain it. It's not a horrible CD, it just lacked creativity. Its songs are just compiled into this big new millenium nu-metal block inside of my head, with all of the other "metal" bands.
When I listen to music, the main thing that hooks me is creativity. I'm a big fan of prog-rock (RUSH!!!) but i have an open mind to almost any kind of music. I used to be a big metal head and listened to all kinds of metal; punk metal, thrash metal, death metal..... the list goes on. I was addicted to the melodies and, naturaly, since i'm a drummer, the odd time signatures.
Now onto BELIEVE. When i first heard that Disturbed had a new album coming out, I realy didn't care. Then I heard "Prayer" on the radio and got hooked. This wasn't the old Disturbed. They still maintained some elements from their first album, but they have done something that most new bands that have had success like theirs don't even think about doing. Progressing.
I admire them for that. They had the balls to do what they wanted and not worry about what their pozer "metal head" fans would think about them. They were able to move away from their standard song structures and melody lines and actually do something original. I hope that they continue in this direction, because as of now, they are slowly turning into one of my favorite new bands.
Rating:  - Not as horrible as I had thought ...
I expected this album to be pretty bad. This nu-metal stuff was fun for a while but I got really sick of it after about 9 months. I like The Sickness a lot and still listen to it a few times a month. Considering the efforts their peers have put out for sophomore releases I wasn't looking forward to hearing this at all. But after a few listens its really not as bad as I thought. You can't expect a lot of technical wizardry in this genre, but the songs are well structured. You know is Disturbed when you first listen, so thats always good. The singer has changed his style a bit not as many "ahh ahhhs" its seems as was showcased in the song "The Sickness". He seems to have changed his singing range too which complements the new songs. Some of the songs on Believe sound a little too much alike for my tastes, but they don't seem to be complete rip offs. Nothing really stood out the first few listens for me. If you have heard the single "Prayer" on the radio you'll like the rest of the songs more than likely. One shocker was the ballad "Darkness" .. acoustic and vocals with hints of piano and strings fairly interesting. A few songs that I have been drawn to more than others have been "Breathe" b/c of the cool lil groove on the intro, "Devour" for its almost hair bandish feel on the chorus, and "Liberate" b/c thats a fun sing-along song. If you like The Sickness you'll like this ... its a little different than its precurser, but thats just the growth of the band. So I gave it 3 stars probably closer to 3.5 because its nothing spectacular I like The Sickness much better and probably b/c I'm pretty tired of the nu-metal. But its not bad for what it is ... if your a fan pick it up.
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