DISTURBED — Live at Red Rocks (review)

DISTURBED — Live at Red Rocks album cover

Live album · 2016 · Alternative Metal

4/5 · 2017-12-30
Kingcrimsonprog

Disturbed are one of those bands that have been around for over a decade and a half but still feel like young upstarts to a certain generation. Disturbed are one of those bands that are loved by a legion of loyal fans and play massive shows but are still thought of as ‘that band everybody hates’ by a certain generation. Disturbed are one of those bands who have released a slew of very good records across their career but are still thought of as a ‘the debut album is ok as a guilty pleasure but the rest sucks‘ kind of band by a certain generation.

Well, after seeing them live last year putting on an absolutely fantastic show, something clicked inside me. Disturbed might get mocked by critics you respect. Your friends might be embarrassed to own their CDs. But you know what? They are a pretty great band. Draiman may have a distinctive style that is easy to parody, but there is no denying he is a superb frontman. Dan may have skimped out on the guitar solos on the early albums, but there’s no denying once he started using them they were great. The rhythm section are solid as hell. Their songs aren’t overly complicated but they are well sculpted and catchy as hell.

Live At Red Rocks is their 2016 Live album; touring on their reformed and rejuvinated album Immortalized at the height of their popular single ‘The Sound Of Silence’ (a Simon & Garfunkle cover) to a hysteric and loving crowd.

They drop in just about all their most famous songs and cover all their studio albums (the less favourably-received Asylum album has significantly less songs than others admittedly); with hits such as ‘Prayer,’ ‘Stricken,’ ‘Voices,’ ‘Stupify,’ ‘Inside The Fire,’ ‘The Light’ and the ever-present ‘Down With The Sickness’ all making an appearance.

The recording quality, sound mix, set-list and performance are all absolutely top notch. The band mix songs from across their catalogue and make one consistently great show from beginning to end. Every piece of the puzzle works together well and it flows well. Older tracks like the catchy ‘Liberate’ and ‘The Game’ gel seamlessly beside newer tracks like ‘Animals’ and ‘The Vengeful One.’ There is some onstage banter but not distracting amounts and no time is wasted on unnecessary solos or self indulgence. It is as much a perfect greatest hits package as it is a live album, and if you haven’t got a Disturbed album yet, this would be the best one to get first. One criticism of Disturbed may be that maybe their studio albums suffer a bit of filler. This live album jams in only the best stuff, so is as high energy from start to finish as you always wanted them to be. When fleshed out by such a solid and energetic performance the result is pretty excellent.

If you are one of those people who liked them when they were new but the media and their reputation put you off since, consider getting back into them now. There’s never been a better time. They have a rich catalogue of hits and they returned from hiatus with a newfound fire and passion. This live album showcases them at their best. It really shows why they have remained so popular for so long and justifies their surprisingly high position within the Rock & Metal world.