Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Ten Thousand Fists

 
Album Review: Ten Thousand Fists
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Albums

Ten Thousand Fists

Buy Now

Similar Albums:

See You on the Other Side, Mezmerize, Ashes of the Wake, Desensitized, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, re.de.fine
  • Artist: Disturbed
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: September 20, 2005
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

It started in 2000 with "Down with the Sickness." Disturbed's thick, rhythmic take on alt-metal was perfect music for stalking bloody zombies, and vocalist David Draiman's jaw-snapping Pavlovian grunts made the trigger fingers of first-person shooters itch. There were threads of other groups in the sound -- Pantera's wrenching power, Slipknot, the ill-lighted parlor games of Tool -- but Disturbed held their own from the start. If 2002's Believe downplayed Draiman's guttural responses a little, that tact's long gone for 2005's Ten Thousand Fists. From Todd McFarlane's evocative wronged misfits artwork -- Suicide Girls stand fists upraised next to ghoulish fiends and disenfranchised truckers -- to the rousing staccato of the title track and the "Sickness" rewrite "Stricken," Disturbed solidify their stance as the black knights of gaming-console rock. Creepy electronics slither behind Dan Donegan's guitar, and he mostly forsakes soloing to concentrate on the visceral groove. When he's not hacking like a chained-up pit bull, Draiman emotes from the valley of reverb (that's next to the valley of death), and his moments of epic roar make the songs' choppier parts more effective. Now, "Overburdened" takes the epic stuff a little too far. Draiman starts off the song in narration, muttering "Fate is so unkind" like a monster who's been given the power to feel. But even in its swirling pretentiousness, you can't deny his intensity. Luckily the majority of Fists sticks to mid-tempo punishers that pound back anger-gritted teeth and no anesthesia. (Remember, Disturbed's tours are underwritten by Jägermeister, the black licorice firewater that punches Saturday night in the face.) "Deify" rails against blind devotion to political leaders and "Sons of Plunder" stalks at a faster, more aggressive faster heart rate, while "Decadence" and "Sacred Lie" drop into the rhythmic grip that by mid- to late album is almost comfortable in its gloomy thump. (Disturbed's ill-advised cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion"? No comment.) Ten Thousand Fists does start to sound the same after a while. But those bloody zombies aren't going to stop pouring though the doorway, so it's a good thing it has at least 12 burly alt-metal rockers. Fire! ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Ten Thousand Fists (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:33)
Just Stop (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:46)
Guarded (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:22)
Deify (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (4:18)
Stricken (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (4:07)
I'm Alive (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (4:42)
Sons of Plunder (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:50)
Overburdened (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (5:59)
Decadence (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:27)
Forgiven (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (4:15)
Land of Confusion (Lyrics) Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Disturbed (4:50)
Sacred Lie (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (3:08)
Pain Redefined (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (4:09)
Avarice (Lyrics) Disturbed Disturbed (2:56)

Credits

Jeffrey Aldrich (A&R), Ben Grosse (Mixing), Ted Jensen (Mastering), Todd McFarlane (Artwork), Matt Taylor (Art Direction), Matt Taylor (Design), David Draiman (Vocals), Dan Donegan (Guitar), Dan Donegan (Electronics), Mike Wengren (Drums), Johnny K (Producer), John Moyer (Bass), Clay Patrick McBridge (Photography), Greg Capullo (Artwork), Terry Fitzgerald (Executive in Charge of Music), Ellen Wakayama (Art Direction), Paul Pavao (Assistant), Aiden Mullen (Guitar Technician)
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Ten Thousand Fists
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Ten Thousand Fists

The cover of Ten Thousand Fists, featuring the mascot of Disturbed, called The Guy
Studio album by Disturbed
Released September 20, 2005
Recorded January - April 2005 at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Illinois
Genre Alternative metal[1], heavy metal, hard rock
Length 56:22
Label Reprise/Intoxication
Producer Johnny K, Disturbed
Professional reviews
Disturbed chronology
Music as a Weapon II
(2004)		 Ten Thousand Fists
(2005)		 Indestructible
(2008)
Singles from Ten Thousand Fists
  1. "Guarded"
    Released: June 28, 2005
  2. "Stricken"
    Released: July 25, 2005
  3. "Just Stop"
    Released: April 3, 2006
  4. "Land of Confusion"
    Released: October 2, 2006
  5. "Ten Thousand Fists"
    Released: 2006

Ten Thousand Fists is the third album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. The album was released on September 20, 2005 and became Disturbed's second consecutive number-one debut on the Billboard 200 in the United States, shipping around 239,000 copies in its opening week[2]. The album was also the band's second number-one release in New Zealand. It also is the first Disturbed album not to feature Steve Kmak as bass guitar player; instead, the album featured John Moyer.[3] The album is also the first in which Disturbed's mascot, The Guy, appears on the album cover, as well as later appearing full-bodied in the music video for "Land of Confusion".

Contents

Promotion

On June 16, 2005 the album title was announced via the Disturbed website.[4] Later that month, the album track listing was also revealed.[5] The song "Guarded" was released to radio stations in late June 2005 as a teaser. Vocalist David Draiman said the motive behind releasing the song was to promote the album. He said, "[The song] was put out there to just whet everybody's appetite. It's one of the more aggressive tracks on the record, just to remind everybody where we came from and who we are."[6]

The first single, "Stricken", was released on July 25, 2005.[6] On August 19, 2005 the music video "Stricken", directed by Nathan Cox, was posted on the Warner Bros. Records website.[7] The music video was filmed in an abandoned hospital, in the same location where some scenes from the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street were filmed.[8] In early August 2005, viral marketing was used to promote Ten Thousand Fists. A piece of software was sent via e-mail to certain recipients, who passed it along to other recipients. When the software was passed along to at least 250,000 recipients, it unlocked the song "Ten Thousand Fists".[9] In early July 2006, the third single, "Land of Confusion" (originally written by Genesis), was released, alongside an animated music video directed by Todd McFarlane.[10][11]

Themes

Vocalist David Draiman said that Ten Thousand Fists "seems to fuse the brutality and darkness of The Sickness with the added melodic nature and complexity of Believe. It's more aggressive than the last record, and at times, more aggressive than the first one."[5] The album includes lyrics about soldiers going to Hell.[8] Draiman said that the song "Guarded" is about Draiman guarding himself from other people. He said the song "reflects what choosing this life forces certain people to do in a certain way — you have to remain guarded on a certain level."[6] Draiman said the song "Ten Thousand Fists" is meant to "[signify] strength, unity, conviction, power, and the exhilaration that you feel when you get to see that at one of our shows."[9] Draiman continued to say, "It's one of my favorite moments, and people know that I have an affinity for asking people to put their fists in the air, and it's just, it's exhilaration to be able to see ten thousand raised fists or more."[9]

Political content

According to band members, while Ten Thousand Fists was not written as a political album, it was their most political record to date.[12] Vocalist David Draiman's lyrics for the title song, "Ten Thousand Fists", were heavily influenced by his feelings towards former American president George W. Bush, and several of the songs included war/anti-war themes, while the video for "Land of Confusion" depicts big business and capitalism as being a corrupting Nazi-like enemy being overthrown by an army of the people led by The Guy, the band's mascot.[13][12]

Reception

Ten Thousand Fists earned mostly mixed reviews from critics; it received a score of 59% on the review-aggregating website Metacritic, based on seven reviews.[14] Allmusic reviewer Johnny Loftus gave the album a positive review; however, regarding the album's sound, he stated "Ten Thousand Fists does start to sound the same after a while."[1] Village Voices reviewer Phil Freeman also gave the album a positive review, "The guitarist and drummer are an airtight team, and the session bassist capably underpins the guitar solos that are a welcome new addition to the band's sound. Program out the cover of "Land of Confusion" and you've got the best mainstream metal release since Judas Priest's Angel of Retribution." New Musical Express gave it a 1/10 review describing it as "unfocused rage" and "you'll find nothing more despicable this year".[15]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Disturbed, except "Land of Confusion", which was written by Genesis. 

# Title Length
1. "Ten Thousand Fists"   3:33
2. "Just Stop"   3:46
3. "Guarded"   3:22
4. "Deify"   4:18
5. "Stricken"   4:07
6. "I'm Alive"   4:42
7. "Sons of Plunder"   3:50
8. "Overburdened"   5:59
9. "Decadence"   3:27
10. "Forgiven"   4:15
11. "Land of Confusion"   4:50
12. "Sacred Lie"   3:08
13. "Pain Redefined"   4:09
14. "Avarice"   2:56
56:22

Bonus tracks

# Title Length
1. "Monster"   4:06
2. "Two Worlds"   3:33
3. "Hell"   4:14
4. "Sickened"   3:59
15:52

Personnel

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
2005 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 11[16]
Austrian Albums Chart 37[17]
Canadian Albums Chart 2[18]
Dutch Album Charts 87[19]
New Zealand Top Albums Chart 1[20]
Swedish Album Charts 24[21]
US Top Internet Albums 1[18]
US Billboard 200 1[22]
2006 1[18]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2005 "Guarded" Mainstream Rock Tracks 7[23]
Modern Rock Tracks 28[23]
2006 "Just Stop" Mainstream Rock 4[23]
Modern Rock 24[23]
"Land of Confusion" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 1[23]
Hot Modern Rock Tracks 18[23]
"Stricken" US Billboard Hot 100 95[24]
Mainstream Rock Tracks 2[23]
Modern Rock Tracks 13[23]
Pop 100 89[23]
2007 "Ten Thousand Fists" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 7[23]
Hot Modern Rock Tracks 37[23]

References

  1. ^ a b Loftus, Johnny. "Ten Thousand Fists allmusic review". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gnfuxq8sld6e~T1. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  2. ^ "Disturbed Pummel Billboard Competition With #1 Fists". 2005-09-28. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510513/20050928/disturbed.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
  3. ^ "Disturbed Finds New Bassist". 2004-05-04. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/disturbed_finds_new_bassist.html. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
  4. ^ "Disturbed announce new album title". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-06-16. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=38165. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  5. ^ a b "Disturbed album track listing". 2005-06-22. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/disturbed_album_track_listing.html. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
  6. ^ a b c "Disturbed: New single "Stricken" to go for radio adds this month". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-07-08. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=39017. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  7. ^ "Disturbed: "Stricken" video posted online". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-08-19. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=40635. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  8. ^ a b "Disturbed frontman: "We have the utmost love and respect for US soldiers"". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-08-18. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=40600. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  9. ^ a b c "Disturbed: 250,000 fists to unlock new tune". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-08-03. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=40051. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  10. ^ "Disturbed: "Land of Confusion" video available online". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-07-07. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=54760. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  11. ^ "Disturbed's version of "Land of Confusion" is timely". 2006-06-27. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/disturbeds_version_of_land_of_confusion_is_timely.html. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  12. ^ a b "Disturbed drummer: All the bands on the radio "sound the same to me"". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-07-19. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=55284. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  13. ^ Harris, Chris (2006-03-15). "Todd McFarlane to make Genesis' 'Confusion' clip even more disturbed". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1525848/20060310/disturbed.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-12-18. 
  14. ^ "Metacritic score". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/disturbed/tenthousandfists?q=Ten%20Thousand%20Fists. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 
  15. ^ New Musical Express, 17 September 2005, p.58
  16. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists Australian charts". http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Disturbed&titel=Ten+Thousand+Fists&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  17. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists Austrian charts". http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Disturbed&titel=Ten+Thousand+Fists&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  18. ^ a b c "Ten Thousand Fists US charts (alt)". http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gnfuxq8sld6e~T3. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  19. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists Dutch charts". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Disturbed&titel=Ten+Thousand+Fists&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  20. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists New Zealand charts". 2009-07-09. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Disturbed&titel=Ten+Thousand+Fists&cat=a. 
  21. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists Swedish charts". http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Disturbed&titel=Ten+Thousand+Fists&cat=a. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  22. ^ "Ten Thousand Fists US charts". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=382997&model.vnuAlbumId=1138597. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ten Thousand Fists US single charts". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Singles&model.vnuArtistId=382997&model.vnuAlbumId=1138597. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
  24. ^ ""Stricken" single chart". http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gnfuxq8sld6e~T31. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 
Preceded by
The People's Champ by Paul Wall		 Billboard 200 number-one album
October 2, 2005 - October 8, 2005		 Succeeded by
All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson
v • d • e
Disturbed
David Draiman · Dan Donegan · Mike Wengren · John Moyer
Steve "Fuzz" Kmak
Studio albums
The Sickness  · Believe  · Ten Thousand Fists  · Indestructible
DVDs, compilation and EP
Singles
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ten Thousand Fists".  Read more