David Draiman, vocalist with Disturbed, spends much of Believe urging his listeners to think for themselves--just as he did on the band's multi-million-selling debut The Sickness . But in many other respects, Disturbed have changed quite drastically. Where The Sickness was bloody-mindedly aggressive, with dramatic keyboards soaring over relentless metal riffs as Draiman grunted in tongues, Believe takes a far more traditional approach. Though the likes of "Bound", "Rise" and "Devour" will please the mosh-pit faithful, Draiman just as often comes over as a power-balladeer, revealing a particularly soft side with "Remember", "Mistress" and the closing piano and cello led "Darkness". Performance and production are excellent but the band's gothic tendencies and new melodic sensibilities mean they are now Depeche Mode's rock-loving cousins, rather than the psychotic, bile-spitting progeny of Al Jourgensen and Ministry. Seldom do bands ease up so quickly, but the success of The Sickness appears to have sapped much of the rage from Disturbed and this often makes their moniker seem inappropriate. -- Dominic Wills
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