Disturbed was one of the biggest pillars of the nu-metal era which rose to peak popularity in the early 2000s and mixed elements of hip-hop and metal. The group was one of the first heavy bands that I listened to as a youngster and provided a gateway for me into the world of hard rock and heavy metal.

While the genre of nu-metal has died out and is viewed by many as one of the worst eras of music history, there are still some fantastic records from the period. Disturbed undoubtedly stood out with some of the most unique vocal performances to come from rock music and head-banging riffs. Albums like The Sickness and Believe deliver dozens of creative mixes and sporadic layering between tracks that would come to define the genre for multiple years.

Divisive is the ninth album from Disturbed and the eighth published under Reprise Records. This album is the band’s attempt to return to its heavy roots after experimenting with a much softer sound with the aptly named 2018 album Evolution. For me, Evolution was a step down for the group, but I will say that I respect the creative choices made on the project and the fact it feels sonically distinct.

Unfortunately, I can’t say Divisive is much better. It delivers exactly what you expect throughout the 37-minute runtime. Every song feels bland and sorely lacking in creativity. The writing isn’t much better with many redundant themes and lyrics that have been explored time and again on past albums.

We begin with “Hey You” which isn’t necessarily bad but lacks a distinct identity. David Draiman delivers a decent vocal performance that channels his old style but the instrumentals are dull across the board. Both drums and guitars sound almost like stock audio at times and lack energy.

Following this is the track “Bad Man.” This song is easily one of the corniest I’ve heard from the band and while the band improves slightly the entire track just feels immature. I’m not going to pretend Disturbed has ever been mature tonally but the members are now middle-aged and thus the sound should somewhat reflect this passage of time. Instead, the lyrical quality still exemplifies the reckless anger and frustration of younger men, but with oddly some of the group’s most tame subject matter.

As a result, tracks like “Bad Man,” “Unstoppable,” “Love to Hate” and even the title track itself all fall short in both quality and execution. Each one feels like a retread of something off of another of the group’s albums such as Indestructible or Ten Thousand Fists but without any of the meat.

The second half of the album kicks off with the song “Feeding the Fire.” David is strong as usual here and I actually the chorus quite a bit. However, the next song “Don’t Tell Me” offers a nice change of pace with a slow ballad that features a powerful feature verse from Ann Wilson of Heart. The entire song builds well and succeeds in creating a climactic tone. There’s also a killer guitar solo in the second half that certainly makes it worth a listen. I’d say this is actually the best track on the album.

Unfortunately, the final three songs deliver more of the same mediocrity that was present in the first half. “Take Back Your Life” suffers from formulaic compositions, while “Part of Me” delivers some fun riffs and production. “Won’t Back Down” is easily one of the most generic songs I’ve heard in a while and delivers a disappointing conclusion to an already underwhelming project.

Ultimately, this album is certainly not going to make your ears bleed with how bad it is. However, it won’t make you feel much of anything else either. It’s a textbook hard rock album that delivers the band’s signature style yet again, but after 20 years the lack of true innovation has certainly started to wear on my enjoyment.

Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten older that I find my taste has soured on the band. However, whenever I do return to the older albums I still find myself loving every minute once again. I truly do think there is something great the band can still craft, but it’s plain to see there needs to be more time spent in the studio before that happens.

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Divisive

13.98

4

Score

4.0/10

Pros

• Solid production throughout
• David's vocals
• "Don't Tell Me"

Cons

• Bland instrumentals
• Boring lyrics
• Dated lyrical themes