Immortalized (Disturbed album)
Immortalized is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. The album was released on August 21, 2015, by Reprise Records, and is Disturbed's first studio album since Asylum (2010), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career.
| Immortalized | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover art by Raymond Swanland featuring The Guy | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | January–May 2015 | |||
| Studio | The Hideout Recording Studio Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Kevin Churko | |||
| Disturbed chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Immortalized | ||||
| ||||
With 98,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, Immortalized is Disturbed's fifth consecutive number one debut on the United States Billboard 200 chart. They are the third band in history to achieve this feat, after Metallica and Dave Matthews Band.[2] The band also found crossover success in the album's third single, a cover of the 1964 song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel, which marked Disturbed's highest ranked single on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 42[3] and has since become Disturbed's biggest song since "Down with the Sickness".
This is the band's only studio album to be recorded as a trio, as bass player John Moyer did not participate on the recording sessions due to working on other projects. Guitarist Dan Donegan performed all the bass tracks. With a runtime of 53 minutes and 28 seconds, it is the longest studio album to be released by the band.
Production and recording Edit
In 2011, following the tour of their fifth studio album, Asylum, Disturbed announced that they would go on a hiatus.[4] During the hiatus, the band released a compilation album of previously recorded B-sides, The Lost Children (2011),[4] and a box set of their five studio albums, The Collection (2012).[5]
In January 2014, band members David Draiman (vocals), Dan Donegan (guitar), Mike Wengren (drums) met for dinner and began secretly writing material for Disturbed's sixth studio album. Bass player John Moyer was not present for the album's making, due to working with other bands and projects. The album was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with record producer Kevin Churko.[6][7] Dan Donegan told The Pulse of Radio about working with a new producer: "I think we needed… we wanted that. We wanted, especially having this time off, and being off this long break, to come back with something that sounds a little bit more fresh. It's been five years between albums, so it was nice to have, kind of, a new production element to it and things that, kind of, pushed us and challenged us to raise the bar."[8] Draiman told Billboard regarding the songwriting process: "There's a lot of new and fresh in the mix. We had more input on each other's parts than we probably ever had previously. Everything was really put under the microscope and everybody had an opinion, and, believe me, everyone was voicing them loudly... We were very, very cooperative with one another, very professional the entire time — not that we haven't always been, but especially this time."[9]
One of the bonus tracks "Legion of Monsters" was inspired by an incident involving Rolling Stone's August 2013 cover featuring then-accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, David Draiman was incredibly furious and verbally tore into them in a Facebook rant.[10] "Legion of Monsters" is a scathing criticism of the media (e.g. the news) for "glorifying killers" and "inspiring others to do what they did" in the process.
Promotion and release Edit
Immortalized was announced on June 25, 2015, alongside the release of lead single "The Vengeful One". The single released with an accompanying animated video directed by filmmaker Phil Mucci.[6] The album's title track was released with an official lyrics video on July 24. Two additional songs, "Fire It Up" and "What Are You Waiting For" were released on July 31 and August 7, respectively. On August 14, the whole album was made available for streaming via iTunes First Play.
Due to the murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, Warner Bros. Records decided to pull one of the television commercials for the album as the ad depicted an incident similar to the killings.[11]
Critical reception Edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 55/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [13] |
| Consequence of Sound | D[14] |
| Kerrang! | |
| Sputnikmusic | [15] |
| Ultimate Guitar Archive | 7.7/10[16] |
Review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a score of 55 out of 100 based on 5 professional reviews, citing "mixed or average reviews".[12] James Christopher Monger from AllMusic gave the album a three out of five stating, "A five-year break between albums should lend itself to a bit of growth, even for a band as everyman as Disturbed, but there's just not much here to keep the group's detractors from bringing out their pitchforks, and over time, staying the course may leave fewer and fewer townsfolk to protect them."[13] Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic gave the album the same score saying, "While the album also has its fair share of bona fide, looks-like-we-just-broke-the-bottom-of-the-barrel moments ("Fire It Up" instantly comes to mind here), Disturbed manage to do just enough to keep metal purists from dispensing with them completely."[15] Loudwire's Chad Bowar said "They have always known how to write hit singles, with a string of number ones over the years. They made the record label's job nearly impossible on the new record, because out of the 13 songs on the standard edition of the album, more than half could legitimately be rock radio hit singles." Bowar concluded his review saying "It won't change the minds of those who weren't fans before, but the album will hit the spot with the band's legions of worshipers."[17]
Jon Hadusek from Consequence of Sound was highly critical of the album giving it a D rating and saying "In this way, Immortalized is a for-fans-only release. It openly and so earnestly feeds its target audience, as if to scoff at the very idea of Art vs. Product. Lamb of God found a balance between the two with their latest album, VII: Sturm und Drang, which shines as a recent example of how to move forward artistically and still appeal to one's core fans and sell records. With Immortalized, Disturbed don't even try."[14]
Accolades Edit
| Region | Year | Publication | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2015 | Loudwire | 20 Best Rock Albums of 2015[18] | 4 |
| Revolver | Top 20 Albums of 2015[19] | 14 |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Sound of Silence | Best Rock Performance | Nominated |
Loudwire Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Immortalized | Best Rock Album | Nominated |
| 2015 | "The Vengeful One" | Best Rock Song | Nominated |
| 2015 | Best Rock Video | Nominated |
Commercial performance Edit
The album, which earned 98,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, is Disturbed's fifth consecutive number one debut on the United States Billboard 200 chart.[20] By November 12, 2015, Immortalized had sold over 180,000 copies in the United States.[21] By January 25, 2017, Immortalized had sold approximately 561,000 copies in the United States.[22] On January 25, 2018, Immortalized had been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States, signifying sales in excess of over 1,000,000 copies.
Track listing Edit
All music composed and performed by Disturbed, except as indicated.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Eye of the Storm" (Intro) | 1:20 |
| 2. | "Immortalized" | 4:17 |
| 3. | "The Vengeful One" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Open Your Eyes" | 3:57 |
| 5. | "The Light" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "What Are You Waiting For" | 4:03 |
| 7. | "You're Mine" | 4:55 |
| 8. | "Who" | 4:46 |
| 9. | "Save Our Last Goodbye" | 4:59 |
| 10. | "Fire It Up" | 4:05 |
| 11. | "The Sound of Silence" (Simon & Garfunkel cover) | 4:08 |
| 12. | "Never Wrong" | 3:33 |
| 13. | "Who Taught You How to Hate" | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 53:28 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Tyrant" | 3:47 |
| 15. | "Legion of Monsters" | 4:33 |
| 16. | "The Brave and the Bold" | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 66:14 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Warning Sign" | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 69:47 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "The Vengeful One" (instrumental) | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 73:54 | |
Personnel Edit
Credits adapted from AllMusic.[23]
Disturbed
- David Draiman – lead vocals and backing vocals
- Dan Donegan – guitars, bass, EBow, keyboards, backing vocals, acoustic guitar and piano on "The Sound of Silence"
- Mike Wengren – drums, percussion, backing vocals and timpani on "The Sound of Silence"
- John Moyer – bass (credited but does not play)
Additional musicians
- Bob Sanders – voicemail speaker on "Save Our Last Goodbye"
- Kevin Churko – additional arrangement on "The Sound of Silence"
- Samantha Maloney – additional orchestral arrangement on "The Vengeful One" and "The Sound of Silence"
- Suzie Katayama – additional conductor, arrangement on "The Sound of Silence"
- Steve Churchyard – additional engineering on "The Sound of Silence"
- John Feldmann – co-writer on "What Are You Waiting For" and "Open Your Eyes"
- Nick Furlong - co-writer on "Open Your Eyes"
Production and design
- Kevin Churko – engineer, mixing and production
- Kane Churko, Shawn McGhee – additional Pro-Tools editing
- Pete Winfield – additional mixing
- Charlie Paakari, Khloe Churko – studio management, general assistance
- Ted Jensen – engineer, layout, mastering, mixing
- Alex Tenta, Raymond Swanland – art direction, artwork, design, cover art, illustration
- Travis Shinn – photography
- Jeffrey Light – legal
Charts Edit
Weekly charts Edit
| Year-end charts Edit
|
Certifications Edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[64] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[65] | Gold | 7,500* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[66] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[68] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[70] | Platinum | 20,000* |
| Sweden (GLF)[71] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[72] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[73] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
In popular culture Edit
Three of the tracks in the album were released as downloadable content in the video game Rock Band 4. "Immortalized" and "The Vengeful One" were released as DLC tracks for the game on January 12, 2016, while "The Sound of Silence" was released for the DLC roster on September 27, 2016.
The AMC show Into the Badlands features Disturbed's version of "The Sound of Silence" in episode 13 of season 3 ("Black Lotus, White Rose").
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ a b . All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed Scores Fifth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. August 30, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ Ayers, Mike (May 25, 2016). "With 'The Sound of Silence,' Disturbed Finds a Crossover Moment". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ a b "DISTURBED: Official End-Of-Hiatus Announcement, New Music Coming Tomorrow". Blabbermouth.net. June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "DISTURBED To Release Vinyl Box-Set Collection". Blabbermouth.net. February 24, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "New DISTURBED Single 'The Vengeful One' Is Here; 'Immortalized' Album Due In August". Blabbermouth.net. June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Is DISTURBED Recording New Studio Album?". Blabbermouth.net. April 22, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed's David Draiman: Why Four Year Break Was Good For Fans". Blabbermouth.net. June 24, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ "DISTURBED's DAVID DRAIMAN Talks To ARTISAN NEWS About Hiatus-Ending 'Immortalized' Album (Audio)". August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022.[user-generated source]
- ^ Billy Johnson Jr. (August 28, 2015). "Disturbed Album Ad Pulled After Eerie Parallels to On-Air Shooting". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Immortalized by Disturbed". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b James Christopher Monger (August 20, 2015). "Disturbed - Immortalized". Allmusic. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Jon Hadusek (August 20, 2015). "Album Review Disturbed Immortalized". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Irving Tan (August 16, 2015). "Review: Disturbed - Immortalized". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed: Immortalized - Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.com".
- ^ Bowar, Chad (August 20, 2015). "Disturbed, 'Immortalized' – Album Review". Loudwire. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "20 Best Rock Albums of 2015". Loudwire. December 9, 2015.
- ^ "Top 20 Albums of 2015". Revolver.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 30, 2015). "Disturbed Scores Fifth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ Brown, Matt (November 12, 2015). "Metal By Numbers 11/11: The charts have gone Def". Metal Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ https://www.ukmix.org/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Disturbed - Immortalized - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed: Immortalized" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – {{{year}}}. {{{week}}}. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ^ . Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed – Immortalized". oricn ME inc. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "Mexicancharts.com – {{{artist}}} – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Disturbed – Immortalized". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Disturbed Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "Disturbed Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2015". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ . oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on January 4, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2016". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Årslista Album – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Austrian album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized". Music Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ "Danish album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Disturbed; 'Immortalized')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized". Recorded Music NZ.
- ^ "Norwegian album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 10, 2017 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Scroll to position 60 to view certification.
- ^ "British album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Disturbed – Immortalized". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
External links Edit
- Official website