♫ Disturbed | B-

With the release of their fifth album, Asylum, Disturbed shows that they have reached their desired sound and show little signs of wanting to branch out. The opening instrumental track, "Remnants," oozes with trademark Disturbed elements. Dark and brooding, the track slowly builds up and provides an excellent segue to the title track. "Asylum" immediately picks up the track's energy with its driving guitars and pounding drums pacing the four-minute single. The lyrics show as little change as the rest of the band, with lead singer, David Draiman, belting out, "Terror is coursing in me/Dreading the final moments/Where I have to be/And feel you die." The lyrics of the whole album aren't likely to stun any new listeners, but then again, that's not what Disturbed built their considerable fan base on. Their lyrics are dark; dealing with themes of insanity, death, devastation, a little heaven and a lot of hell.

By sticking to their typical sound, Asylum as a whole is not likely to draw in many new fans, but current fans will find exactly what they're used to hearing. Standout tracks include "Another Way to Die," which excellently ebbs and flows between a variety of paces and levels of intensity. "Serpentine" showcases each band member's respective talents by allowing every bandmate to take the spotlight at some point during the dynamic track.

The most intriguing song on the album is ending track. It's a cover version of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The cover displays Draiman's admirable vocal effort that becomes seemingly wasted by the remainder of the band's inability to get out of their dark gloomy mold. The song sums up the message sent by the whole album; Disturbed reached a specific identity and shows no desire to be known as band with a flexible style.