Device

David Draiman is a voice that demands attention, so when the Disturbed  vocalist says he is making an industrial metal album with Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of  Filter, people listen. With Disturbed on hiatus any chance of hearing new Draiman material could only be a good thing….or is it?

First things first, don’t envision a  Fear Factory or Ministry styled industrial album with Draiman’s vocals spewing venom across a fast paced background. What Device has created is indeed what Disturbed create, however with a more electro synced background feel. It’s definitely not ground breaking and Draiman’s vocals have that all too familiar feel about it.

The first single ‘Vilify’, released several weeks ago, perhaps was a clear pointer to what lay ahead.  Its repetitive drones and it’s ‘throw away’ swear words almost strategically placed in order to find some missing ‘toughness’ within. “Go find another laptop fucker!”…..really?

There are a few tracks that work however, such as the ballad’esque and likely next single ‘Close My Eyes’ featuring Halestorm female vocalist, Lizzy Hale. The song itself is a cover of the Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford classic but the Draiman/Hale combination fits seamlessly and the production of this song is stunning.

Serj Tankian also adds a unique addition to the track ‘Out Of Line’ along with resident Black Sabbath axe wielder, Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler. It’s no coincidence that these two songs are the sound most distant from anything Disturbed would release and therefore work best on this album.

Track opener, ‘You Think You Know’ is a decent intro but close your eyes and you’ll just think your hearing a remix of something from the Disturbed ‘Sickness’ sessions. The rest of the album quickly becomes monotonous and the electro overtones just seem over the top for the lyrics being portrayed and Draiman’s voice.

All in all a solid debut album that doesn’t break any new ground but at least provides a base for future Device albums. It’s not an album however, that will hold the listener’s attention for repetitive playbacks; give me Distrubed anyday!