My buddy Lawdog recently posted a video of Disturbed‘s rendition of the Paul Simon classic, “The Sound of Silence“. I enjoyed it very much.
Let me say at once that in the past, I haven’t liked Disturbed’s music – for ethical and moral reasons rather than musical. The few songs of theirs that I’ve heard came across as nihilistic, diametrically opposed to the Christian principles I espouse (e.g. ‘Down With The Sickness‘ – lyrics here). Some appear to portray the triumph of evil as inevitable and unavoidable (e.g. ‘The Vengeful One‘ – lyrics here). I don’t believe that, and I’ve tried during my (sometimes misspent) life to do my best to prevent the triumph of evil in the lives of those I’ve served.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding ethical and moral differences, I have to give credit where credit is due. This may be the best cover of ‘The Sound of Silence’ I’ve ever heard, even surpassing the original version. Here’s a live performance at Dawson Creek in Canada earlier this year.
Nice work. Now, if only the band could find it in themselves to portray life (in their music) from a less jaundiced, despairing and profane perspective, I might be able to enjoy more of their music. Here’s hoping . . .
Peter
That is an interesting, and thoughtful interpretation. I'd never heard of them!
I heard this for the first time a couple of months ago.
A powerful rendition of the song (though I like the official vid better than the live version).
As you say, I've never been a Disturbed fan, or a fan of metal in general. That said, after hearing this one I looked at them a little more closely.
The album "Believe" has some things you might appreciate. "Prayer," and "Believe," as well as "Crucified," "My Child," and "Serpentine" from the Asylum album.
As always, YMMV.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
"Inside the Fire" promulgates an anti-suicide message by addressing the subject from the viewpoint of the evil one. The tune itself is pretty catchy and may be their biggest hit. Be warned that the official video is pretty disturbing.
"Legion of Monsters" is a relatively thoughtful treatment of the subject of spree killers, suggesting they're monsters driven by the notoriety of unrestrained media coverage, a viewpoint many, including me, subscribe to.
ttl
Peter, regarding your last paragraph: You might also check their song "The Light," which is on the same album as their "Sound of Silence" cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LypjOTTH6E
I've added both to my iPod. Good stuff.
–Wes S.
Hey Peter,
In this rare case, I think you have things wrong. However, without context, I might just as easily make the same mistake.
The Sickness as you pointed out is on the surface embracing the inner demons, but the context is to then find salvation on the other side, a more complete human.
On a macro level it also helps to understand the individuals involved. The band with the exception of David Draiman the lead singer, are South Side Chicago Irish Catholic, and all the various things that means. Including in art, reversing imagery. David was raised an Orthodox Jew, and trained in classical cantorial oration. His Yom Kippur Kol Nidre, which I had the distinct pleasure of hearing live in synagogue, is a powerful and beautiful statement of being humble and prostrate before the almighty.
On top of all that, these guys don't just preach, David and his wife, along with the band in my mind are closers to philanthropists than theye are just givers, as my wife and I are.
You may not like their art, but please do not think of them as less than excellent humans.
Try this one:
http://www.theospark.net/2016/03/sounds-like-silence.html
Yup yup! Not a Disturbed fan, but I bought that song on Itunes and its on all my various music players now. I'll not go so far as to say its better than the original, but its sure up there!
Also, one of their more recent (October 2015) songs 'The Light' is about how you can endure a hard time or difficult choice and come out seeing how it will make you a better person. The hook is 'Sometimes the Darkness can show you the Light.'
On a personal note, this song resonated with me. Coming out almost exactly one year after my wife's passing, it helped my cope with her loss and realize that I need to turn from the darkness of depression and move on to be the father our children need, and to move on to find a new partner in life.