A Review of Disturbed's The Lost Children

The term ‘b-side’ has come to stand for a recorded track that ultimately did not make the final cut of a studio album. When vinyl discs were still around, it just meant the track on the side opposite the disc’s A-side (what a concept), but now, they’re collectively known as just the bonus tracks, the special editions, the extra goodies that didn’t quite make the standard versions.

The connotation – often incorrect – may be that b-sides are not as “good” as the rest of the tracks because they aren’t as promoted or publicized. This isn’t necessarily the case, especially for die-hard fans, for whom b-sides are nuggets of pure gold. A lot of b-sides are even better than some of the tracks on the album for which they were recorded.

The Lost Children, a compilation of all of Disturbed’s b-sides since their debut album in 2000, was released the same year that they went on hiatus in 2011. Whether as a commemorative send-off for their fans, or as a ploy to just sell more stuff, the compilation was extremely helpful in that it organized all of Disturbed’s lesser-known songs into a cohesive collection instead of a spattering of bonus tracks over five studio albums and ten years.

It’s like the opposite of a “Greatest Hits” album. Even then, these b-sides are entirely enjoyable in every sense of the word. Not only are they more tracks from one of my favorite bands, for which there is no substitute – I’m always hungry for more Disturbed – but they provide a refreshing insight into the slight changes in tone, production, and musicality that have occurred over five studio albums. This I found to be the most energizing part of The Lost Children.

While still maintaining their true sound, Disturbed demonstrates how a seemingly random collection can come together and still make an impact as a regular studio album would.

Here’s the track list, and the respective albums from which each track came from:

1 Hell                                                               (Ten Thousand Fists, 2005)
2 A Welcome Burden                                      (The Sickness, 2000)
3 This Moment                                                            (Ten Thousand Fists, 2005)
4 Old Friend                                                    (Asylum, 2010)
5 Monster                                                        (Ten Thousand Fists, 2005)
6 Run                                                               (Indestructible, 2008)
7 Leave It Alone                                              (Asylum, 2010)
8 Two Worlds                                                  (Ten Thousand Fists, 2005)
9 God of the Mind                                           (The Sickness, 2000)
10 Sickened                                                     (Ten Thousand Fists, 2005)
11 Mine                                                           (Asylum, 2010)
12 Parasite                                                       (Indestructible, 2008)
13 Dehumanized                                             (Believe, 2002)
14 3                                                                 (No album, digital fundraiser single, 2010)
15 Midlife Crisis (Faith No More cover)                      (Believe, 2002)
16 Living After Midnight (Judas Priest cover) (Asylum, 2010)

As is immediately evident, there are more tracks (16!) than there are on a usual studio album (~10-12), which can only be a bonus. Secondly, a lot of the songs are from Ten Thousand Fists (2005); there are five tracks from TTF as opposed to four from Asylum. In contrast, the other three albums only spawned two b-sides each. To a degree, this gives The Lost Children a TTF flavor, though the newer sound of Disturbed in Asylum and pinches of old-school Disturbed are thrown in there.

A word on the 14th track, entitled “3”: this song was written and recorded as part of a fundraising effort for the West Memphis Three.  I think the most impressive aspect of the song is how it’s specifically geared towards the story of the Three. It was technically counted as a b-side from Asylum, but as it was sold specifically from the official Disturbed website for a limited time, I consider it an unrelated digital single.

The Lost Children starts off with the first (and only) radio single from the compilation, “Hell”, which sets the tone for the long rest of the album. Featured is a percussive, guitar-driven style infused with subtle electronic elements, and vocals very characteristic of the TTF record. I can be very honest, however, with how I understand that this was not included in the final cut. Every track from TTF was extremely strong and there was nothing too distinguishing from “Hell” to warrant its inclusion over another track.  In fact, TTF already had 14 songs on it, and the presence of 5 b-sides indicates the massive amount of material that the band had written during that cycle. With this in mind, it makes sense that “Hell” was left out and instead later used to front the b-sides compilation. The song is identifiably and uniquely Disturbed.

The very first moments of “A Welcome Burden” immediately introduce a sound differing from that of “Hell”, and indeed, the second track is a b-side from The Sickness, Disturbed’s successful debut album with one of the most distinctive  sounds of the five studio albums. David Draiman’s vocals are a blend of harshness and smoothness, complementing the grooves that the guitarist and drums set down. Rather than melody, the driving rhythm of the song is its strongest point.

“This Moment” is technically a b-side from Ten Thousand Fists, but it was also featured on the soundtrack to the 2005 Transformers movie. The chorus is definitely a ‘grower’, as it took me several listens to truly appreciate it; it might, however, take more to win over listeners to Draiman’s grating vocals. Still, once the chorus got into my head, it didn’t leave for a long while.

At this point, The Lost Children sounds recognizably like “old” Disturbed. The onset of “Old Friend” adds the sophistication of “new” Disturbed into the mix; the guitar riff relies less on sheer rhythm and instead more on straight-eighth picking. Instances of double-bass drums are heard, always a welcome ingredient in metal. The song picks up with the bridge, where the band’s assertion that the song is about the TV show “Dexter” is confirmed with the lyrics “my hunger to destroy / when I was just a boy / pulled me deeper into something that I now enjoy”. Again, the placement of “Old Friend” reinforces the idea that The Lost Children is a melting pot of sounds and tones, something to contrast with the three previous tracks.

“Monster” and “Run”, from Ten Thousand Fists and Indestructible (2008), respectively, turn up the variety with insanely catchy choruses (missing from the four previous tracks). In fact, had The Lost Children released another single, I figured that “Monster” would be it, but no second single arrived. I’ve always wondered why either of these two didn’t make their respective albums, especially with the solid well-roundedness of “Monster”. On the other hand, while extremely catchy, “Run” stands out in The Lost Children, but might have been run-of-the-mill (pun intended) if placed into the final cut of Indestructible.

The seventh track, “Leave It Alone” demonstrates, in my opinion, the ingeniousness of Dan Donegan, the guitarist. Whilst slightly lackluster in the vocal department, the song had me tapping my foot in odd places. A careful listening told me why – the song switches between 5/4 and 4/4 time signatures. While not special in itself, I’ve always respected musicians who can pull off time signature changes mid-track, much less willingly write songs that do so.

Next, “Two Worlds” returns to the percussiveness of the TTF sound, with a chorus that’s not easy to forget. Still, that might be its only distinguishing point, and being on the TTF cycle, it’s easy for the track to get lost in the mountains of material.

The driving bass line that opens up “God of the Mind” snaps us back to the days of The Sickness, once we thought we were comfortable with a bunch of b-sides from post-2005 Disturbed. Everything about the ninth track stands contrary to the sophistication and sound of Indestructible and Asylum. The lyrics don’t make sense, there’s no cohesive overall idea, the riffs are different; yet there’s somehow an attractive quality in it.

It contrasts enough with the rest of the b-sides that we begin to appreciate both sounds; I feel that this is part of the strength in The Lost Children – the tone is changed up enough to keep the listener engaged. Even nonsensical lyrics are welcomed. Not everything can be deep and meaningful, after all.

“Sickened” (again from TTF) is the track I feel most conflicted about. Part of me wants to immediately say it was snubbed from the standard edition, since from the bridge onwards, and especially the last minute of the track, never have I heard a more expressive Disturbed sound. Aided by a continuous, wailing background guitar solo, Draiman sings “sickened / from wanting you”, after an awesome bridge/breakdown that exemplifies the tightness of the guitars and drums. When I step away from the track, however, I find “Monster” to be a better overall b-side for TTF. In the moment, “Sickened” is the best Disturbed song ever, but that evaporates once the track ends. I really don’t know what to think.

But moving on: up until here, all the previous tracks had been available online as bonus tracks on special editions of their respective albums. An incentive, then, for purchasing The Lost Children, was the inclusion of a never-before-released Disturbed track, entitled “Mine”.

Hey, whatever works.

As the only song exceeding five minutes, I had big expectations for this brand-new track. I ended up being both disappointed and pleased with the new song. The verses are absolutely groovy – there’s no better eight bars to head bob to than the ones presented in “Mine” – but I found myself craving more of that instead of the extended instrumentals with clips of conspiracy-theorist news reports playing in the background. However, the song has a clear significance – it’s about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict – which I appreciate, since it’s an honest message from Draiman about the futility of the hostilities. Coming from their latest (and supposedly greatest, but definitely most sophisticated) album, Asylum, too, the song incorporates a vast array of elements. In particular, Believe-like tones and a prominent bass are found during the bridge, and driving guitar work is once again ever-present. I enjoyed the song, but would not place it among the standard tracks of Asylum.

“Parasite” represents Indestructible even more than “Run” did. The guitar riff and vocals are recognizably from that cycle. While the chorus is nice, the lack of a substantial bridge makes this song bleed into itself, and it can easily become passed off as just a forgettable song from Indestructible.

Luckily, one of the strongest tracks from The Lost Children – one of the best b-sides, the All-Star snub of the Disturbed music library – comes in the form of “Dehumanized”, making the first appearance for their sophomore work, Believe (2002). Although everything about the track is beautiful, the chorus is especially what makes this track stand out. “If I offer you my soul / will you carry me away?” soars over the smooth guitar and bass work, characteristic of the Believe cycle; Draiman’s voice is also softer and less harsh.

The fast-paced and aggressive track “3” immediately follows up, featuring a very rhythmical chorus and a shredding guitar solo not usually found on Disturbed tracks. Although the solo is what I remember this song for, Draiman’s hard-hitting voice is the driving force in this one. The fact that it was written for a specific cause in mind made this song all the better.

The Lost Children closes out with two covers of legendary bands, namely Faith No More and Judas Priest. It’s a fitting tribute to the older metal bands to place these covers at the end; Disturbed reminds their fans that about the pioneers of the metal genre and their sources of inspiration. That’s what covers, after all, are meant to do – pay homage and respect to the heroes.

Listening to the entire b-sides compilation is a relatively long affair – all 16 tracks together clock in at just over an hour – and so I’d imagine that, for anyone other than a Disturbed fan, The Lost Children isn’t as appealing as say, the most popular singles Disturbed has released, i.e. “Down With The Sickness”, “Inside The Fire”, “Stricken”, et al.

Still, that’s okay, because no one would go hunting for b-sides before they listened to the most prominent tracks from a band. Once they were through with those, assuming they were hungry for more, they’d go through the rest of the standard library, and, assuming they still loved what they were hearing, only then would they feast upon the bonus tracks available.

And at that point, they would become true “fans”, since they dug deep into the history, music, and alternative sides of the band. These are the people to whom The Lost Children was released for.

It is a b-sides compilation, after all.  Here’s to hoping that Disturbed returns from their hiatus in the future, stronger than ever and with more material to blow me away.  I found a copy at a local library branch. You can also search the library’s catalog for it.
~Bryan