The alt-metal titans unite roaring riffs and dark melodicism on their third album

Dedicated to Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell, who died less than a year before its release, Ten Thousand Fists dishes out a heaping helping of groove metal aggressiveness. “Deify” and “Stricken” are propelled by jarring, start-stop rhythms so violent they threaten to give listeners whiplash. When Disturbed aren't striving for full-tilt rage, they’re showing off their evolving knack for melodic power balladry. David Draiman uses his agile, operatic baritone to stirring effect on “Guarded”, a cryptic, haunting meditation on loss and alienation.