DISTURBED + GLASSJAW

10.19.00
WWF Concert Stage
New York, NY

Tonight's excitable crowd erupts moments before the five scrawny kids of New York's Glassjaw even hit the stage. The band explodes from the onset, demonstrating their mastery of the sound and choreography of metallic hardcore. Frontman Daryl Palumbo, contorting and flailing about as if he's trying to eject some foreign object from his cornhole, clearly loves his job. Post-hardcore titans Quicksand, the Deftones and Vision Of Disorder come to mind while watching this cathartic, guitar-driven display. Although Glassjaw's emo-metal gets a little heavy-handed and formulaic at times, their sharp performance saves them from being just another face in the loud crowd.

Chicago's Disturbed are the sonic equivalent to pro-wrestling in their calculated heaviness. Starting off strong with 'Down With The Sickness', bald beefcake David Draiman and company roar as the pit surges to continuous, brutal riffs. The group's crushing, stop-start grooves and smack-down approach send ripples of aggression through the crowd, having a catapulting effect on everyone from the shirtless goliaths to the ecstatic female fans.

The band's forays into rap-metal and pseudo-industrial territory don't fall flat, but straight-up, bone-crunching metal is clearly their forte. Through their music and powerful stage presence, these guys remind us that we're all disturbed - so why lament when we can rejoice?

- Hal Miller

This review was originally featured on www.metal-is.com