Musical Analysis #1 Indestructible

Musical Analysis #1

Indestructible by Disturbed

Disturbed at Broadwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ

There are always low points that we may get trapped in in our daily lives that we can’t let keep us down.  An effective way to do this is to listen to your favorite music.  Music has a magical way of inspiring and motivating us to pull ourselves out of whatever rut we may find ourselves in.  When I need a quick boost of motivation, songs like Indestructible by Disturbed help reenergize me to get myself out of whatever rut I may be in.

 Indestructible is classified as an American Heavy Metal song and was released on September 29^th, 2008.  It quickly shot to No. 2 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 10 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.  Lead vocalist David Draiman wrote this song as an “Anthem for Soldiers” for motivation before battle and as a representation of Disturbed’s success in the music world.

 Lyrics

When creating the Indestructible album, David used real-life hardships as inspiration for his lyrics.  With all the pain in this album, he wanted to include something that would pull you out of the mud and push you forward.  And the song Indestructible does just that.  Intended for soldiers, this song was meant to encourage soldiers before going into battle, making them feel invincible, stripping away their fear, and giving them a sense of strength.  The chorus does an amazing job depicting David’s goals for this song.

“Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war”

As a Soldier myself, this chorus is extremely motivating and has the desired effect David was aiming for.  I have personally listened to this song before I’ve jumped out of airplanes, gone out on missions, made something explode with C4, or anything else normal society considers dangerous that happens in my daily life.

Melody

While this song sticks with the common 4/4 time the melody that lies over it is urgent, loud, and empowering.  It starts with quiet sounds of war background noise (gunfire, explosions, and radio transmissions), and without any warning the guitar, bass guitar, and drums make their presence known.  Almost as if they are fighting each other to see who can be the loudest in the whole song.  As the song continues and the lyrics start playing, all the pieces come together to make this song an “Anthem for Soldiers,” just as David wanted it to be.

Timbre

David Draiman is known in the rock community for using melodic and harmonic vocals and his signature “grunting” sound.  His unique sound is achieved using a combination of falsetto and chest voice.  This gives the song a mix of raspy/breathy, piercing, and rich timbre.  Throughout most of the song, David uses his normal raspy/breathy chest voice keeping pace with the rest of the band to give it that sense of urgency.  The piercing timbre isn’t heard until he sings the “Master of War” where he jumps up in range putting all the emphasis on the word war.  This is immediately followed by the rich timbre when David harmonizes the word war while the guitars and drums work their magic.

Work Cited

“Indestructible (Disturbed Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Sept. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indestructible_(Disturbed_song).

“Singing Guide: Disturbed.” Singing Guide: Disturbed, singingcarrots.com/learn-to-sing-like/Disturbed#:~:text=Draiman’s%20signature%20sound%20is%20achieved,of%20falsetto%20and%20chest%20voice. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.

Wiki, Contributors to Disturbed. “Indestructible (Album).” Disturbed Wiki, Fandom, Inc., disturbed.fandom.com/wiki/Indestructible_(album). Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.