I know it must be a heavy frustration for many rock and heavy metal bands, but I’m one of those people who only love their ballads. There are so many rock bands whose greatest hit has been their ballad. But what is it that makes so great at it?
This week, it caught my attention that a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound Of Silence” made it to the iTunes charts of the Netherlands. It’s by the heavy metal band Disturbed, so I actually had decided to not give it much attention, until someone else said it was actually worth a listen and I love it.
There’s something about that full vocal with some rough edges that just works magic on slow songs. Even though Disturbed have completely left out the harmonies, this song is so well-known for, you don’t miss it at all. The deeper into the song you go, the more you see Disturbed make this song their own, especially in combination with the singer screaming some of the words, while yet remaining vulnerable, somehow. It’s just intriguing. It’s a magnificent rock ballad.
I think all of the above describes the fascination with any rock ballad and the rougher the band, the more beautiful it gets when they show a more vulnerable side. All of the aspects suddenly play a role. The image of the band, the knowledge of their usual rough sound and the guts they show by jumping out of character and doing something slow.
“The Sound Of Silence” by Disturbed would easily be put on my playlist, among the greatest ballads like “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, “Overcome” by Live, all the Aerosmith and Guns n Roses ballads and some 80s rock ballads. However, I still wouldn’t play any of the other Disturbed songs, so these ballads are no cross over tracks.
