In short, they're somewhere in the middle, although leaning away from being part of the dying trend. Vocalist David Draiman said they wanted this CD to be different from anything else they had recorded, and while they didn't exactly achieve that, Ten Thousand Fists is very much the natural progression from 2002's Believe. All of the elements of the signature Disturbed sound are still here: Draiman's unique vocals, Dan Donegan's guitar tone and stuttering riffs, and Mike Wengren's tom-heavy drumming. For those concerned about the change in the lineup, there isn't a severe difference between the bass writing/playing of former bassist Fuzz and new bassist John Moyer (formerly of the Union Underground).

What is different, however, is that as they have matured as a band, they've become better at what they do, particularly Draiman and Donegan. No need for long-time fans to worry, there are still plenty of grunts and yells in the vocals, but David has continued to expand his vocal range and his ability to write melodies. Likewise, Dan seems to have spent a lot of the time off between records practicing on his guitar--there are a few riffs that the average kid playing guitar for 6 months would write, but there are also plenty of interesting riffs as well as (gasp) solos! Not many of the songs have solos, but "Stricken" and the cover of Genesis's "Land of Confusion" have solos inspired by 80s metal, and "Overburdened" includes a harmonized passage inspired by European bands. On the other hand, the solo on the closer "Avarice" feels more like noodling in the studio that was tracked anyway. Finally, they've taken more advantage of what they can do in the studio, overdubbing some melodic parts during choruses, and even using a slight orchestral backdrop on "Overburdened."