Last Wednesday, the Fillmore Auditorium underwent a brief change from traditional concert venue to headbanger’s ball when the Music as a Weapon Tour IV came through Denver.

Rock enthusiasts and Hot Topic shoppers alike lined up to watch the performances of Lacuna Coil, Chimera, and Killswitch Engage, all preceded the headliners Disturbed.

Long flowing hair, marijuana smoke, sleeveless shirts, and aggression were ever-present.

While more casual audiences could enjoy the music, this was clearly an environment geared towards the hardcore fan.

Veteran concert-goers will be glad to know that the presentation was all there. Though the fog machines were absent, each rotating light, each visual aid placed in the background choreographed well with the rhythm of each song.

Each band thanked the audience members for coming out and supporting the music they enjoy.

Lacuna Coil performed a solid set. Disturbed created the most memorable experience.

The most important thing, the music was great.

Dan Donegan sounds just as great on guitar as he ever did. “Stricken” and “Down with the Sickness” rightfully sound better and more energetic live. Dan Draiman, vocalyst for Disturbed reminded the audience that while their’ band is reason enough to attend this gathering, it is ultimately the shared experiences they share with the audience that brought them there.

Every song performed by Disturbed invigorated the audience, triggering crowd-surfing, moshing, and the ignition of lighters throughout the crowd. Very seldom have I seen a crowd screaming obscenities at one another in good fun.

As Disturbed’s most recent album, “Indestructible”, has closer ties to metal than the band has before, slightly more variety was available in the music, though all of it was still heavy nonetheless.

Whereas songs like “Indestructible” have more melodic variation, songs in the vein of “Stupify” place more emphasis on drums and vamping.

It even seemed as though the lyrics grew stronger that evening. For instance “Inside the Fire” is a song about the boy who comes across the body of his girlfriend who has committed suicide.

It is already a much more emotional song than it would appear when taken into consideration that the song itself is based off David Draiman’s experiences when he is younger.

Combine that with a live performance and the song becomes something more than it ever was when played on the radio.

Those kinds of messages were what in no small part attracted the the audience that eagerly awaited each verse that night: younger fans of Disturbed often listen to the music to relate, looking for lyrics that they themselves can relate to current experiences.

As a person who had a grand total of six songs from Disturbed in his music library prior to this concert, I can say that there is definitely more to Disturbed’s music than I had anticipated.

Performance-wise there is a decent amount of music that they can draw from, creating a balanced rock experience. Some songs catered more to the heavy metal genre, while others were based in the hard rock roots the band is known for.

A potent combination of medium to heavyweight songs created the ideal music lovers experience, and in terms of contemporary rock and heavy metal, Disturbed has a following for a reason.