[Album review] "The Day After" (Atlantic) Twista

After more than a decade as one of hip-hop`s most critically revered but commercially overlooked figures, this rapid-fire Chicago rapper became a mainstream star in 2004 thanks to the good-natured hits "Slow Jamz" and "Overnight Celebrity."

The trend continues on this explosive follow-up. The title song introduces the album on a dramatic thematic note that hints at a plot line dealing with a terrorist-minded Twista. That story never fully materializes, but the real story here is Twista`s rapping.

He flows in a tag-team fashion with choice Al Green and R. Kelly samples on "Do Wrong" and "I`m a Winner," respectively, perfectly playing off each singer`s voice as if they were recording together.

Then, on the confrontational "Heartbeat" and the smooth "Holding Down the Game," Twista alternates between computer-enhanced voices and his normal tone, in effect facing off against himself in dazzling displays of lightning-quick delivery and more traditional rhyme styles.

Disturbed

"Ten Thousand Fists"

(Reprise)

With its 2000 debut, "The Sickness," and the equally potent follow-up, "Believe," a couple of years later, Disturbed was one of the most distinctive acts to emerge from the "nu-metal" blitzkrieg that kicked off the millennium.

Though the Chicago group served up the usual torrential riffs and rants, its rhythmic pacing put it closer to rap-metalists such as Linkin Park than the chaotic thrashers it was often lumped in with.

And like Linkin Park, Disturbed is one of the few aggressive bands still standing. Its third album, which debuted at No. 1 on the national sales chart, sees the group not only still standing but also attempting to stomp even harder than before. Brutal guitar solos abound, as do even more enraged lyrics, which take on an obvious political tone on "Deify" and "Sacred Lie."

Still, the stammering tempos and impassioned vocals of singer David Draiman (whose unique style melds an almost scat-like delivery with a weighty and surprisingly melodic croon) start to bleed into each other midway through this too-long, 14-track release.

There`s some infectious stuff here that`s sure to get the fists up and pumping, but on the whole the cadence isn`t varied enough to keep them there.

(Los Angeles Times Service)