Disturbed is an American
heavy metal band from
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, formed in 1994. The band includes guitarist
Dan Donegan, drummer
Mike Wengren, lead vocalist
David Draiman and bassist
John Moyer. Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Draiman replacing original lead vocalist Erich Awalt in 1996 and Moyer replacing original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2004.
Disturbed's debut album, ''
The Sickness'', was released in 2000 as a commercial success, mainly due to the singles "
Down With the Sickness" and "
Stupify". The band then released the albums ''
Believe'' (2002), ''
Ten Thousand Fists'' (2005), ''
Indestructible'' (2008), and ''
Asylum'' (2010), all of which debuted at No. 1 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart. Disturbed went into hiatus in October 2011, during which the band's members focused on various side projects, and released ''
The Lost Children'', a compilation album containing previously unreleased songs. They returned in June 2015 and released their sixth album ''
Immortalized'' that same year. They followed it up with the albums ''
Evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
'' (2018) and ''
Divisive'' (2022).
With over 17 million records sold worldwide, six
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
certifications for their albums (including 5× platinum for ''The Sickness''), singles from all eight albums reaching the top ten of the
Mainstream Rock chart, and two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nominations, Disturbed ranks alongside
Slipknot and
Godsmack as one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century.
History
Early years (1994–1996)
Before
David Draiman joined Disturbed, guitarist
Dan Donegan, drummer
Mike Wengren and bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak were in a band called Brawl with vocalist Erich Awalt. Before changing their name to "Brawl", however, Donegan mentioned in the band's DVD, ''Decade of Disturbed'', that the name was originally going to be "Crawl"; they switched it to "Brawl", because the name was already being used by another band. Awalt left the band shortly after the recording of a demo tape; the other three members advertised for a singer. They posted an advertisement in the local music publication in Chicago, Illinois, called the "Illinois Entertainer".
Draiman answered the advertisement after going to twenty other auditions that month.
Guitarist Dan Donegan commented on Draiman: "You know, out of all the singers that we had talked to or auditioned, he
raimanwas the only singer who was ready to go with originals. And that impressed me, just to attempt that".
With regard to Draiman being the singer for the band, Donegan said, "After a minute or two, he just starts banging out these melodies that were huge...I'm playing my guitar and I'm grinning from ear to ear, trying not to give it away that I like this guy, you know, because I don't want to, you know...
ay'Yeah, we'll give you a call back. We'll, you know, discuss it.' But I was so psyched. Chill up my spine. I'm like, 'There is something here.'" As drummer Mike Wengren commented, "We clicked right off the bat."
Draiman then joined the band in 1996, and the band was renamed Disturbed. When asked in an interview why he suggested to name the band "Disturbed", Draiman said, "It had been a name I have been contemplating for a band for years. It just seems to symbolize everything we were feeling at the time. The level of conformity that people are forced into was disturbing to us and we were just trying to push the envelope and the name just sorta made sense."
''The Sickness'' (1997–2000)
After renaming the band, Disturbed went on to record two three-track demo tapes, the first containing demos for
"The Game", "
Down with the Sickness", and "Meaning of Life", while the second had demos for "Want", "
Stupify", and "Droppin' Plates". The artwork was composed of the band's newly created mascot, The Guy. The band eventually signed with
Giant Records in August 1999 and opened for
Ministry at Chicago's
Riviera Theatre around the same time. In 2000, the band released its debut album, titled ''
The Sickness'', which launched the band into stardom. The album peaked at number 20 on the
''Billboard'' 200, and it has sold over four million copies in the United States since its release. Before joining
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
's 2001 European tour, bassist Steve Kmak was unable to play with the band due to a shattered ankle, caused by falling out of a fire escape outside Disturbed's rehearsal hall in Chicago.
He took the fire escape to exit the building while the elevator was being used to move their equipment downstairs. Kmak skipped the European trek of the tour, but he did perform with the band on January 11 and 12, 2001 at Disturbed's show in Chicago.
During the European tour,
Marty O'Brien replaced Kmak until he was able to tour again.
''Believe'' (2001–2003)
David Draiman on stage in front of the '' Believe'' logo
In 2001, Disturbed covered the song "
Midlife Crisis
A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...
" for a
Faith No More tribute album that was eventually abandoned. The cover was later rerecorded and released on the compilation album ''
The Lost Children'' in 2011. In September 2001, production of their second studio album began. On June 4, 2002, Disturbed released a documentary DVD about the band, titled ''
M.O.L.'', which showed some of the band's more personal moments in the studio and during tours, as well as featuring several music videos and live performances. On September 17, 2002, Disturbed released their second studio album, titled ''
Believe'', which debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200.
The music video for the first single from the album, titled "
Prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
", was pulled from most television stations, due to perceived similarities with the
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
.
David Draiman recorded vocals for a song titled "Forsaken", a song written and produced by
Jonathan Davis of the band
Korn, released on ''
Queen of the Damned''.
In 2003, the band once again participated in the
Ozzfest
Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...
tour and started another one of their own tours, titled ''
Music as a Weapon II''. The bands
Chevelle,
Taproot
A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...
, and
Ünloco toured with them. During the tour, Disturbed debuted an unreleased song, titled "Dehumanized". After Disturbed finished the Music as a Weapon II tour, Steve Kmak was fired by the band because of "personality differences". He was replaced by
John Moyer;
Moyer's last band,
the Union Underground, had recently become inactive. On the night Moyer became the band's new bass player, Disturbed played live at the
House of Blues and performed two new songs, "
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
" and "Monster", both of which are B-side tracks on the band's third studio album, ''
Ten Thousand Fists''.
''Ten Thousand Fists'' (2004–2006)
Disturbed's third studio album, ''
Ten Thousand Fists'', was released on September 20, 2005. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, while also selling around 238,000 copies in the week following its release. The album was certified platinum, shipping 1,000,000 units, in the United States on January 5, 2006. The band toured with
10 Years and
Ill Niño
Ill Niño (Spanish for "ill child"; stylized as ill niño) is an American nu metal band formed in Union City, New Jersey, in 1998 by drummer Dave Chavarri, who remains the band's sole original member. They have released seven studio albums, two ...
in support of the album. Disturbed headlined Ozzfest 2006 along with
System of a Down,
Lacuna Coil,
DragonForce,
Avenged Sevenfold, and
Hatebreed.

In an interview with Launch Radio Networks, Disturbed vocalist
David Draiman stated that twenty songs were recorded for the album, but only fourteen made it to the final track listing. The remaining songs included "Hell", which was included in one of the two "
Stricken" singles; "Monster", which was included as an iTunes pre-order bonus for ''Ten Thousand Fists'', then later included on the ''Ten Thousand Fists'' Tour Edition; "Two Worlds", which was also included on the Tour Edition of ''Ten Thousand Fists''; and "Sickened", which was included in the "
Land of Confusion" single. ''Ten Thousand Fists'' is the first album released by Disturbed to feature guitar solos. The band stated that they felt that guitar solos are a part of music that is absent in a lot of modern music, and they wanted to bring some of that back. Songs like "
Stricken", "Overburdened", and "
Land of Confusion" all feature guitar solos, as well as many others.
In 2006, a European tour was scheduled but was rescheduled twice due to Draiman having troubles with severe acid reflux, which affected his voice,
as related by Draiman himself.
Later that year, Draiman underwent surgery for a deviated septum which affected his voice.
It was successful, and ever since then, Draiman has limited his drinking on the road.
In late 2006, Disturbed headlined another one of their own tours named Music as a Weapon III; the bands
Flyleaf,
Stone Sour, and
Nonpoint toured with them. Disturbed completed the first leg of their Music as a Weapon III tour in late 2006. Soon after, Draiman stated that there was not going to be a second leg to the tour and that instead the band was going off the road to start working on their fourth studio album.
''Indestructible'' (2007–2009)
David Draiman (left) and Dan Donegan performing in 2009
In July 2007, a new track titled "This Moment" was released on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
to the film ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
''. Disturbed mixed their fourth studio album, titled ''
Indestructible'',
in Los Angeles in late 2007. In an earlier interview,
David Draiman said that they were going to record fifteen songs, but only twelve would be on the album.
''Indestructibles first single, "
Inside the Fire" was made available on digital distribution services for purchase on March 25, 2008. The band also toured in the United States in April and May 2008 with the bands
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...
and
Art of Dying. The music video for "Inside the Fire" was released on May 2, 2008 on the band's official website. Disturbed released their previously free song "Perfect Insanity" on
iTunes Store as a second single on May 6, 2008, and the album ''Indestructible'' become available for pre-order for the release date on June 3, 2008. ''Indestructible'' was released in the United States on June 3, 2008 and in Australia on June 7, 2008 and became the band's third consecutive number one debut on the ''Billboard'' 200. A special "Internet Only" limited edition of the album that includes the B-side track "Run", a making-of DVD with instructional videos, wrap-around poster, VIP laminate, access to special Disturbed events, and a special website with an exclusive video, rare audio and more was also released.
Disturbed played their first live online concert on May 29, 2008. The concert was sponsored by
Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
and Deep Rock Drive. They performed in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. The band toured in support of the "
Mayhem Festival" alongside
Slipknot,
DragonForce and
Mastodon
A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
during summer of 2008.
Disturbed also completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand through August and September 2008.
In May 2008,
Harmonix
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as bein ...
, the developers of the video game ''
Rock Band
''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...
'' announced they had reached a deal with Disturbed and
Best Buy to offer two tracks from ''
Indestructible'' for play in ''Rock Band'' to those who pre-ordered the album from Best Buy's website. On June 3, 2008, Harmonix released three tracks from ''Indestructible''; "
Indestructible", "
Inside the Fire", and "
Perfect Insanity". On May 12, 2009, Harmonix released
Stricken and
Stupify to the Rock Band music store.
left, Dan Donegan (left) and John Moyer in 2009
On September 30, 2008, the band released an
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
-exclusive live album entitled ''
Live & Indestructible'', made up of songs from Deep Rock Drive, as well as the music video for "Indestructible".
The band started a tour of Europe, starting in London during October 2008 and finishing during November 2008 in Helsinki. In November and December 2008, Disturbed toured in the United States. The song "
Inside the Fire" was nominated for a 2009
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
in the "
Best Hard Rock Performance" category. In March 2009, Disturbed released a music video for the single "The Night". The band began their
Music as a Weapon IV tour in March 2009 and it ended in late May. The tour, also dubbed a "festival", featured the bands
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin ...
,
Lacuna Coil, and
Chimaira on the main stage.
The band released a second cover version of
Faith No More's song "Midlife Crisis" on the album ''
Covered, A Revolution in Sound'', which also included bands such as
Mastodon
A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
,
The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, formed in 2000. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steinec ...
, and
Avenged Sevenfold. This cover of "Midlife Crisis" was originally recorded for ''Indestructible'', but the band decided not to include it on the album.
''Asylum,'' ''The Lost Children'' and hiatus (2009-2010–2011)
In an interview in July 2009, with FaceCulture, Draiman stated that the DVD would be "chronicling the past decade of Disturbed's existence. It's meant to show our growth over the course of the decade." He also talked more about the fifth album: "A couple of
ong riffsthat Danny has come up with are really amazing. But they're just little pieces...it's not even in two-three part progression
et" A few months later on March 23, 2010, the band released a reissue of their debut album, ''
The Sickness'', with the B-side tracks "God of the Mind" and "A Welcome Burden", updated artwork, as well as remastering and remixing the track list. It was also available for the first time in
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
format. On February 26, 2010,
Harmonix
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as bein ...
announced a second Disturbed pack for download on the
Rock Band
''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...
music store, containing the 2010 remastered versions of "
Voices", "
The Game", and "Meaning of Life".
The band entered the studio in Chicago in early 2010 to begin recording their fifth album, planning on a release that summer. Guitarist Dan Donegan stated that the band had written around 15–18 songs. It was later confirmed that the title of the album would be ''
Asylum''. The band released a cover of heavy metal band
Judas Priest's song "
Living After Midnight" for the ''
Metal Hammer Presents... Tribute to British Steel'' album. On April 20, 2010, roughly two months after they entered the studio, Disturbed announced that they had finished recording the album, and were ready to begin mixing it in Los Angeles, California. As they did with their last album ''Indestructible'', Disturbed stated that they self-produced ''Asylum''.
The band announced that ''Asylum'' would be released on August 31, 2010. On July 9, 2010, the track listing was revealed on the band's official website. ''Asylum'' debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200. ''Asylum'' was Disturbed's fourth consecutive studio album to debut on top of the charts, an achievement only earned by two other bands:
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Dave Matthews Band.
Disturbed performing " Down with the Sickness" in 2010
Disturbed headlined the first annual
"Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar" tour with
Avenged Sevenfold, as well as
Stone Sour,
Hellyeah and
Halestorm, among others in late summer 2010. Then, in October 2010, it was reported that David Draiman was diagnosed with a "serious throat condition", and the band's U.S. tour had been canceled, as Draiman's healing process could have taken up to four weeks. Around the end of that year, Disturbed announced that they would be commencing the
Music as a Weapon V tour in 2011, co-headlining with
Korn and guests
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American Rock music, rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vinnie Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly (musician), John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon an ...
,
In This Moment and Stillwell. In January 2011, the Mayhem Festival announced that Disturbed would be headlining the festival along with
Godsmack and
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
that summer. In February 2011, Disturbed was added to that summer's
Download Festival. Disturbed announced that in May 2011, they would be co-headlining the
Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio.
On Thursday, April 28, Disturbed announced that their previously unreleased bonus track from ''Asylum'', titled "3", would be available for download on their website. They said that all proceeds made from the download of the song would go towards the Damien Echols Defense Fund, a benefit foundation supporting the release of the
West Memphis Three.
In July 2011, the band confirmed it would go on hiatus after finishing their US tour that year, and in an interview that same month, Draiman dismissed concerns that the hiatus was a result of conflict between the band members. Disturbed went into hiatus in October 2011. Disturbed released a b-side compilation album, titled ''
The Lost Children'', on November 8, 2011. The song "
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
" was made available for digital download on October 11, 2011, but Draiman stated on his Twitter page that there would not be a music video for it. A previously unreleased track, titled "Mine", also appears on the album. The track listing and release date were revealed on Draiman's Twitter page on September 20. On April 21, 2012, to commemorate Record Store Day, Disturbed released "The Collection". It is a box set featuring the band's five full-length studio albums in 140 gram vinyl LPs.
End of hiatus and ''Immortalized'' (2015–2017)
left, The band at , Germany, 2016">Rock am Ring, Germany, 2016
On June 20, 2015, on Disturbed's
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
page and website, there was material posted hinting at a possible return of the band. The website shows a new Disturbed logo, plus a video of the band's mascot "The Guy" appearing to be on life support, still breathing. The new Disturbed logo was also posted to their official Facebook page, along with the video of their mascot, and their profile picture changed to solid black, indicating new activity within the band. On June 22, 2015, Disturbed posted another video on Facebook, this time showing The Guy awakening from
life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform bas ...
, as well as an 18-hour countdown on their official website, giving speculation to a definite reunion.
On June 23, 2015, Disturbed officially announced the end of their hiatus and the coming of their new album entitled ''
Immortalized''. On the same day, the official music video for the new single "
The Vengeful One" was released on their YouTube channel. ''Immortalized'' was released on August 21, 2015. John Moyer did not perform on the album due to working on other projects, with all bass tracks being performed by Dan Donegan. Moyer is not in the band's video for "
The Sound of Silence" released in December 2015. Moyer remains a band member, however, having appeared in promotional photography for the album as well as continuing to perform live with the band.
On the album's release day, the band played their first show in four years at the House of Blues in Chicago. The show featured the live debuts of four new songs ("The Vengeful One", "What Are You Waiting For", "
The Light" and the title track) and the song "Hell", a B-side from ''
Ten Thousand Fists'', in its entirety for the first time.
Disturbed during Hellfest 2016
Disturbed released a virtual reality experience for the band's cover of "The Sound of Silence" via Littlstar. The band released a live album titled ''Live at Red Rocks'' on November 18, 2016. The band performed "The Sound of Silence" live on an episode of Australia's ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
''. The band also performed "The Sound of Silence" live on an episode of ''
Conan''. Disturbed was announced as a direct support to
Avenged Sevenfold on their UK & European tour throughout January and March 2017, alongside
In Flames and
Chevelle.
''Evolution'' (2018–2020)
Disturbed headlined the 2018 Rock Fest, along with
Godsmack and
Incubus. The band announced via social media in early January 2018 that they had entered the studio to begin recording their next studio album. In June 2018, lead guitarist Dan Donegan and bassist John Moyer confirmed with sources that the new album had been completed, with 100% of the songs finished, leaving only mixing and mastering to be done. Band members also posted a picture via Instagram together at a dinner party in celebration of completion of the recording process, the band's first album in over 3 years and the band's first album in over 8 years to have bassist John Moyer being involved in.
The album, ''
Evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
'' was released on October 19, 2018. On August 16, 2018, the lead single, titled "
Are You Ready" was released. On September 21, 2018, the album's second single, titled "
A Reason to Fight" was released. In support of the album, the band announced the 'Evolution World Tour', which took place in early 2019. The initial dates announced included shows across North America with select Canadian dates, as well as a European leg of the tour. On March 25, 2019, Disturbed announced a massive summer tour with
Pop Evil and
In This Moment. Pop Evil opened the first half of dates and In This Moment opened the second.
On January 27, 2020, the band announced a 31-date tour with
Staind and
Bad Wolves
Bad Wolves is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2017. Initially finding fame from their first single, a cover of the Cranberries' 1994 hit "Zombie (The Cranberries song)#Bad Wolves cover, Zombie ...
celebrating the 20th anniversary of ''
The Sickness''. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the band had postponed the tour to 2021. On September 11, 2020, Disturbed released a cover of the song "
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" by
Sting. On March 12, 2021, it was announced that the 20th anniversary tour was officially canceled.
''Divisive'' (2021–2024)
Following a break, the band played its first pandemic-era live shows. The first one was the first time in nearly two years on September 25, 2021, as one of the headliners of the
Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The band also played later in November at the
Welcome to Rockville festival at the
Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Draiman talked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's ''Evolution'': "It's on in a big, big, big fucking way. It really, really is. I mean, we are so genuinely excited." He also said that the new material is going back to their "meat and potatoes", and that it is close to the vibe of ''The Sickness'' and ''Ten Thousand Fists'' albums.
Draiman said that the band wants to begin recording after the New Year of 2022, but they have yet to announce a producer. The new songs will also be released on two separate mediums, as opposed to Disturbed's usual album releases.
On July 14, 2022, Disturbed released a new single called "Hey You" from their upcoming album.
On September 23, 2022, the band announced their eighth album, entitled ''
Divisive'', with a promotional single "Unstoppable" being released. The album was released on November 18, 2022. The album is a concerted effort to move back toward the heavier sound of their early albums after experimenting on the prior album. The new album also became the first to include a guest vocalist, with
Ann Wilson of hard rock band
Heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
lending vocals to the dark, heavy ballad "Don't Tell Me".
On December 3, 2022, ''Divisive'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' charts at no. 3 on the Album Sales Chart, no. 3 on the Rock Album Chart, no. 1 on the Alternative Albums Chart, and no. 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200 after spending a week at no. 1 on the Apple All-format Album Chart. Singles "Bad Man", "Unstoppable", and "Hey You" all appeared on the Mainstream Airplay Chart and album cuts "Hey You" (no. 2), "Unstoppable" (no. 1), "Don't Tell Me" (no. 2), and "Bad Man" (no. 10) all appeared in the Top 10 of the Hard Rock Songs Digital Sales Chart. In 2024, "Bad Man" was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy.
The band embarked on a tour in 2024 entitled the "Take Back your Life" tour.
''The Sickness'' 25th Anniversary tour, and upcoming new album (2025–present)
In October of 2024, Disturbed announced an upcoming 2025 American tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of ''
The Sickness.'' The 34 date tour will run throughout the winter and spring of 2025 and feature support from
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in Asphodel–Norwood, Norwood, Ontario, in 1992 originally as Groundswell. Groundswell played in various local Norwood backyard parties and area establishments before disbanding in 1 ...
and
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American Rock music, rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vinnie Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly (musician), John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon an ...
on the first leg and
Daughtry and
Nothing More on the second leg.
Disturbed released a new single, "I Will Not Break", in February 2025. Draiman also stated that there is plenty of new music on the way from the band, leading up to the release of a new record.
The band was rejoined by their original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak during their live show in Chicago, Illinois during ''The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour'' on March 8th, marking his first appearance with the band since 2003. Also during this live performance, the band's pyrotechnic display caused "minor damage" to the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
' championship banners, forcing the banners to be removed for the remainder of the season.
Other projects
On February 8, 2012, it was announced that
John Moyer was supergroup
Adrenaline Mob
Adrenaline Mob is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal supergroup (music), supergroup formed in early 2011 by singer Russell Allen, guitarist Mike Orlando and drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's current lineup consists of Allen, Orlando, and ...
's new bass player. John made his onstage debut with the group on March 12, at New York City's Hiro Ballroom, a day before the release of the band's debut full-length album, ''Omertá''. On February 14, 2012, on his Twitter account David Draiman confirmed that he would make an appearance on VH1's ''
That Metal Show'' 10th Season airing sometime that year. That episode was later moved to the 11th season and premiered on August 11, 2012.
In May 2012, Draiman announced his new project, an
industrial metal
Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...
band called
Device. Draiman later released information regarding the future of Disturbed and his new project Device, stating that Device would release their
self-titled debut album on April 9, 2013. The album features several guest musicians from various metal bands. On April 25, 2013, it was announced that guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren had begun a new project with
Evans Blue singer Dan Chandler,
Fight or Flight. Their debut album, "Life by Design?" was released on July 23, 2013.
In December 2014, Moyer formed a new band with
Scott Weiland,
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, twins Jon and Vince Votta called
Art of Anarchy, with a
self-titled album released in June 2015. After the death of Weiland, the band recruited retired
Creed
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets.
Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
singer
Scott Stapp and recorded their second album ''
The Madness'', released in March 2017. In February 2018, Art of Anarchy members filed a lawsuit to the New York Supreme Court against Stapp for alleged failure to promote ''The Madness''.
Artistry
Musical style
Disturbed is mostly classified as
heavy metal,
[ ] hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
[Berelian, Essi, "The Rough Guide To Heavy-Metal" (2005), p. 102] and
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
,
while their early sound has been described as
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
.
In 2006, when asked about die-hard heavy metal fans not finding Disturbed heavy enough, Draiman stated:
Allmusic reviewer Bradley Torreano described the album ''
Believe'' as "taking the sort of jump that their heroes in
Soundgarden
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially ...
and Pantera made after their respective breakthrough records".
He also described the title track as moving "from a brutal chug to a sweeping chorus that suddenly stops in its tracks and turns into a winding
riff
A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
that recalls the work of vintage
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...
".
''Believe'' is also considered by several critics to be a step away from the
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
sound featured on ''
The Sickness'', moving towards a more
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
and
heavy metal sound that was continued in their following albums.
Guitarist Dan Donegan uses
guitar tunings drop C, drop C#, and drop B (also occasionally E♭ standard), which are lower tunings than regular E standard. These lower tunings allow for a heavier sound and quicker
chord changes in Donegan's riffs. Donegan also uses subtle electronic effects, which the rest of the band refers to as "The Danny Donegan Orchestra".
Lyrics
According to frontman David Draiman on the band home documentary ''
M.O.L.'', the lyrics that he writes are inspired by actual experiences of his own, and he stated that he likes to present his ideas with cryptic lyrics.
These lyrical themes range from the
Judeo-Christian
The term ''Judeo-Christian'' is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bibl ...
concept of
Heaven
Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
and
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
,
domestic abuse,
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
,
insanity,
relationships, war, to more fantastical themes, such as
vampirism,
werewolves
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after bei ...
and
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including
f ...
s. Many of the band's post-hiatus releases have featured political lyrics.
Influences
They have often cited their influences as
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Judas Priest,
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Pantera
Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...
,
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche () is an American progressive metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one Extended play, EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record ...
, and
Soundgarden
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially ...
.
Draiman's main influences came from funk-infused bands such as
Faith No More, and he expresses much admiration for Faith No More singer
Mike Patton.
[
]
Mascot
upThe Guy
Disturbed's mascot, named "The Guy", was originally a drawing of a face with a large grin, as seen on the back of the album '' The Sickness''. The original drawing of The Guy was then edited using a digital distorting program. After the original image had been distorted three times, The Guy became the band's official mascot. Later, he would be drawn as a full figure by artist David Finch.
Band members
Current members
* Dan Donegan – guitars, keyboards, programming ; backing vocals
* Mike Wengren – drums, percussion, programming ; backing vocals
* David Draiman – lead vocals
* John Moyer – bass, backing vocals
Former members
* Erich Awalt – lead vocals
* Steve "Fuzz" Kmak – bass
Timeline
Gallery
file:2016 RiP Disturbed - Dan Donegan - by 2eight - 8SC8851.jpg, Dan Donegan
file:2016 RiP Disturbed - Mike Wengren - by 2eight - 8SC8777.jpg, Mike Wengren
file:2016 RiP Disturbed - David Draiman - by 2eight - 8SC8830.jpg, David Draiman
file:2016 RiP Disturbed - John Moyer - by 2eight - 8SC8706.jpg, John Moyer
Discography
;Studio albums
*'' The Sickness'' (2000)
*'' Believe'' (2002)
*'' Ten Thousand Fists'' (2005)
*'' Indestructible'' (2008)
*'' Asylum'' (2010)
*'' Immortalized'' (2015)
*''Evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
'' (2018)
*'' Divisive'' (2022)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
Disturbed
on Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
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