gothicblend

Graphic Tales from the Road
December 09, 2008

The day after Disturbed was nominated for a Grammy I talked with their lead singer David Draiman to find out what it was like to take the production reins on their fourth album Indestructible and couldn't resist the chance to try and learn more about the creative mischief they might have in store on their tour. You'll want to see this one!

Welcome to another break-through edition ofGraphic Tales from the Road!

on a quest to learn more about the band that millions of us have grown to love. I wanted to know more about their creative process and how it felt to produce their fourth album.

For anyone that has been hiding under a rock and is not yet familiar with Disturbed let me first introduce you to one of the most influential, well respected and versatile bands in recent history.

According to Wikipedia "Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, Illinois. The group was formed in 1996 when musicians Dan Donegan, Steve "Fuzz" Kmak, and Mike Wengren hired singer David Draiman. Since the band's formation, they have sold over 10 million albums worldwide, and released three consecutive number one albums, making them one of the most successful rock bands in recent years."

Disturbed has been working relentlessly on their craft for 12 years. They have earned their way to a top spot on the music scene, with guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, singer David Draiman, and bassist John Moyer who replaced Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2003.

Since the band's formation, they have sold over 10 million albums worldwide, and released three consecutive number one albums, making them one of the most successful rock bands in recent years. Their albums include: The Sickness, Believe, Ten Thousand Fists and their new album Indestructible, released in June of 2008.

In 2000, with the release of their debut album The Sickness, came their rapid rise to popularity when their song Down with the Sickness was featured in the movie Dawn of the Dead, and was played in heavy rotation in radio stations across the country. Since then, Disturbed has played along side Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Black Label Society, Crazy Town, Chevelle, Taproot, Unloco, 10 Years, Ill Ni&ntildeo, Corrosion of Conformity, Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Lacuna Coil, DragonForce, Avenged Sevenfold, and Hatebreed...just to name a few.

I was excited when I got the opportunity to have a chat with David Draiman, the lead singer.

I just got notice yesterday on your Grammy Nomination. Congratulations! That is totally well deserved.

Thank you.

Talk about validation for taking the reins with producing yourselves in the studio on your latest album. Did self-producing change the dynamics of the process this last time?

No, not really as much as you might think. It was done in the same studio, with the same equipment, with the same engineer. It wasn't really all that different. We still came to the studio with about 95% of our material ready to go. So it really wasn't that much different.

Was it what you expected?

In certain ways yes and in other ways no. We definitely had to rely on each a lot other more. We didn't have that "5th" member, with the fresh set of ears and the fresh mind waiting in the wings. So, we really had to trust each other's intuition a lot more closely. I would say that it exceeded our expectations, to be honest with you. It brought us closer.