http://www.lcsun-news.com/pulse/ci_9890490


Disturbed Proves "Indestructible"
By Damien Willis/For Pulse
Article Launched: 07/17/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

For eight years, the band Disturbed has been raising heart rates of rock fans worldwide. The group broke onto the scene in 2000 with their debut album, "The Sickness," featuring the hit singles "Stupify" and "Down With The Sickness." More than 4 million copies of that album have been sold. The band's fourth album, "Indestructible," released on June 3, and placed Disturbed in a class alongside rock 'n' roll's heaviest hitters.

"Indestructible" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart — the band's third consecutive chart-topping debut. Only six other rock bands have pulled this off: Van Halen, U2, Dave Matthews Band, Staind, Metallica and System of a Down. I recently visited with Dan Donegan, the band's guitarist and co-founder, and asked him if he remembered the first time he heard that list.

"Yeah. I mean, I had no idea," said Donegan. "It was shortly after — maybe about a day or two — this album debuted at No. 1. It was pretty shocking news. Obviously those are all amazing bands, so to be one of seven is definitely a big honor — especially in this day and age — to be able to sell some records and show that there is still a fan base for this type of music."

It's a fan base that has taken a while to build, but one that carries with it a unique brand of loyalty. Donegan credits die-hard Disturbed fans for the band's success. "First and foremost, it's definitely the fan base. It's definitely their dedication to us, our dedication to them, and them knowing that. We've toured our asses off over the years, we've always come and delivered the best we can, and they get the results they're looking for out of it."
While now it seems Disturbed is on top of the world, the road to success has been a long one, and Donegan has been there for it all. In fact, before singer/frontman David Draiman was hired, the band didn't have a singer. Donegan told me that the process was difficult, but the decision was easy. "It was a painstaking process, finding a singer that we liked and felt was going to contribute in a big way — to find that final piece to the puzzle. But once he came, it was ... I don't want to sound cheesy, but it was magical when we heard him sing. There was something to him that we knew was original, and that was our main thing. We were just looking for somebody that would offer something new, and help create our own identity as a band. And we got that out of him."

Music fans can be unforgiving of progress and growth, and even the smallest changes to a band's sound can alienate fans, but Disturbed fans seem to grow with the band, even as their sound evolves. Draiman recently described its sound as "less turbulent and caustic" than in the early days. I asked Donegan what drove that change. "I think we just don't want to be stuck in one rut. We want to continue to evolve and try different things. Over the years, I think everyone's just becoming better musicians and a tighter band, just from the constant touring that we've done. And I think that we have a great fan base that is open-minded and respects us and knows that we're going to always keep it fresh and try different things to keep it interesting."