uptownmagazine

After another successful album release, Disturbed expresses its love and thanks to its faithful fanbase
Jared Story



Indestructible indeed. In June, Disturbed's latest album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the band's third consecutive release to do so.

"We're pretty fortunate that the fans have always been there for us and that they were patiently waiting as always," says guitarist Dan Donegan, who is joined in the band by vocalist David Draiman, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren.

"It's just a nice statement to make, not only by the band but by the fans themselves, that in this day and age where the music industry is saturated by pop rock and hip hop, there's a big metal fanbase you can't ignore."

When Disturbed burst onto the scene in 2000 with The Sickness, many critics classified the Chicago band as nu-metal (Korn, Limp Bizkit, P.O.D.), a now-dead music trend that Donegan says Disturbed didn't exactly fit into.

"We never really understood why we were lumped into that category," Donegan says. "There were a lot of good bands that came out of the late '90s, early 2000s, and we were fortunate to ride that wave and use that as a stepping stone. What we grew up with, though, was classic metal bands with melodic vocalists. We've always tried to follow the path of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Queensrÿche and Black Sabbath."

Like the aforementioned bands, Donegan attributes Disturbed's run of hit albums to its constant touring.

"We've always connected with the fans and always have been very personable and accessible to them," he says. "When we play a show, the energy exchange between us and them, we're not up there just going through the motions, we're trying to have that live connection and I think that's how we built our fanbase."

Disturbed is prepared to go the distance for its fans - a fact proven this past spring when the band traveled to Kuwait for Operation MySpace, a special concert for U.S. troops.

"It was our chance to actually go there and be 12 miles from the Iraq border, in the middle of the desert, and give (the troops) a few hours of an escape," Donegan says. "We just wanted to let them forget about their jobs and what they have to do, and let them enjoy themselves for a few hours and get a release.

"Some of them told us about their families and just thinking of the sacrifice they make is overwhelming," he continues. "We think of some of the sacrifices we make to be in the music business and the things we may miss out on, and it's nothing compared to what they sacrifice."

DISTURBED
Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Burton Cummings Theatre