Good evening everyone!

You guys may remember me as DisturbedGoddess, I was the original owner/admin of Disturbed Zone back in the mid 2000’s. We were one of the #1 Disturbed Fansite’s running back then. We shut down because of personal reasons. But after about 10 years I have finally decided to reopen the website. I unfortunately lost everything when the original website shut down. But I will work as often as I can to post new and older articles as I find them. Bare with me while I get the website back up and running. Hopefully soon I can get the community forums back up and running also.

~ Katarina Croft

“I need it so badly, I can taste it… maybe more than I ever needed it in my life.”

David Draiman, everyone’s favorite world-famous, American, heavy metal demi-god who happens to be a staunchly vocal defender of Israel, wasn’t talking about drugs or drink, but getting on stage as the frontman for his band, Disturbed.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post over Passover, the 50-year-old Draiman was counting down the days until the hugely popular hard rockers launched their first major tour in over three years, in Montreal, in support of their new well-received album, Divisive. The tour, which began last week, will see the band return to Israel after their breathtaking show in 2019, on June 28 and June 29 at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Center.
Labeled the Take Back Your Life tour, the sojourn and its name have special significance for newly divorced Draiman.

“It’s been an upheaval – divorce is not an easy thing to handle. It affects everything, not just my work,” he said via Zoom. “It’s been a rough start to the year, so it’s nice to be able to have something positive to focus on and try and get re-centered. But the darkness keeps creeping in once in a while.”

Seeing the vulnerability in the potentially menacing, black-wearing, bald-pated vocalist who can prompt thousands of fans to go wild with the pumping of a fist, is a clue to Disturbed’s appeal, described by Draiman as 90% heavy and 10% kind, loving goodness.

ALONG WITH his bandmates, guitarist/keyboardist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren, they’ve sold millions of albums since their 2000 debut and in 2015, they cracked the mainstream with a passionate rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” that shattered the heavy metal stereotype the band had fostered.

Hard rock site Metal Hammer called them one of the most commercially successful metal acts of all time, citing their streak of five albums debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 as a feat equaled only by Metallica and the Dave Matthews Band.

The site’s review of Divisive said there were no surprises in the band’s well-developed amalgam of mainstream metal.

“Since the late 90s, Disturbed has mastered the ability to craft muscular, radio-friendly anthems that have varied relatively little over the years. Long embracing the idea that what isn’t broken isn’t in need of repair, Divisive puts this principle into practice,” their review said.

“Thank god, we’re still able to write some great hooks that create catchy songs that stick in people’s heads,” said Draiman with a laugh.

“I’m very happy with how well it’s been received and the band feels great coming out of the gate. That energy and exuberance we had while making the record is definitely going to translate into how people hear it. And I can’t wait to be able to unleash the songs in the way they deserve to be presented: in a live setting.”

Four years since Disturbed’s last performance in Israel
When Disturbed last performed in Israel, for 10,000 fans at Rishon Lezion’s LivePark in 2019, Draiman spoke to the audience in Hebrew, donned a t-shirt with an IDF insignia and sang “Hatikvah” proclaiming, “This is for all the IDF soldiers.”

“There’s no doubt that Israeli audiences have a different level of intensity because they’re not as blessed with as many performances as the rest of the world,” said Draiman. “Generally, when you leave the United States for Europe or South America, the energy level of the crowd goes up a bit, but especially in Israel because when shows do happen, they’re literally celebrating that the performance actually took place and nothing happened to stop it.”

DRAIMAN, WHO used to lead High Holy Day services as a teen at various Jewish day schools and yeshivot he attended, claims to have close to 200 relatives in Israel, including his brother, Ben, also a musician, and his grandmother. A militant anti-BDS proponent with a highly visible and outspoken social media presence, Draiman said that he doesn’t understand why Israel is treated differently than any other concert destination on the itinerary of other touring artists.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a time to visit Israel and absolutely nothing is happening. But you can say the same of Chicago, New York or any major US or European city. Look at Paris! There’s potential danger everywhere. If three years ago you would have told me there would be a problem in performing in Kyiv, I would have said you were crazy,” said Draiman.

“Of course, if a major conflict broke out before our shows, then yeah, we’ll have a problem. But I don’t think you can deprive people of the means to bring them to true escape and salvation in a way that nothing else can simply because they live in a bad neighborhood.”

Although the band is at the top of its game, with the band members entering their 50s and the music they play appealing to those half their age, Draiman is aware that time is starting to be a factor in the band’s shelf life. When looking at the continued dominance of Metallica in their 60s and Bruce Springsteen touring at 73, he holds out hope.

“Physically, I’m ok. I’ve lost 20 pounds since January and I’ve been doing vocal training. It’s the mental aspect I have to try and get past. But I know the most amazing way to transcend every single issue to feel that energy onstage,” he said.

“May we all be able to thrive in the way that the aforementioned musicians thrive that late in the game. I hope we can because I still love doing it. What we do can be considerably more physically challenging, but it’s my own fault and the nature of the music that we write and perform. We’re a product of what we create and I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the only way it can be truly satisfying for me.”

A fan of democracy
David Draiman chuckles when asked if he follows the news out of Israel – both the internal conflict over the judicial overhaul and the ongoing battle against terrorism.

That’s because Draiman’s Twitter and Facebook accounts are freshly stocked anytime you look with new observations, comments and remarks about all the things that interest him, including Israel. So it’s not surprising that he has some opinions about the state of the country he greatly identifies with.

“I think you know I follow it closely on a day-by-day basis and you know it pisses me off,” he said.

“Sinat hinam (baseless hatred) brought about the destruction of the Temple. Our enemies smell blood and they smell weakness when we are divided. It’s easier or at least perceived to be easier to be attacked when you’re divided. Of course, they attack anyway, so we have to remind ourselves of that – that Israel is always in the crosshairs.

“I never imagined I would see the divisiveness in Israel that we saw in the United States during the Trump election. I never thought I would see two sides of the demographics in Israel split like this,” said Draiman who proclaimed himself a fan of democracy.

“I don’t think people in positions of power should change the playing field in order to further their own power. It’s playing with fire and it’s understandable why so many elements of the proposed reforms have been met with the kind of fervor they have been. It’s justified, but in other ways, it just gives both sides more fuel to add to their respective fires when they get up on their respective podiums and scream. Israel has bigger issues to deal with. People need to remember what brings us together as opposed to concentrating on what divides Israeli society.

“But you have to appreciate that Israel is the one country in that entire part of the world where you see what happens takes place peacefully, for the most part. Democracy thrives in Israeli in a way it doesn’t anywhere else in the region.”

Original Article by: blabbermouth.net

In a recent interview with Wichita’s T95 The Rock Station, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked how he and his bandmates have managed to keep their personal friendships and working relationships intact after all these years. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think the older we’ve gotten, the more mature and more respect that we have for each other and everybody’s role that we play. That’s just developing over time — from the early days of being in a band in the beginning and finding our way and finding our sound and whose contribution to what. Everybody has a slightly different role in the band, and just being able to accept certain things — why certain things work that way and just kind of respecting that. And everybody’s important, but we have slightly different roles too. And there’s just that great deal of respect, like I said.

“In our time apart, it is literally apart — everybody lives in different states,” he explained. “Maybe that helps that there’s a little bit of breathing room, if we are too much around each other. I think we’ve just got such a strong bond and a good friendship. Like I said, we respect each other. It doesn’t mean we don’t have differences [and aren’t sometimes] at odds, especially in the studio, if we’re trying to work on what we feel what’s best for the song; somebody might feel differently about it. So we definitely have those moments. But it’s all for the good of the band and of the song.”

Donegan‘s comments echo those of his bandmate, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren, who told the 100.3 The X Rocks radio station that “respect” is the main reason he and the other guys in the group have managed to stay together for so long. “We are all four — we’re brothers, but we’re all different individuals as well,” he said. “And we pool off of each other’s strengths. We have a tremendous team in the four of us, but also in the people that work behind the scenes as well — our crew, our management, record label; I mean, the list goes on and on — we have a tremendous team. But as far as the four of us are concerned, it really just comes down to mutual respect. We actually like each other. [Laughs] We check in with each other.”

He continued: “It was so funny because during the pandemic, living in different states, [we] couldn’t see each other for a while. And when we wrapped up in October of ’19, was the last show we did, me and Danny actually took a trip. David [Draiman, vocals] was living in Hawaii at the time, and we went out there to go stay with him and his wife and son and just chill out for a little bit. The thought was maybe when we got home, we would start writing again, and blah blah blah. And lo and behold, just about — what? maybe two months later, everything was shut down and almost two years later we finally see each other. It was almost like [scene in the movie] ‘Chariots Of Fire’ on the beach — we all ran into each other’s arms practically. Like, ‘Hey…'”

DISTURBED‘s latest album, “Divisive”, was recorded earlier this year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

Donegan‘s divorce inspired the “Divisive” song “Don’t Tell Me”, which is a duet with HEART‘s Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record.

According to Billboard, “Divisive” sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.
On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, “Divisive” debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with “Believe” in 2002.

Original Article by: blabbermouth.net

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan spoke to Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station about how the events of the past couple of years have affected the lyrical themes covered on the band’s upcoming album, “Divisive”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):

“In a big way. Obviously, with the whole world having to hit the ‘pause’ button and not knowing what this pandemic was gonna be and turn out to be and just stopping all of our lives, not just our lives, but obviously the music industry being affected by it in a large way, because our whole livelihood is based off of contact and being in front of thousands of people. So, it obviously was one of the later career choices for us to make a comeback, obviously, it was harder for that, to get out of this pandemic and find out what live entertainment was gonna be and what restrictions there may be. So, it was challenging — for all of us, our crew members, everybody that… Their whole livelihood was taken away from them. And my heart goes out to a lot of guys that worked for us and for other artists that had to go out and find new jobs during that whole time and a new career path. So it was challenging. It was challenging mentally. It kind of had an effect on me dealing with it and having the live show taken away from us. It’s always been therapeutic for us. That’s why we write music and do it. It’s our outlet and our way to seek that therapy. And we went through a difficult time. Mike [Wengren], our drummer, went through a divorce early on in the pandemic. I went through a divorce earlier this year. It was a tough time. It affected our personal lives. And then, obviously, all the changes in the world and politically and things going on here in the U.S., it’s become quite a mess and quite the division amongst each other. Everything you see on social media, it’s just become a mess. It’s pretty disgusting. It’s sad to see the division that has been going on here. It’s like people wake up in the morning and they can’t wait to get on social media to see what they can bitch about. We’re just so divided. It’s, like, ‘If you don’t believe what I believe, then I hate you.’ And ‘You’re a racist.’ And ‘You’re a homophobe.’ Just the name calling. It’s just an ugly time right now.”

Donegan, who in the past has shared posts on his personal Facebook page that amplified Republican talking points and that were derogatory to Democrats, continued: “It’s just shocking to me. And now I see it within friendships and family members. And people are that much at odds to where it’s affected those close relationships, not just the strangers that can hide behind the keyboard in their mom’s basement and spew out their hatred towards it. I don’t know. It’s just really disappointing to see people torn apart, a country torn apart like this. And I think we need to take a step back and take a look at the way we’ve been acting. We’re called the United States. We’re not really acting all that united in the past couple of years.”

Dan’s divorce inspired the “Divisive” song “Don’t Tell Me”, which is a duet with HEART’s Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record. Clean guitar soundtracks the story of a long-term relationship in the middle of its last gasp. DISTURBED singer David Draiman and Ann engage in a call-and-response before locking into a skyscraping harmony as the solo reaches for the heavens.

“It was very personal to me,” admitted Dan. “I was going through my divorce, and I wanted to touch on the fact I was in a very long marriage to a wonderful woman. She’s a great mother to my kids. We were together for 18 years. Even though the marriage was in a tough spot, it was hard to leg go, because we’d invested so much into each other. I felt like listeners could relate to it.”

“Divisive” will arrive on November 18 via Reprise. The LP was recorded earlier this year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. The follow-up to 2018’s “Evolution” includes the three recently released singles “Hey You”, “Unstoppable” and “Divisive”.

About the “Divisive” album title, Draiman noted: “Partisan tribal warfare has become a part of our regular existence nowadays. It’s one big battle of the cliques. The whole idea of the record is to be a wakeup call for everyone. Our society has become addicted to outrage. Music is the best cure for what ails us though. If only everyone reached out and used it. There’s no better environment to forget about all of this shit than live music. We can be together and realize we have more in common than not. Recognize what’s happening and let’s make a change for the better.”

Donegan added: “Whatever it takes, we’ve got to pull it together. We’ve always tried to take negative topics and spin them in a positive light. From touring around the world, we’ve seen the power of music as the universal language to bring everyone together from all walks of life. We can still play songs to unite people, and it’s a pretty powerful feeling.”

Z93…The Rock Station!

Original Article by: billboard.com

The metal band’s eighth studio outing, which has already scored a No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hit with “Hey You,” takes a centrist view on today’s fractured society.

Disturbed’s forthcoming album, Divisive, has been four years in the making. The last time the band had this long of a gap between studio releases was during its early-2010s hiatus that lasted nearly as long. But these have been surreal times, with the coronavirus pandemic delaying albums and tours, and putting people a different head space. For many, lockdown inspired musical creations, but for others, it instigated a change that wasn’t for the better.

Divisive takes on the country’s fraying society where political friction, social media sparring and, as frontman David Draiman calls it, “outrage addiction” has turned Americans against one another.

Headbanging songs like “Hey You,” “Love To Hate” and the title track (the video for which drops Oct. 28) tackle the tumultuous times. Even a ballad with Heart’s Ann Wilson, “Don’t Tell Me,” is about a disintegrating relationship where each party struggles with letting go.

The metal quartet had little problem with changing-up its recording situation. It worked with producer Drew Fulk (Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills) for the first time, and it nested into Nashville for recording sessions rather than Las Vegas or Chicago as it had done in the past. Guitarist Dan Donegan notes that half of the music that he wrote came about in the studio due to the strong chemistry he had with Fulk. And for Disturbed’s 2023 world tour, he and his bandmates are considering switching things up in the setlist to keep things fresh and give fans a wider variety of tunes while hopefully digging into deeper cuts.

Headbanging songs like “Hey You,” “Love To Hate” and the title track (the video for which drops Oct. 28) tackle the tumultuous times. Even a ballad with Heart’s Ann Wilson, “Don’t Tell Me,” is about a disintegrating relationship where each party struggles with letting go.

The metal quartet had little problem with changing-up its recording situation. It worked with producer Drew Fulk (Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills) for the first time, and it nested into Nashville for recording sessions rather than Las Vegas or Chicago as it had done in the past. Guitarist Dan Donegan notes that half of the music that he wrote came about in the studio due to the strong chemistry he had with Fulk. And for Disturbed’s 2023 world tour, he and his bandmates are considering switching things up in the setlist to keep things fresh and give fans a wider variety of tunes while hopefully digging into deeper cuts.

Donegan sat down for a Zoom with Billboard to talk about the creation of Divisive, his personal connection to “Don’t Tell Me” and what it was like recording with legendary vocalist Wilson.

Read the rest of this entry »

Where before he was a casual observer in the feud between the streaming giant and singer-songwriter Neil Young, Disturbed frontman David Draiman has now become a full-on defender of Spotify. You can read Draiman’s full statement, collected across multiple tweets, below, but the bottom line is that the attack on Napster led to piracy, which streaming then stopped.

Check out the statement below:

“All those attacking @Spotify, young and old, would do well to remember a couple little things called MUSIC PIRACY, and BITTORRENT SITES. Before streaming took hold, both artists and the very music industry itself was on the verge of collapse. Why?

“Because the heads of the major labels at the time refused to see the future when a young Sean Fanning and Sean Parker, the guys behind a little startup called @napster, approached them with a new way to reach their consumers at unprecedented levels, and they shot them down.

“So instead, Fanning and Parker let Napster do it’s thing for free. Piracy and BitTorrent sites soon followed along with the new perception that “music should be free”. Artists suffered, record labels suffered and the industry itself nearly collapsed.

“It took STREAMING to bring it back to life. Streaming made the labels profitable again, made catalog artists regain a royalty stream, and made Piracy obsolete. Streaming made legacy artists catalogs, like @Neilyoung and others tremendously valuable.

“It created the current environment where people stream their music, and where musicians had the opportunity to sell their catalogs, which had regained their value, like Neil did. Could or should @Spotify have a better streaming royalty rate? I believe so…

“…but it doesn’t take away the FACT that without streaming, there would no longer BE A MUSIC INDUSTRY, and these artists who are complaining after they already sold their catalogs for gargantuan sums of money, would be liquidating their assets…

“…and many would be struggling to survive. Artists you want to blame someone? Blame the heads of the labels in the days prior to Napster who refused to adopt new technology in favor of an antiquated retail system that had a higher profit margin.

“Blame your lawyers and your management for not negotiating a better royalty percentage in your respective record deals, and blame YOURSELVES for not paying attention to it. The majority of the legacy artists out there have newfound riches from streaming…

“…and music fans have easier and higher quality access to the widest range of music in existence. In summary, stop bitching, educate yourselves and read your damn contracts. Streaming saved music. Wether you want to accept it or not…its the TRUTH.”

Because the heads of the major labels at the time refused to see the future when a young Sean Fanning and Sean Parker, the guys behind a little startup called @napster, approached them with a new way to reach their consumers at unprecedented levels, and they shot them down.

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 9, 2022

It took STREAMING to bring it back to life. Streaming made the labels profitable again, made catalog artists regain a royalty stream, and made Piracy obsolete. Streaming made legacy artists catalogs, like @Neilyoung and others tremendously valuable.

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 9, 2022

…but it doesn’t take away the FACT that without streaming, there would no longer BE A MUSIC INDUSTRY, and these artists who are complaining after they already sold their catalogs for gargantuan sums of money, would be liquidating their assets…

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 9, 2022

Blame your lawyers and your management for not negotiating a better royalty percentage in your respective record deals, and blame YOURSELVES for not paying attention to it.

The majority of the legacy artists out there have newfound riches from streaming…

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 9, 2022

…and music fans have easier and higher quality access to the widest range of music in existence.

In summary, stop bitching, educate yourselves and read your damn contracts.

Streaming saved music. Wether you want to accept it or not…its the TRUTH.

— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 9, 2022

Original Article: loudersound.com

If you know only two Disturbed songs, you know Down With The Sickness and you know their cover of The Sound Of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel. The video for that cover version has been viewed over 400 million times on YouTube, and to be fair, it is a stunning reworking of a classic. So stunning, in fact, that they’ve just repeated the trick with their equally dramatic take on former Police frontman Sting’s If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.

But did you know that David Draiman and co. have covered quite a few songs in their time? Some of which are better than others. Here we count down the band’s seven different covers in order from worst to best.

8. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (originally by U2)

Disturbed turn U2’s earnest, gospel-inflected ballad into a chugging, rock-radio song. The riffs from the second verse onwards sound weirdly out of place, as does the mid-song solo. Plus, there’s only one monkey noise in it.

7. Fade To Black (originally by Metallica)

A live version on the Music As A Weapon II compilation showed Disturbed could do pretty good Metallica karaoke, David even doing a throaty, Hetfield rasp. They added nothing new to The Four Horsemen’s song, though.

6. Living After Midnight (originally by Judas Priest)

This song featured on a covermount CD that came with this very magazine. Again, it remains largely faithful to the original version, Disturbed paying tribute to some of the legends that inspired them.

Original Article by: metalsucks.net

Metal might not be getting the respect many think it deserves by the NFL, who continue to overlook the genre (Metallica, mainly) for the vaunted Super Bowl halftime show, an issue that surfaces like clockwork around this time every year. But it’s a different honor Disturbed frontman David Draiman is seeking: singing the national anthem before the game.

Disturbed shared a Facebook post over the weekend encouraging fans to write in Draiman’s name in a Billboard poll (Panic at the Disco! frontman Brendon Urie currently leads, with Lana Del Rey trailing by a significant margin and Barbra Streisand way behind in third), so Loudwire tracked him down and asked him about the topic. Draiman revealed it’s been a lifelong goal, saying:

“I’ve dreamt of doing it my entire life. Been rehearsing it since I was a little boy. I love my country, and I would be honored beyond words to have the opportunity to try and inspire, strengthen, and give hope, at a time when we need those things more than ever. Plus… it would be nice to have rock represented on SOME level at the Super Bowl, and to prove to everyone that there ARE rock singers out there who can do the anthem as much justice as ANY pop artists out there, and even possibly take it higher.”

Let’s not get carried away, Davey Boy: you’d be hard pressed to find many folks that would argue in favor of Draiman’s vocal skills over, say, Mariah Carey, but I concede it would be neat to see a metal-ish singer up there for a change, even if I’m not a fan. There is also this: Draiman has experience singing the national anthem… of Israel, which he did during Disturbed’s performance there this past July. So there is that!

Original Article: Loudersound.com

After two decades as a walking punchline, David Draiman has become one of the biggest metal stars of the 21st century. Who saw that coming? Well, David Draiman did…

David Draiman is staring at us. Not with the chest-beating conviction he channels onstage, but with the nervous expectation of a newborn deer, because we’re about to remind him of some old interview quotes. In 2002, before the release of second album Believe, he was describing the acoustic song Darkness to Metal Hammer when he threatened to “kill anyone who terms it a ballad”.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Today’s David Draiman erupts with laughter, eyes crinkling at the sides. “Oh my god, the things we say when we’re young. That’s putting on such a front! Oy David, what did you do? I listen to some of the stuff I said back in the day, and it makes me cringe. But back then, no one was accepting of ballads. I was obviously way too cocky for my own good, and was so defensive. Maybe that’s what people picked up on, and they took it the wrong way.”

We have been talking about the reputation Disturbed have garnered since they broke into metal’s consciousness with the distinctive monkey noises and punchy hooks of 2000’s debut The Sickness. Whether it was his “cocky” remarks, the angry, unfiltered nature of his lyrics that were at odds with some of metal’s establishment – though totally in keeping with nu metal’s posturing – or his famous chin piercings, he became caricatured in the press and sidelined by old-school genre fans for years to come. And yet, Disturbed defied the haters to become one of the biggest metal bands in the world.

In the States, they’ve had five consecutive albums debut at Number One – an achievement bettered only by Metallica and normie rockers the Dave Matthews Band. They regularly pull arena crowds. In 2016, following the release of post-hiatus record Immortalized, they were the most-played band on rock radio in the US and Canada. Ironically, one particular ballad had a hand in that – their stirring cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound Of Silence. It’s been certified Double Platinum, and catapulted them onto mega-sized talk show Conan. That’s not only a metal band getting household exposure, but one whose previous defining song contained the lyric, ‘I don’t need this shit, you stupid sadistic abusive fucking whore. Would you like to see how it feels, mommy?’ Not only have they built a sizeable fanbase, they’ve gone mainstream.

“I did have major concerns going in,” David confesses. “I remember playing the track for a bunch of my colleagues and friends prior to it coming out, very secretively, and really being unsure. They were like, ‘Don’t be, this is magic. You’ve got lightning in a bottle here.’ I can come off as pretty confident most of the time, but truth be told, I’m my own severe, horrific critic. I can be objective about other people’s music, but when it comes to our own, I’m paranoid as fuck.”

Today, we are talking in the gardens of West Hollywood’s Sunset Marquis hotel, infamous for tales of rock’n’roll excess. These days, it radiates the knowing, polished air of wealth. David is at home here, relaxed, glass of chilled water in hand, periodically wiping his forehead to absorb the moisture created by a 30ºC sun blasting through the canopy of trees.

While Disturbed – completed by guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren – have long been on an upward trajectory, there’s a definite sense that The Sound Of Silence has changed their lives. Professionally, it’s meant straying from their comfort zone. Ten minutes before the Conan appearance, filmed with a 24-piece orchestra, David could be found pacing his dressing room, sweating, ravaged by illness and emotionally riddled with nerves.

“The other guys were fooling around, and here I am pacing like a maniac, trying to warm up and praying, praying, praying,” he remembers. “Because I was trashed vocally that day. I had no idea how it was going to sound. I tried to shut everybody and everything out, and focus on how I felt about the song and where it was taking me, and not worry about the camera. I can play in front of 100,000 people, no issue. That red light comes on on a TV camera, I get nervous. Stomach clenches up, it’s a whole different thing. Getting over the level of intimidation was tough.”

It’s also meant adjusting to a new, unprecedented amount of fame. At the time of writing, the performance has had more than 80million views on YouTube, while the official music video is pushing 405million. That’s more than the entire population of the US, and six times the population of the UK.

“Because my face was so front and centre in that video, the recognition factor is amplified. Everywhere I go now. It’s a significant difference. I used to be able to just be another bald guy, and now it doesn’t happen that way,” he says matter-of-factly. “I don’t have a problem with it, because everyone’s always so very, very respectful. It comes with the territory, and I’m absolutely beyond overwhelmed.”

Personally, it’s a success David’s been able to share with his mother and father, proud pillars of their religious community who he’s in LA to visit. “It’s surreal to have my parents talking one of my songs up to the neighbours!” he smiles.

Were they afraid to chat about your music before, given the language of some of your songs?

“Well, it was impossible not to talk about it at a certain point,” he reasons. “I’m their oldest son, they only have two of them, so the question will always come up, and it’s just as easy as doing a Google search; it’s impossible to hide. And don’t get me wrong, they’ve been proud, but this is something they can be unreservedly proud about. They can play it for the people in the community and be like, ‘Oh, that’s my son!’ Not like, ‘Ah… that’s my son…’”

How does that feel?

“I’m great with it.” Twinkle appearing in his eye, he flashes the mischievous smile of Disturbed’s mascot, The Guy. “I was great with it before, because there’s something to be said about being the black sheep. The rebellious entity within the family, or the one that strayed off the path. I kind of enjoy being that guy.”

(Image credit: Travis Shinn)

But being the black sheep is isolating when it’s not on your own terms. Despite Disturbed’s accomplishments, David is regularly ridiculed online. While he admits he’s done some “dumb things” and has no problem with being called out for legitimate missteps (“There’s nothing wrong with objectivity, and I would never want someone to be unnecessarily positively biased either”), he’s still scrutinised more than most in heavy music. The exposure prompted him to leave Twitter three years ago. So why are people still hating on him today?

“Who knows?” he says. “I truly don’t understand it. I think people develop a perception of you. I’m the first guy to admit that in my younger days, instead of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, I ended up doing the opposite of that. Which sometimes comes from excitement or youth or… sometimes confidence can ‘become’ arrogance, and certainly be perceived as that. And people have no idea how much self-doubt there is involved with it, and how much questioning you do.”

At the risk of slicing open a hornet’s nest, we bring up David’s last Metal Hammer feature in 2015. We said there was an air of humility to his words, but suggested it may well be fake humility, affected for the sake of appearance. When the magazine came out, his publicist called to tell us he was upset.

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