Disturbed

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DISTURBED

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by Ernie Thomas

Disturbed’s vocalist/lyricist David Draiman calls the city’s North Side home, while guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren proudly share the South Side turf of baseball’s reigning champions, The White Sox.

Despite being a multi-platinum, international band, the members remain loyal to the hometown where it all began for them in the late 1990s.

Their three day run at Chicago’s House Of Blues that kicks off on Thanksgiving night and runs through the weekend, was scheduled, so that they could be home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We can sleep in our own beds, spend time with our families and re-connect with friends a bit,” said Donegan, thrilled to be sharing Thanksgiving with his close-knit family, including lovely wife Nicole and daughter Maya, who celebrates her second birthday next month.

Donegan stresses the importance of family and the role his had on his life. “My mom taught me to be level headed and to treat people well,” he said, crediting that upbringing with keeping him level-headed and well-grounded despite the whirlwind of success Disturbed has had.

“Growing up with an older brother and sister got me turned on to music very early in life,” he reflected.

“When I got into high school, I started playing [guitar] and putting together little bands. We were so bad that we couldn’t learn to play other people’s songs, so we started banging out our own because it was easier,” he mused. “That actually proved to be a good thing.”

These days Donegan co-writes Disturbed’s music, the latest of which can be heard on “Ten Thousand Fists”, their new album released in September on Reprise Records.

This week, the CD –– adorned by powerful custom artwork from the pen of revered comic book icon Todd McFarlane –– is currently sitting at #22 on Billboard’s “Hot 200 Albums” chart, well ahead of the latest offerings by such household names as Bon Jovi (#39), Paul McCartney (#44), Neil Young (#53) and The Rolling Stones (#79).

The album’s debut single, “Stricken” up the charts. It is currently sitting at #17 with a bullet (indicating that it is climbing fast) on Billboard’s “Modern Rock” chart.

“The live set list for this tour is split pretty evenly between all three of our albums. We’ve been doing about a 90-minute set and we play what we feel is a good balance of songs that represent the band’s past and the present,” noted Donegan.

“After playing the really big venues for so long, we wanted to do some more intimate shows and have a closeness with the fans,” said Donegan. “Most shows on this tour have us playing multiple nights in smaller rooms in most markets.”

Disturbed’s early sound, which helped usher in the “nu-metal” genre of the late 1990s, has greatly matured and evolved over the years, becoming a powerful mix of old school and new school metal.

Today, Disturbed’s music appeals not only to fans of modern groups like Korn and Slipknot, but also to veteran metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

Disturbed’s music moves from aggressively hard to beautifully melodic. From pounding and syncopated, to textured and complex with Draiman displaying an amazing singing voice previously overshadowed by the guttural grunts and growls that became his trademark on Disturbed’s three and a half times platinum-selling debut album, The Sickness.

This paradox of sounds and stylings is revealed best on Ten Thousand Fists, where the band has found a perfect balance between the rawness of The Sickness and their much slicker and tamer sophomore 2002 release, Believe.

The new disc’s title track is as heavy and brutal as anything they have recorded, while deeper cuts like “Overburdened” and “Forgiven” are heavy in melody and even include some very tasty, albeit brief guitar solos from Donegan.

As with their first two albums, Ten Thousand Fists, was recorded on the South Side at Groovemaster Studio with their old friend Johnny K. producing.

A major change with this album is the presence of bassist, John Moyer, who replaced Disturbed’s original bassist, Fuzz, last year after personal issues began to cause friction within the group.

“It took a little getting used to, but John did a great job in the studio and is doing a great job on the road,” he said, noting the Texas-born Moyer has not yet been made a full time member of the band.

The album’s title – Ten Thousand Fists – is an homage to the heavy music fans who greet the band with clenched fists thrust high in the air every time they take stage.

“It’s an amazing feeling when you look out from the stage and there is this sea of clenched fists out there as far as the eye can see,” explained Donegan.

While Draiman seems content living the single life, beat keeper Wengren will soon join Donegan in the world of domestic bliss by taking the nuptial plunge.

“Mike proposed to his girlfriend on stage when we were playing in Milwaukee back in August,” said Donegan. “She’s from there, so it was a cool thing. I don’t think they’ve set a date yet.”

More than just being a local band who has scored multi-platinum sales, Disturbed are such a band who has never forsaken their regional roots, fans and friends.

Their continuing to keep a highly visible presence here, serves to inspire local musicians now wailing away on the very same stages where Disturbed once forged their totally unique sound.

“I love getting out to the clubs when we’re home. It’s great to see old friends and catch some of the new bands that are popping up,” said Donegan. “I’ve got South Side blood in my veins. This is were my family is, my life is and my roots are... It’s my home. I don’t think I’ll ever leave.”

Disturbed has earned more than money and chart points from their Midwestern fan base, they have earned respect for staying true to the region scene and supporting it.

The next time some “know-it-all” chides that bands from the region will never get anywhere, one only needs to point to Disturbed to shut their mouth. ‘Nuff said!

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