Disturbed
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When Chicago based heavy rock/nu-metal act Disturbed released their debut full-length effort The Sickness in 2000, nobody could have anticipated that the band would connect with audiences worldwide so quickly, and help the album go onto to sell some three million copies within a short two years.
Proving that the overwhelming success of their debut was no fluke, the four-piece act went on to release their sophomore effort Believe in 2002, which went straight to number one in the Billboard chart, and eventually went on to sell platinum.
Since then, the band have released a third successful album (2005’s Ten Thousand Fists, which has since sold double platinum), toured the world countless times, and maintained a devoted following that many groups could only wish for.
It’s been a long three years between releases, but Disturbed (who comprise of vocalist David Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren) have finally returned with their fourth album Indestructible, which is sure to keep the group’s diehard fans satisfied.
While packing for yet another overseas jaunt, I caught up with bassist John Moyer at home in Austin, Texas to discuss the reasons behind the re-recording of two of the band’s older tracks, Disturbed’s touring plans, the dual meaning behind their new album’s title and the group’s return to a heavier sound.
“More than anything, I think it was a conscious decision within the band,” begins Moyer. “We wanted to be more aggressive this time around, and revisit that attitude that was on the first album. We also wanted to make sure that Indestructible featured a lot of that staccato/rhythmic vocal pattern that Draiman does so well. We really wanted to bring back a lot of those elements. And I think we’ve achieved that. But at the same time, I think there’s still a lot of the musicianship that you heard on Ten Thousand Fists, especially when it comes to Donegan’s guitar work. He’s really done some amazing work on this album. We didn’t want to let go of any of the things that we’ve learned along the way.
“I also think there are a lot of fresh things being offered on the album. I mean we wouldn’t have put this album out there if we thought that it didn’t have something fresh and new to offer. Personally, I think we feel that this is the best album that we’ve made to date. And the people close to me that have heard it truly love it. I think that they feel that it’s indicative of the title.”
While many will assume that the title Indestructiblerefers to the band’s continued success and status in a declining recording scene, Moyer reveals that there’s actually a different meaning behind the moniker.
“I think that when you really listen to the album Indestructible, I think that’s the feeling you will get. I think people feel powerful when they listen to this music. I think they feel like they can climb any mountain, or break through a brick wall. That was the point we were trying to make. Over the years, we keep hearing from people that meet us backstage or on the street about how they would listen to our music before they engage in any kind of athletic sport. Or sometimes they hear our music before they go into battle, or combat. And those are powerful statements. People are using our music to make themselves the best that they can be. So that was the point of both the album title and the album itself.
“We really wanted to focus in on that, and give people that kind of music, and help make them feel indestructible,” continues Moyer. “In addition to that, it could also mean a couple of other things. I mean here we are with our fourth album, and we’ve had a lot of success with the other three. There are a lot of brethren that have come and gone. And you know, I think it’s also a little bit of a description about us. I mean we’ve all gone through all sorts of trials and tribulations, and all the ups and downs that go with that. Not just personally either. A lot of that has to do with the music industry and the business side of things as well. It’s changed quite a lot since we first started. I think also that it’s a bit of a description of ourselves in the sense that we’ve been around for a while, and we hope to be around for a while longer as well.”
Boosted by their past success, Disturbed have this time decided to take matters into their own hands, with Indestructible the first album the band has self produced.
“I don’t think we would have even attempted to produce this album ourselves had we not had a pretty clear vision of how we make our albums. We’ve done it the same way every time, and we always go to the same studio (Groovemaster Studios in Chicago). The process is pretty much the same, and we actually used the same engineer (Tadpole) that helped us out on the Ten Thousand Fists album. The only difference this time around is that we were the ones calling all the shots.
“Every time we’ve gone into the studio, we usually go in with between fourteen to sixteen songs that are ninety to ninety-five percent finished,” he adds. “So we never go in with just a collection of ideas and try and pull it together. We do a lot of pre-production, so most of our time when it comes to writing an album is spent demoing the material before we even go into the studios. We had a very clear idea of what the music was going to sound like this time around, and what the album was going to sound like before we even stepped in and started tracking on day one. So a lot of it is preparation. I think that we felt that it was time for us to go ahead and do that. More than anything, what I think that we learned from going into the studio and self-producing this time around was how to pull the best performances and ideas out of ourselves, as opposed to having somebody else do it. We only had each other to rely on. So I think it’s made the band tighter and stronger. I’m not going to say that there weren’t some tense moments, but I think that we learned to rely on each other. And in doing that, we’ve become a better band.”
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