 Spreading The Sickness
Disturbed Succumb to the "Voices" in Their Heads, and So Will You. The lights go down quickly. As the crowd roars, David Draiman, lead man for Disturbed, is brought on stage in a straightjacket and mask, a la Silence Of The Lambs. Though the "guards" with him try to restrain him, Draiman breaks free of the bindings and proceeds to completely own the stage and blow the crowd away. After a performance that most of the massive Ozzfest Second Stage crowd didn't see coming, the new fans are left speechless for a time, then it's all they can talk about: who are these guys and where did they come from? A few months later, with Disturbed now opening for Stone Temple Pilots and Godsmack, a similar scene is repeated, only now Draiman is led out in shackles to an awaiting electric chair, gets "fried", but still manages to survive, break fee and kick the crowd square in the teeth. The fans that were there to see Godsmack and STP got more that they bargained for. Again, once the melee was over, the throng was sufficiently warmed up. Disturbed have been opening eyes and turning heads for the last few months. After being one of the dominant bands on the second stage at Ozzfest, then opening the Godsmack/STB bill, fans have been getting The Sickness in droves. Powered by Draiman's staccato deliveries, Dan Donegan's burning guitar riffs and the pounding rhythms supplied by drummer Mike Wengren and bassist Fuzz, Disturbed has achieved Platinum status and shows no signs of stopping. Once fans got hold of "Stupify", the first single off of The Sickness, which broke before the album had been released, the frenzy had begun. It has continued through the release of the title track as a single, and on to their newest single, "Voices", which Draiman described as being inspired be voices inside the minds of serial killers. It's Draiman's way of discussing "Their modes of behavior and our own fascination with them," he told us, "And I realize that they're not that different than everyone else." It may sound the workings of a demented mind, but if it is, he has us fooled. In speaking with Draiman, it's readily apparent that he's extremely intelligent, passionate in his beliefs, and has a quick wit. Maybe we expected the maniacal spouting of a mad man, but he was rather reserved and deliberate, taking time to think of his answers before speaking. For a look into the mind behind The Sickness, read on… |
