The band has released six studio albums, five of which have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Disturbed went into hiatus in October 2011, during which the band's members focused on various side projects, and returned in June 2015, releasing their first album in four years, Immortalized, on August 21, 2015. They also recorded and released one live album, Disturbed: Live at Red Rocks on November 18, 2016, which was recorded on August 18, 2016 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, located about 10 miles west of Denver, Colorado. Their seventh studio album, Evolution, was released on October 19, 2018.
Before David Draiman joined Disturbed, guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, and bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak were in a band called Brawl with vocalist Erich Awalt. Before changing their name to "Brawl", however, Donegan mentioned in the band's DVD, Decade of Disturbed, that the name was originally going to be "Crawl"; they switched it to "Brawl", due to the name already being used by another band. Awalt left the band shortly after the recording of a demo tape; the other three members advertised for a singer. They posted an advertisement in the local music publication in Chicago, Illinois, called the "Illinois Entertainer". Draiman answered the advertisement after going to twenty other auditions that month. Guitarist Dan Donegan commented on Draiman: "You know, out of all the singers that we had talked to or auditioned, he [Draiman] was the only singer who was ready to go with originals. And that impressed me, just to attempt that".
With regard to Draiman being the singer for the band, Donegan said, "After a minute or two, he just starts banging out these melodies that were huge...I'm playing my guitar and I'm grinning from ear to ear, trying not to give it away that I like this guy, you know, because I don't want to, you know...[say] 'Yeah, we'll give you a call back. We'll, you know, discuss it.' But I was so psyched. Chill up my spine. I'm like, 'There is something here.'" As drummer Mike Wengren commented, "We clicked right off the bat." Draiman then joined the band in 1996 and the band was renamed Disturbed. When asked in an interview why he suggested to name the band "Disturbed," Draiman said, "It had been a name I have been contemplating for a band for years. It just seems to symbolize everything we were feeling at the time. The level of conformity that people are forced into was disturbing to us and we were just trying to push the envelope and the name just sorta made sense.
Disturbed headlined the 2018 Rock Fest, along with Godsmack and Incubus. The band announced via social media in early January of 2018 that they had entered the studio to begin recording their next studio album. In June 2018 lead guitarist Dan Donegan and bassist John Moyer confirmed with sources that the new album is complete, with 100% of the songs finished it is on to just mixing and mastering. Band members also posted a picture via Instagram together at a dinner party in celebration of completion of the recording process. The band's first album in over 3 years and the band’s first album in over 8 years to have bassist John Moyer being involved in.
The album, Evolution was released on October 19, 2018. On August 16, 2018, the lead single, titled "Are You Ready" was released. On September 21, 2018, the album's second single, titled "A Reason to Fight" was released.
Disturbed's mascot, named "The Guy", was originally just a drawing of a face with a large grin, as seen on the back of the album The Sickness. The original drawing of The Guy was then edited using a digital distorting program. After the original image had been distorted three times The Guy became the official mascot for the band. Later, he would be drawn as a full figure by artist David Finch.
Classified as a heavy metal or hard rock band, Disturbed is also regarded by some critics as nu metal and alternative metal. When asked about die-hard heavy metal fans not finding Disturbed heavy enough, Draiman at one time stated:
"We probably have too much melody going on or we're not quite as turbulent or caustic. While I really love that type of music, it's not what we try to do. If we have to place things in context, we're more hard rock than heavy metal these days. The secret is that we were never really part of any particular trend, although we definitely benefited from the popularity of what was called nu metal at the time ... We never had the stereotypical attributes that those bands had. We don’t rap; there’s no turntable involved; no fusion in that respect. We play, in my opinion, classic metal. Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, Metallica, Pantera: these are the bands that made us want to play."
They have often cited their influences as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Queensryche, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.
Guitarist Dan Donegan uses guitar tunings Drop C, Drop C# and Drop B (also occasionally Eb), which are lower tunings than regular E standard. These lower tunings allow for a heavier sound and quicker chord changes in Donegan's riffs. Donegan also uses subtle electronic effects, which the rest of the band refers to as "The Danny Donegan Orchestra".
Criminal
Disturbed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the vision paints my mind
Cross the invisible line
And you'll be paid in kind
Malevolent criminal, I
When the vision paints my mind
Cross the invisible line
And you'll be paid in kind
Hit it
Ha, ha
Ha, ha
Ha, ha
Criminal, this suffering
It makes me think like a
Criminal, the suffering
When we're alone
Criminal, this suffering
It makes me feel like a
Criminal, the suffering
When we're alone
Typical enough for me
That I burn inside in agony
What power will enable me
To bury my vision?
The hunger coming over me
As I learn to hide the agony
To make a final remedy
To close that door once and for all
In a world that I don't wanna know
With a message that I never wanna send
To be freed from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
Don't tell me I cannot go
With a wound that refuses to mend
Deliver me from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
It seems the whole experience is
Terrible and crippling
The pain is much more than
Physical, beyond belief
When we're alone
Typical enough for me
That I burn inside in agony
What power will enable me
To make this decision?
Despair has fallen over me
No way to hide the agony
Embracing my calamity
To save myself once and for all
In a world that I don't wanna know
With a message that I never wanna send
To be freed from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
Don't tell me I cannot go
With a wound that refuses to mend
Deliver me from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
Now you wanna know
You want a name
You wanna call me "motherfucker"
Now you wanna know
You want a name
You wanna say it doesn't matter
Now you wanna know
You want a name
You wanna call me "motherfucker"
Now you wanna know
You want a name
You wanna say it doesn't matter now
Now, now you wanna know
Now you want a name
Now you want a place
Now you want a time
Now you want it all
Now, now you wanna know
Now you want a name
Now you want a place
Now you want a time
Now you want it all, now
In a world that I don't wanna know
With a message that I never wanna send
To be freed from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
Don't tell me I cannot go
With a wound that refuses to mend
Deliver me from all of this
I want you to quicken my end
Don't say that it isn't so
I'm on a path that you'll never comprehend
Set me free me from all of this
I need you to quicken my end
The lyrics to the song Criminal by Disturbed delve into the mind of a malevolent criminal. The singer describes how the suffering that surrounds him makes him think and feel like a criminal. The lyrics are poetic and cryptic, leaving the listener to figure out the exact nature of the suffering and pain that the singer is feeling.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer wants to be set free from this pain, and begs for someone to quicken his end. The verses of the song indicate that the pain is so intense that the only way to deal with it is to embrace it and make a final remedy by closing the door once and for all. The repeated lines of "Now you want to know, now you want to name, now you want to place, now you want to time, now you want it all" suggest that there are others who want to know who the criminal is, but the singer is uninterested in giving any more information.
Overall, the song Criminal by Disturbed is a haunting portrayal of the suffering that can drive someone to criminal acts. The lyrics are dark and melancholy, and the singer's vocal delivery is intense and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
(Malevolent criminal eye)
Looking through the eyes of a criminal fueled by evil intentions.
(Motivation paints my mind)
A force of motivation propelling the singer towards criminal action.
(Cross the invisible line)
Taking action past the point of no return or societal norms.
(And you'll be paid in kind)
Those who cross the line will face equal repercussions from the artist.
The suffering
The agony that the artist feels from their experience.
It makes me think like a
The suffering influences the singer's thoughts to align with criminal thinking.
When we're alone
The singer's criminal thoughts intensify when they are alone.
Typical enough for me
The idea or action is standard for the artist, it's something they've become accustomed to.
And burn inside in agony
The artist's internal pain is intense and overwhelming.
What power will enable me
The artist seeks the power to take control of their situation and make a decision.
To bury my vision
To put an end to the way the singer sees things, to seek a new perspective.
A hunger coming over me
The desire for something unfulfilled grows stronger within the artist.
As I learn to hide the agony
The singer begins to conceal their pain from others.
To make a final remedy
To find a solution to relieve the singer's pain.
To close the door once and for all
To bring closure to a situation, to put an end to their suffering.
In a world that I don't want to know
The artist wishes to avoid or escape from the harsh reality of the world around them.
With a message that I never want to send
The artist aims to avoid or refrain from communicating something negative or troubling to others.
To be free from all of this
The singer wishes to be released from their current situation and the burden it presents.
I want you to quicken my end
The singer desires an acceleration in the pace of time to expedite their escape from their current state.
Don't tell me I can not go
The artist does not want to be prohibited from moving on or from escaping their current state.
When the wound in me refuses to mend
Even when attempting to heal, the artist's wound remains unhealed.
Deliver me from all of this
The artist hopes to be saved or relieved from their suffering and current state.
It seems the whole experience is
The singer's experience is one of complete and utter misery.
Terrible and crippling
The negative experience is causing great harm and damage to the artist.
The pain is much more then
The singer's pain goes beyond just physical pain, it has taken a toll on them mentally and emotionally as well.
Physical beyond belief
The singer's physical pain is so intense, it is difficult to comprehend.
Now you want to know
The singer realizes that someone else wants to know more about them or their actions.
You want a name
The person inquiring wishes to know the artist's name.
You want to call me motherfucker
The person inquiring may wish to insult or address the artist negatively.
You want to say it doesn't matter
The person inquiring may claim that the singer's identity is not important.
Now that you wanna know
The singer is aware that someone has recently started taking a sudden interest in them.
Now you wanna place
The person inquiring wishes to know the location of the artist.
Now you wanna time
The person inquiring wishes to know the time of the artist's actions.
Now you want it all
The person inquiring wishes to know every detail about the artist and their actions.
Don't say that it isn't so
The singer wants to communicate that their experience is factual and true.
I'm on a path that you'll never comprehend
The artist is on a journey that is too complex for the person inquiring to understand.
Set me free from all of this
The singer desires to be released from their current state of affairs.
I need you to quicken my end
The singer desires an expedited end to their negative situation.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Draiman, Dan Donegan, Mike Wengren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jon Keys
on Land of Confusion
It's a cover of a Genesis song!