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".
Guarded
Disturbed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Now I want you when you're done
And now it's like you're holding something
Well then I can't allow this to become another
One of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead
There's no compromise
Just another tie
I know I need to sever
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Ever haunted by the trappings of this life
Sweet redemption just in front of me
Well now it seems once again that I've lost another
One of the one's that have broke through the wall, damned
Fate won't compromise
I have sold my soul
And now the devil's laughing
You did decide
You were bold and strong
And ready to begin your life
All for nothing
You were sacrificed
You begin alone
And so it will be when you die
All for nothing
Will you be remembered
You did decide
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
So now you know why the devil is laughing
He left you with nothing tonight
You did decide
The lyrics to Disturbed's song Guarded depict feelings of hurt and betrayal towards someone who has guarded themselves against love, leaving the singer haunted and left with nothing. The repeated line "Guarding yourself from the love of another left you with nothing tonight" highlights the damage caused by being closed-off and untrusting in relationships. The imagery of the devil laughing suggests a sense of malevolence or evil, possibly indicating that the guarded person's inability to love has harmful consequences for both themselves and those around them.
The singer expresses an intense desire for the guarded person, but feels that they are holding something back, preventing any sort of meaningful connection. The lines "Just in front of me / Well then I can't allow this to become another one of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead" suggest that the singer has been hurt in the past and doesn't want to repeat that experience. They know they need to sever ties with the guarded person in order to protect themselves from further pain.
The second half of the song delves deeper into the theme of lost opportunities and regret. The line "Ever haunted by the trappings of this life" suggests a sense of being trapped or stuck in a certain way of living, unable to break free. The mention of "Sweet redemption just in front of me" suggests that the singer sees a way out of this cycle, but has lost the opportunity to take it. The end of the song questions the guarded person's legacy, wondering if their decision to close themselves off from love was worth the sacrifice they made.
Overall, Guarded is a powerful portrayal of the damaging effects of emotional withdrawal and fear of vulnerability in relationships. It highlights the pain caused not just to the guarded individual, but to those around them who are denied the chance to connect on a deeper level.
Line by Line Meaning
Guarding yourself from the love of another
You're afraid of getting hurt again, so you won't let anyone close to you.
Left you with nothing tonight
You're all alone and have no one to turn to.
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
You're in so much emotional pain that it feels like it's the work of something demonic.
Leaving me haunted tonight
I'm scared and anxious because of what's happened.
You did decide
You made this choice to guard yourself, even if it's hurting you now.
Now I want you when you're done
Now that you're no longer guarding yourself, I want to be with you.
And now it's like you're holding something
You're still hesitant and holding back in your feelings towards me.
Just in front of me
You're so close to opening up, but still so far away.
Well then I can't allow this to become another
I can't let this happen again, where you shut me out and leave me feeling empty.
One of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead
I can't handle being pushed away and feeling dead inside anymore.
There's no compromise
You won't budge on your stance and we can't find a middle ground.
Just another tie
Our relationship is just another burden and source of pain for both of us.
I know I need to sever
I know that for my own mental health, I need to end things between us.
Ever haunted by the trappings of this life
You're trapped and weighed down by your past experiences that still haunt you.
Sweet redemption just in front of me
There's hope for you to heal and move forward, but it's still out of reach.
Well now it seems once again that I've lost another
It feels like every time I get close to you, you push me away and I lose you.
One of the one's that have broke through the wall, damned
I was one of the few people who managed to break through your defenses, but now I'm damned to lose you again.
Fate won't compromise
We can't change what's meant to happen between us.
I have sold my soul
I've given up everything for this relationship, even my identity.
And now the devil's laughing
The pain and suffering we're experiencing is bringing the devil joy.
You were bold and strong
You were brave and confident in your decision to guard yourself from love.
And ready to begin your life
You were ready to move forward and start a new chapter in your life.
All for nothing
But now it feels like all of that strength was for nothing because you're still alone and hurting.
You were sacrificed
You sacrificed your own happiness and the chance of love to protect yourself from being hurt.
You begin alone
You'll always be alone if you don't let yourself open up to love.
And so it will be when you die
If you continue on this path, you'll be alone for the rest of your life.
Will you be remembered
Will you be happy with the legacy you leave behind, even if that legacy is being alone?
So now you know why the devil is laughing
The devil is laughing at the fact that you're alone and hurting because of your own decisions.
He left you with nothing tonight
Your fear of love left you with nothing but pain and regret.
You did decide
You made the choice to guard yourself even if it meant being alone forever.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAN DONEGAN, DAVID DRAIMAN, MICHAEL WENGREN, MIKE WENGREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vincedprime
Lyrics
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Now I want you when you're done
And now it's like you're holding something
Just in front of me
Well then I can't allow this to become another
One of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead
There's no compromise
Just another tie
I know I need to sever
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Ever haunted by the trappings of this life
Sweet redemption just in front of me
Well now it seems once again that I've lost another
One of the one's that have broke through the wall, damned
Fate won't compromise
I have sold my soul
And now the devil's laughing
You did decide
You were bold and strong
And ready to begin your life
All for nothing
You were sacrificed
You begin alone
And so it will be when you die
All for nothing
Will you be remembered
You did decide
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
So now you know why the devil is laughing
He left you with nothing tonight
You did decide
@Dargox59
[Intro]
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
[Verse 1]
Now I want you when you’re gone, and now it’s like
You’re holding something just in front of me
Well, then, I can’t allow this to become another
One of those times that I’m left in the cold dead
There’s no compromise
Just another tie
I know I need to sever
[Chorus]
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
[Verse 2]
Ever haunted by the trappings of this life
Sweet redemption just in front of me
Well, now, it seems, once again, that I’ve lost another
One of the ones that have broke through the wall damned
Fate won’t compromise
I have sold my soul
And now the devil’s laughing
You did decide
[Bridge]
You were bold and strong and ready to begin your life
All for nothing, you were sacrificed
You began alone, and so it will be when you die
All for nothing, will you be remembered?
You did decide
[Outro]
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
So, now you know why the devil is laughing
He left you with nothing tonight
You did decide
@josephbenuzzi159
Well then I can't allow this to become another
One of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead
There's no compromise
Just another tie
I know I need to sever
Well now it seems once again that I've lost another
One of the one's that have broke through the wall, damned
Fate won't compromise
I have sold my soul
And now the devil's laughing
@bentonhennessey2026
I love how so many of disturbed’s songs start off so fast
@bongo773
I'm with you on that!
@superfly2506
Hell yeah
@joetroutt7425
Or at least they use to.
@cameronmuise14
9 year old me was pumped when this song played on mx vs atv untamed
@c.j.w
I love this game
@ElijahTVofficial
No lies said here....man does time fly😂😮💨
@ioszeged7274
I'm so glad these songs are what I associate with my childhood/teen years
@vincedprime
Lyrics
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Now I want you when you're done
And now it's like you're holding something
Just in front of me
Well then I can't allow this to become another
One of those times when I'm left in the cold, dead
There's no compromise
Just another tie
I know I need to sever
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing
Leaving me haunted tonight
You did decide
Ever haunted by the trappings of this life
Sweet redemption just in front of me
Well now it seems once again that I've lost another
One of the one's that have broke through the wall, damned
Fate won't compromise
I have sold my soul
And now the devil's laughing
You did decide
You were bold and strong
And ready to begin your life
All for nothing
You were sacrificed
You begin alone
And so it will be when you die
All for nothing
Will you be remembered
You did decide
Guarding yourself from the love of another
Left you with nothing tonight
So now you know why the devil is laughing
He left you with nothing tonight
You did decide
@franklinlorenzocruz8988
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