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".
Intoxication
Disturbed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You tell me you want it
You're mine
And you don't need another one
Come on and tell me you like it
Tell me you want it
You're mine
And another one to me
What can you take from me
That which you cannot buy
Exhilaration
Laughing and turning away
What will you take from me
Now that you are inside
Intoxication
Now are you feeling
Enough, to vilify what I love
To sanctify all I hate
Endowed with the need
To carry over the life I lead
Intoxicating
The song "Intoxication" by Disturbed is an intense and powerful song that seems to explore themes of seduction, control, and addiction. The lyrics are spoken from the point of view of the seducer, who is urging their target to give into their desires and become "intoxicated" with them. The repeated phrase "Tell me you like it" implies a certain level of manipulation and control, with the seducer demanding that their target submit to their will. The mention of "enough, to vilify what I love / to sanctify all I hate" suggests a level of obsession and possibly even violence on the part of the seducer, who is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their target under their control.
The use of the word "intoxication" throughout the song is particularly interesting, as it can refer both to the physical sensation of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as well as the emotional and psychological effects of being consumed by desire or obsession. By equating these two forms of intoxication, the song suggests that the seductive power of desire can be just as addictive and destructive as any chemical substance.
Line by Line Meaning
Now you tell me you like it
You are expressing to me that you enjoy it
You tell me you want it
You are communicating the desire that you have for it
You're mine
You belong to me
And you don't need another one
You are satisfied with me and do not require anyone else
Come on and tell me you like it
Encouraging you to inform me that you like it
Tell me you want it
I want you to communicate your desire for it again
You're mine
I possess you
And another one to me
Furthermore, you express that you do not need another person other than me
What can you take from me
What do you have the ability to extract from me
That which you cannot buy
You cannot purchase what you are attempting to take from me
Exhilaration
A feeling of excitement and happiness
Laughing and turning away
You are rejecting me and finding it amusing
What will you take from me
What are you going to take from me now
Now that you are inside
Now that you have entered my life
Intoxication
Feeling extremely euphoric
Now are you feeling
Are you experiencing the way you want to feel
Enough, to vilify what I love
You have reached the point where you criticize what I love too much
To sanctify all I hate
To elevate everything that I dislike to a holy status
Endowed with the need
You possess an overwhelming desire
To carry over the life I lead
To live the same life as mine
Intoxicating
Producing an ecstatic feeling
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAN DONEGAN, DAVID DRAIMAN, MICHAEL WENGREN, MIKE WENGREN, STEVE KMAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jon Keys
on Land of Confusion
It's a cover of a Genesis song!