Disturbed is back with Asylum, the follow-up to 2008’s Indestructible, which was the Chicago-based quartet’s fourth million-seller in a row and third No. 1 album. “This record shows a certain degree of maturation and enhanced complexity,” declares frontman David Draiman. “Asylum is still identifiably Disturbed, but the evolution is clear. It preserves the elements of what we do but at a more advanced level.” “Level” meaning volume and content!
Inmates Running The…: The first single off Asylum is “Another Way to Die,” a song that as its title implies, tackles some serious life-changing (ending?) social-political issues. “Obviously it’s referring to the global catastrophe that we know as global warming,” says Draiman, “and the effects that it continues to have on our planet, and our irresponsibility in doing what we do as a species, and our constant appetite, our constant consumption at all costs…no matter what is destroyed, no matter what is laid to rest.” The song, and Draiman’s description of its subject matter, gives a clear indication of the powerful music and message that permeates throughout the album.
The building blocks for Asylum were constructed last summer right after the band wrapped its exhaustive touring cycle. The group officially hunkered down into the studio in February of this year, and as guitarist Dan Donegan explains, immediately began to assemble the record from the ground up. “We took our signature foundation, and we tried to build on that. For every album we’ve pushed ourselves even more than in the past. Asylum is no exception.”
Disturbed’s past began in 2000 with the release of their debut album The Sickness, which produced two instant hard rock classics; “Down with the Sickness” and “Stupify.” Their sophomore release, 2002’s Believe, bowed on the Billboard 200 album sales chart at No. 1, as did the band’s next two records; 2005’s Ten Thousand Fists and 2008’s Indestructible, making them one of only six rock bands in history to have three straight albums debut at the top of the chart.
Most would immediately assume that Asylum’s title refers to a facility that houses mentally disturbed patients. But as Draiman explains, the word has a duel meaning. “The immediate connotation of the world ‘Asylum’ is the image of a mental hospital or sanitarium, but it’s also meant to be a haven or a safe place. Overall, this record is a reflection of that. We want fans to walk away from this record with strength and release. Hopefully, this is an album for people to deal with the insanity of today’s times; it’s another piece of music to help get you through the chaos and madness of the world in which we live.”
Buried Alive: Check out the hard-hitting, thought-provoking video for “Another Way to Die”:
As A Matter of Fact…
* Disturbed is David Draiman (vocals), Dan Donegan (guitars), Mike Wengren (drums), and John Moyer (bass).
* Disturbed has sold over 11 million albums worldwide and owns eight No. 1 rock singles.
* In 2003, current bassist John Moyer replaced original bassist Steve “Fuzz” Kmak.
* Disturbed’s current stint on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival with Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Halestorm, and HELLYEAH, among others, continues through October 4 in Madison, WI.