1
Indestructible more than an album title Fri 10 Apr 2009, 00:37
CrowX
Administrator
by JimAbbott
Apr 9, 2009
Grammy recognition isn’t exactly a key to credibility when you’re headlining the Music As a Weapon Tour, but Disturbed frontman David Draiman is still honored that his band received its first nomination this year.
"Inside the Fire," a track off the band’s Indestructible album, didn’t win, but as the saying goes: "It’s a tremendous honor just to be nominated," Draiman says in a phone interview before a recent show in Utica, N.Y. (Disturbed tops the bill Saturday, April 11, when Music As a Weapon hits Amway Arena in Orlando.)
Even more important, the title of the new album also describes the longevity of Disturbed. Almost a decade after the emergence of nu-metal, the hybrid of rap and heavy metal, many of the genre’s bands have faded into obscurity.
Disturbed, however, is still a force.
"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," Draiman says. "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. [Black] Sabbath, [Iron] Maiden, [Judas] Priest, Metallica, Pantera: These are the bands that made us want to play.
"If we came out 20 years ago would anyone have slapped a label on us? I think we would have fit very well. So we transcended all that because we were never a part of it. Also, we were very fortunate to have the ability to put out consistent records."
The title of the band’s latest album, Indestructible, is about more than the band’s longevity. To Draiman, it reflects the way the music makes you feel.
"It’s empowering music, meant to make you feel strong," he says "and that’s where the notion comes from."
Now, Draiman says, he already has ideas percolating for the next Disturbed album. His writing method is rather unorthodox.
"[Guitarist] Danny [Donegan] has a whole bunch of riffage stored up, but nothing is translated to song structures yet. That has to take place off the road."
After the band members bat around various musical ideas, it’s left to Draiman to formulate the lyrics.
"I’ll start improvising with vocals and melodies and the process will begin."
So does he keep journals or scraps of ideas on hand as a starting point, for songs that are intensely personal.
"Not at all, to be honest," Draiman says. "What’s going on musically should indicate what should be written lyrically. The music makes you feel a certain way and that’s why you put pen to paper. Otherwise, it’s like fitting a round peg into a square hole. The music should speak to you first."
In challenging economic times for the music business, Disturbed has embraced the digital revolution, offering exclusive advance versions of the album and its songs on its Web site, ahead of retail release.
"You can’t fight technology," he says. "You can’t fight the future and the record industry should have seen this coming years ago. They were so married to a retail infrastructure that made more money in the short term that they didn’t see the big picture.
"I don’t question the fans’ hunger for music. Downloads happen by the billions. Fans still come to see live shows. Our crowds have been growing, so I don’t think desire is waning in any way."
On stage, Draiman admits the performing is more physically demanding as he gets older.
"It’s rigorous, the life on the road. It takes its toll on you."
Yet, as he looks out on the crowds, Draiman is energized.
"It’s really diverse crowds, all age groups, all walks of life, colors of skin. There’s no boundaries in terms of our fan base. It’s refreshing to see a whole new generation of people, who couldn’t have been into us when The Sickness came out, now aware of the band.
"That leads us to believe we’ll have a career for some time."
Link- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Apr 9, 2009
Grammy recognition isn’t exactly a key to credibility when you’re headlining the Music As a Weapon Tour, but Disturbed frontman David Draiman is still honored that his band received its first nomination this year.
"Inside the Fire," a track off the band’s Indestructible album, didn’t win, but as the saying goes: "It’s a tremendous honor just to be nominated," Draiman says in a phone interview before a recent show in Utica, N.Y. (Disturbed tops the bill Saturday, April 11, when Music As a Weapon hits Amway Arena in Orlando.)
Even more important, the title of the new album also describes the longevity of Disturbed. Almost a decade after the emergence of nu-metal, the hybrid of rap and heavy metal, many of the genre’s bands have faded into obscurity.
Disturbed, however, is still a force.
"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," Draiman says. "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. [Black] Sabbath, [Iron] Maiden, [Judas] Priest, Metallica, Pantera: These are the bands that made us want to play.
"If we came out 20 years ago would anyone have slapped a label on us? I think we would have fit very well. So we transcended all that because we were never a part of it. Also, we were very fortunate to have the ability to put out consistent records."
The title of the band’s latest album, Indestructible, is about more than the band’s longevity. To Draiman, it reflects the way the music makes you feel.
"It’s empowering music, meant to make you feel strong," he says "and that’s where the notion comes from."
Now, Draiman says, he already has ideas percolating for the next Disturbed album. His writing method is rather unorthodox.
"[Guitarist] Danny [Donegan] has a whole bunch of riffage stored up, but nothing is translated to song structures yet. That has to take place off the road."
After the band members bat around various musical ideas, it’s left to Draiman to formulate the lyrics.
"I’ll start improvising with vocals and melodies and the process will begin."
So does he keep journals or scraps of ideas on hand as a starting point, for songs that are intensely personal.
"Not at all, to be honest," Draiman says. "What’s going on musically should indicate what should be written lyrically. The music makes you feel a certain way and that’s why you put pen to paper. Otherwise, it’s like fitting a round peg into a square hole. The music should speak to you first."
In challenging economic times for the music business, Disturbed has embraced the digital revolution, offering exclusive advance versions of the album and its songs on its Web site, ahead of retail release.
"You can’t fight technology," he says. "You can’t fight the future and the record industry should have seen this coming years ago. They were so married to a retail infrastructure that made more money in the short term that they didn’t see the big picture.
"I don’t question the fans’ hunger for music. Downloads happen by the billions. Fans still come to see live shows. Our crowds have been growing, so I don’t think desire is waning in any way."
On stage, Draiman admits the performing is more physically demanding as he gets older.
"It’s rigorous, the life on the road. It takes its toll on you."
Yet, as he looks out on the crowds, Draiman is energized.
"It’s really diverse crowds, all age groups, all walks of life, colors of skin. There’s no boundaries in terms of our fan base. It’s refreshing to see a whole new generation of people, who couldn’t have been into us when The Sickness came out, now aware of the band.
"That leads us to believe we’ll have a career for some time."
Link- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
