Disturbed proved that they are Indestructible with the release of their last album, and now they’re back again to show exactly what they’re made of with Asylum (out now), their fifth studio release to date. Below, drummer Mike Wengren delves into the dark past of the band which inspired some of Disturbed’s darkest lyrics ever, the message behind their new music video Another Way To Die, and why you’ll want to catch them on the road this fall with the First Annual Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival with Avenged Sevenfold, Hellyeah and Stone Sour!

It was only a little over a year ago that we caught up with you guys about your last album, Indestructible. Not much time has passed, and here you are again with the release of your fifth studio album, Asylum. There seems to be a lot of fire behind this record, would you agree with that?
Once we get off the road and we have a little bit of time to decompress, it actually only takes Danny and I about a month before it’s time to start writing. He always has a bunch of riffs in mind.

When we’re home, we miss touring. We miss working with the music, so it’s a natural progression for us to just start writing.

Why did you decide to name this record Asylum?
This is a good question. Asylum basically has a dual meaning. Most people assume when you talk about an asylum it’s like an insane asylum. There are definitely some aspects of the music that would tie in with that. At the same time, asylum also has another meaning where it means a safe haven, a safe place. So it just seemed to really fit this body of work and what we stand behind.

This album finds the band in a much darker place, working through some very personal and heartbreaking moments in your lives as reflected in one of the songs “My Child.” Do you feel that writing this album has helped the band heal some?
The music is always cathartic for us. It’s always a means of release and a means to heal. We always write from real life experiences and I think that’s why fans are able to connect with the music. We’re not the only ones who go through those things. Everybody does in their daily lives to some capacity. They may hear a certain song that reflects on something that they’ve gone through in their lives as well.

Similarly to Indestructible, you guys decided to self-produce this record. What kind of freedom does that offer you creatively?
Well, there isn’t anyone else in the room other than us who is adding his two cents to the music. At the same time, we don’t think it’s necessary at this point in our careers to say we would shut [a producer] down. We’re open to whatever might happen in the future. There’s no one that we trust better than each other. We’ve been together for so long, we know each other, we can anticipate each other’s moves. We’re the ones capable of getting the best performances out of each other.

You recently released your music video for “Another Way To Die,” which addresses global warming. Why was it important for you to get out this message?
We’re all getting older now, and three out of four of us have children. We want to see the Earth being taken care of for our children and our grandchildren and just for future generations.

Are you really eco-conscious in your daily life?
We definitely practice what we preach to a certain degree, but we’re not any kind of crazy green freaks or anything like that. We do recycle in our own homes and we try to be energy conscious, turning off lights here and there. You know, all the little things.

I read that the band wrote a song called “Three” that touches on what went on with the West Memphis Three. Three teens were found guilty of murder, without evidence, because of the stereotypes surrounding the way they dressed and the music this listened to. Unfortunately, this song didn’t make the record. Do you still plan on releasing it?
We’re looking for the right avenue to get it out there, whether it be a soundtrack or something else. We’ve heard that there’s a new documentary that’s either in the works or just finished regarding those guys and if they’re looking for a song for the soundtrack, we have the perfect one right here.

Fans can get a sneak peak of Asylum by listening to “Never Again” on your site. What inspired you this song?
“Never Again” is about the Nazi Holocaust and about genocide in general. Most of the time when you think about Holocausts and genocide, the first thing people think about is the Nazi Holocaust, but then you have people like Ahmadinejad publicly denounce it and say that it never happened. That’s very recent. And you have all the recent occurrences, like the genocide happening in Darfur.

I think what initially inspired it was that David’s family is Jewish. Almost half his family on his mother’s side was wiped out during the Holocaust. His grandmother escaped the camps just before they were liberated and she still bares the tattoo on her arm. So it’s very close and dear to him.

You’re on the road this fall on the First Annual Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival with Stone Sour, Hellyeah and Avenged Sevenfold. What are you most enjoying about the tour?
Oh, we’re having a great time out here with those guys. We’ve been friends with most of those guys for so long. It’s just great to reunite with our buddies and be out on the road with them. We have a lot of respect for these guys and they’re great players. We love going and watching them perform. Watching their show inspires us to go up on stage and do our thing. It’s probably the biggest and most intense show you’ve ever seen from us. So everybody go out and get the record, then come check us out when we come to your town.

What artist that you’ve been listening to lately you’d want to recommend to fans?
I’ve been listening to lots of the new Avenged Sevenfold record. Nightmare is a great record. They did a great job with that. It’s great to see them after the passing of Jimmy be able to continue on his legacy

Are there any must-have items you always have on the tour bus with you?
Of course, you have to have your normal things like your water and your beer and probably some Jagermeister there in the freezer. Now we’re traveling with some of our families, so right along with the Jagermeister is diapers and formula. As long as you don’t mix the Jagermeister with the formula, you’re okay.