Disturbed

Fortified by intricate melodic layers and the unyielding presence of vocalist David Draiman, Disturbed emerged from Chicago as a ferocious, multiplatinum heavy-metal force. Their arrival in 2000 came via The Sickness, an album that climbed to number 29 on the Billboard 200 and later earned five-times-platinum status. Momentum surged two years later when the follow-up Believe became the first of five straight studio releases to enter the chart at number one. After entering a four-year hiatus in 2011 for individual pursuits, the group resurfaced with Immortalized in 2015 and Evolution in 2018, both of which further cemented their standing among the genre’s most commercially dominant acts. Their eighth studio set, Divisive, arrived in 2022 and featured the mainstream-rock chart-topper “Hey You” alongside the Grammy-nominated track “Bad Man.”

The lineup coalesced when three longtime Chicago associates—guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, and bassist Fuzz—joined forces with Draiman near the end of 1996. Raised in a devout household, Draiman had channeled adolescent rebellion into repeated expulsions from five different boarding schools; that same intensity fueled Disturbed’s aggressive sound. Early local support on the city’s South Side led to a demo that secured a deal with Giant Records, which issued the debut The Sickness in March 2000. Additional visibility arrived through a main-stage slot at the 2001 Ozzfest, after which the band launched what they termed a self-directed “victory lap” across the United States. During the same stretch they cut a hard-edged reinterpretation of wrestler Steve Austin’s entrance theme that earned unexpected radio airplay, and they were named among the contributors to a major Faith No More tribute project.

Stepping off the road, the musicians entered the studio intent on documenting their evolution. Teaming with producer Johnny K and mixer Andy Wallace, they crafted a heavier, more eclectic statement that paid homage to the classic-metal records they revered—most notably those by Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and Soundgarden. Released in fall 2002, Believe topped the Billboard 200 and was widely viewed as a more ambitious achievement than its predecessor. Once touring concluded, Fuzz departed and was succeeded by John Moyer, formerly of Union Underground. The concert document Music as a Weapon II surfaced in 2004, followed in September 2005 by the expansive Ten Thousand Fists, which honored the late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell and included a vigorous reading of Genesis’ “Land of Confusion.” The set marked Moyer’s first studio outing with the band and delivered their second consecutive number-one debut.

Indestructible, issued in 2008, found the members assuming production duties themselves; the darker, more atmospheric result earned Disturbed their initial Grammy nomination and another unchallenged chart-topping week. Self-production continued on 2010’s Asylum, which secured a fourth straight number-one entry, yet mounting internal tensions prompted the 2011 release of the rarities collection The Lost Children and an ensuing hiatus.

While apart, Moyer played with Adrenaline Mob and co-founded Art of Anarchy alongside Scott Weiland, Draiman launched the industrial-metal outfit Device, and Donegan and Wengren formed Fight or Flight. A 2014 dinner between Draiman and Donegan rekindled collaborative momentum; the pair resumed songwriting together in the same room for the first time since 2001, and sessions with producer Kevin Churko were scheduled in Las Vegas. The resulting Immortalized, released in August 2015, extended the band’s streak to five consecutive Billboard 200 number-one albums. A live recording captured at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 15 August 2016 was issued later that year. Preceded by the single “Are You Ready,” Evolution arrived in October 2018 as a tribute to the recently deceased Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Vinnie Paul of Pantera; it also welcomed Moyer back into the fold and debuted at number four. The anti-cancel-culture single “Hey You” reached number one on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2022 and anchored the November release of Divisive, whose track “Bad Man” earned a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 66th Grammy Awards.