Bloody-Disgusting is on a roll this week as we present yet another awesome interview for all you readers! This time, we’ve got an interview with the singer of multi-platinum selling band Disturbed, David Draiman! About to hit the road for the Rockstar Uproar Festival with co-headliners Avenged Sevenfold (interview HERE), we spoke about the visual aspects of touring, the upcoming album, “Asylum”, and, of course, David’s thoughts on horror and some of his favorite horror movies! You can check it all after the jump!
“Asylum” will be hitting stores on Aug. 31st in the United States. You can pre-order it
HERE!
How are you doing?
Good, yourself?
Doing quite well, thanks! So, Disturbed is about to hit the road for the Rockstar Uproar Festival. What are you expecting on this tour?
Well, I head to Chicago tomorrow to start rehearsing with the guys and getting everything all nice and tight. We’ve been spending the past couple of months putting together the production elements for the live show. It’s definitely going to be a look and an aspect of the live show for Disturbed that people have never seen from the band before. Definitely very dramatic and theatrical and very visually stimulating and we’re really looking forward to letting people see it.
Are you playing any songs off the new album “Asylum” during this tour?
We are definitely planning on playing some new songs, as least two or three songs off the new record. For the Uproar Tour itself specifically we only have a 60 minute set because there is so much talent being packed into that bill. So it’s a limited amount of time. So you kind of need to still pay respect to the catalog, you gotta play the classic Disturbed hits and get them in there while still introducing enough of the new material so that people get a good taste of it. So there definitely will be a few songs from the new record “Asylum”.
Speaking of “Asylum”, the album drops August 31st in the States. What are the feelings around the Disturbed camp while waiting for this date?
We’re nervous as hell! [laughs]
[laughs]
We’re look forward to it the same way we always do; with eager anticipation and hoping that we can continue to build the momentum of what we’ve created up to this point. There’s always that sort of delicious nervousness that comes with the release of a record. We’re just really chomping at the bit to have it out there and get people’s reactions to it and to really be able to play more of this material.
Disturbed is one of the biggest names in the metal scene these days and has achieved this by evolving and growing with each record release. What can fans expect from the new album? Will there be any surprises?
I think there are a few. I think that we definitely go in some directions that we haven’t before: The instrumental moments on the record, there’s some instrumental and more laid back introductory pieces to a number of songs, whether it’s to the title track itself, “Asylum”, or to “Another Way to Die” or a couple of other different spots on the record. There is definitely a little bit of new terrain that we’re trying to cover. Especially with this record, I think it shows a good amount of maturation, the songs are more complex, the hooks are as convincing if not more than just about any other record we’ve done and I think the ultimate test will be what the fans think of it and not so much what we think of it. So hopefully everyone feels as good about it as we do.
There was video released for “Another Way to Die” that was comprised of newsreel footage while the lyrics of the song scrolled at the bottom of the screen like news bits. It was a very clever way to approach the lyric music video that is very popular on YouTube. However, there is going to be another video for the song soon. Can you give me any hint as to what we can expect visually from that video?
Well, it’s definitely dealing with the subject matter. It definitely is meant to draw the effects of the indulgent life that most people lead. It is meant to draw a contrast to things and to show the effects of the abuse we causing to our planet.
Disturbed has always been a band to push boundaries, not only in music, but also in visuals. Many of the visuals that the band has put forth are very much based in horror. Can you tell me why Disturbed has that connection?
I guess we just enjoy scaring people sometimes! [laughs]
[laughs]
You know, I think there is not much more frightening or graphic than what we did with the “Inside the Fire” video, off our last record cycle. It’s always kind of fun to perform covered in blood [laughs]. It just does something to your mood and your vibe and the way you approach the camera and there’s just something to coming from the more frightening aspect of things. I remember, way way back in the day when we just first started out as a band, we always used to say we’d rather be a band that instead of the band that gets all the chicks we’d rather be the band that scares all the chicks. Just how we approached.
Well, I’m pretty sure that a lot of bands would NOT share that sentiment, so kudos to you!
[laughs] No problem!
What are some of your personal favorite horror movies?
You know, I’m really a fan of the old school stuff. I love The Exorcist. I love the original The Howling. I’m a fan of the Underworld films but I don’t necessarily consider them horror. I like the original Halloween. I like what Rob [Zombie] did with it as well. I like stuff that’s more implied as opposed to the real nasty, gory stuff that’s in your face kind of thing. Although I did kind of enjoy Drag Me To Hell recently: It was one of my favorite ones of recent memory.
David, thank you very much for your time and I wish you the best of luck with the release of “Asylum” and I hope that all the touring you guys are gearing up for goes well!
Thank you very much, bro. We appreciate it.
Absolutely. Take care.
You too.
