In the Studio: Disturbed's David Draiman Talks "Indestructible" New Album

For Disturbed singer David Draiman, the past few years have been tumultuous. "I had a motorcycle accident, and I had my garage burn down with most of my vehicles," Draiman tells Rolling Stone. "And I've had really bad relationships that I've been in and out of. They've left their mark." That mark, and how Draiman bounced back from all the bad times, can be heard in the lyrics on the band's self-produced fourth album, Indestructible, which is due next spring. After bouncing around other album titles, the band chose Indestructible because it's a comment on both Draiman's struggles and the band's perseverance in an industry where so many of their musical peers continually disappear into obscurity. To match the tenacity of the lyrics, Draiman asked his bandmates to "give me your darkest, nastiest, aggressive tribal rhythmic shit you can." Draiman also underwent much-needed surgery for a deviated septum, which made his breathing easier and helped amplify what was already considered to be one of the best voices in the genre.

While the band hasn't decided upon a final tracklist -- that'll come after the mixing stage -- Draiman opens up about some of the songs will that definitely wind up on the album. Most obviously, there's the title track, which Draiman calls "an anthem for soldiers" — specifically American soldiers fighting overseas. "It's meant to be something that would make them feel invincible, take away their fear, make them strong," says Draiman. "And that's what this whole body of work on this record does. It's music to help you feel strong."

Spotlighting the band's darker side, there's "Deceiver," inspired by one of those "really bad relationships," and the Edgar Allan Poe-esque tale "Inside the Fire." "That's a real racy song," Draiman admits, "It's about me standing over the body of my girlfriend, who just killed herself, and the Devil is standing over me, whispering in my ear to kill myself."

Another possible candidate for the final tracklist is a cover of Faith No More's "Midlife Crisis," a leftover from a tribute album that never materialized. "We took the song, revamped it and modernized it to our current level, and the version's killer. I can't guarantee that it will make the record, but it will see the light of day regardless."

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter