???Inside the fire lurks a sickness - an ongoing struggle to find one's place in purgatory and climb over the skulls of those who have fallen in its path. The curator of this creeping death, the shadowy figure that cackles and vocalizes noises that would make even Jon Davis twist is disturbed, to say the very least.
???David Draiman, Disturbed vocalist and figurehead for the metal genre has never been one to mute himself. Whether he's dealing with the burden of an ex's suicide, narrowly avoiding death on the road, or snapping on "stupid, sadistic, abusive whores," Draiman has been able to lay pen to his demons and write the darkest, yet catchiest material n??metal has ever mass-produced.
???In an exclusive interview with The Spectrum, Draiman broke down his so-called indestructible barriers and let us inside his cognitive (and at one point physical) castle.
???You'll see what we're talking about.
???"I did at one point [live in a castle]. It was a beautiful place. It was in North Ridge, California in the valley of LA and it was beautiful. I enjoyed it," said Draiman. "But I grew very disenchanted with LA over the five years that I lived there and I really got to the point where I really wasn't leaving the house. So, other than continue to make myself miserable in a town that feeds off of other people's misery, I chose to leave."
???As the misery began to smother him and his sleep rotted into night terrors, Draiman turned to his music - the only way he knew to rid his inner-dissatisfaction and kill off his problems. In the case of Draiman and Disturbed's latest offering Indestructible, this was really the only way to break free.
???It would seem that hearing hoards of fans scream back the lyrics to the darkest moment in Dramain's life - that of the death and guilt placed on him by the father of an ex-girlfriend who committed suicide, as heard in "Inside the Fire," would be a difficult experience.
??? "It was [hard] in the beginning. At this point its just much more liberating than anything else. All these songs are really meant to be cathartic in nature. So, you never feel better until you are able to release your burden," Draiman said. "Every time that we do get to perform it, it's actually a source of relief, as opposed to relieving the pain necessarily. It was only through this song and my being able to really exercise that demon that the nightmares stopped. So, I am very, very happy that it has been taken with as much positive reception as it has."
???The video for "Inside The Fire" depicts Draiman's ex hanging lifeless from a ceiling and his eventual blood-covered carrying of her corpse to the bathroom, cleansing of her body and in the end, the trigger-shy holding of a gun to his mouth as he loses his mind. Filming the video was a far less cathartic experience.
???"That was intensely difficult. You had to relieve the moment and the imagery. And it was very, very difficult. It was a very emotional video for me. It was a hard one to make," Draiman said.
???With a blood-soaked suicide, sleepless nights and near insanity weighing on his mind, it wouldn't seem possible for Disturbed's next release to get any darker. Think again.
???"Given what's happen to me over the course of this record cycle, I would say it's not only possible, but probable. I was engaged, my fianc?(c) left me about three months ago. It became a source of contention with my family because she wasn't Jewish and I am no longer speaking with my family," Draiman said. "So, I've been betrayed on numerous levels. I'm kind of like a fish out of water right now fumbling into a semi-mild state of depression and still recovering from it so believe you me, there's plenty of inspirational material for a very dark and nasty record.
"With this last one, I had to draw from an experience that happened in my teens with 'Inside The Fire' in particular. With this new one, the wounds are very, very fresh so I expect that it will be even more biting," Draiman said.
???Even with the most morbid of lyrical content, Disturbed has managed to top the charts with their last three releases. The only other rock bands to open at number one for three consecutive trials are Van Halen, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Staind and Metallica. Draiman humbly attests this achievement to his fans.
???" It's very, very validating. It's a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our fan base. Nobody could wish for a stronger one. They are amazing and we value them more than life itself," Draiman said.
???The music that these fans crave, the movement that they lead mixes raw emotion with brutal riffing and heavy, breakneck lyrical content. With every story that Draiman hears about how "The Sickness" brings out the intensity deep within or causes someone to feel far more intimidating than they could ever aspire to be, he offers a smile and earnestly encourages more.
???" Oh bring it. That's exactly what it's meant for. All this music is really meant to make you feel strong and strip you of your fear. That's what Indestructible is all about, what this whole record is about," Draiman said. "So definitely. From athletes who've I've been told time and time again listen to it before taking the field of sports, to soldiers who listen to it before taking the field of battle, to people who just use it for inspiration in the gym or to get through drive time on the way home when the dumb mother f*cker in front of you wont move - that's exactly what this is meant for."
???Though most of these affects occur in a private psych-up session, fans do have the chance to unleash their insanity live. With Disturbed currently headlining a live and indestructible run, Draiman offers his advice on the live Disturbed experience.
??? "Well be careful, number one. Don't put yourself in the pit area if you're not prepared for it. We had a guy get pretty much knocked out last night - pulled out limp as a noodle," Draiman said. "Give it everything you've got, because that's why people are there. You shouldn't leave unsatisfied. And the only reason that you would leave unsatisfied is if you don't invest yourself in it. If you invest yourself in the experience, if you let it take hold of you, if you allow it to purge you of the blackness that's in you, then you will leave feeling stronger than you did when you came in."
???Stronger than yesterday and emotionally ignited, Disturbed has not only stuck around in a genre that died out six years ago, but they continue to raise their fist in disgust at an industry that's completely unprepared for today.
???" Unfortunately, the model needs to collapse before it can be reformed. We are suffering for the sins and the greed of people who have dominated this industry and led to its destruction," Draiman said. "The industry didn't see the future coming and they should have. They should have been on the forefront of technology, as opposed to catching up with it and now we are all suffering for it. I think it's going to take the complete up heal of the industry before there can be a rebirth."
???A gifted orator, a metal sophist and true leader, David Draiman is a unique and ever-growing entity in the world of rock. Show your support to his cause and the integrity of his band and check them out at The Main Street Armory in Rochester this Saturday.
???Either that, or open up your hate and let it flow into me.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
