< Disturbed

Disturbed/Characters

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The band members of Disturbed.

  • The Alleged Car: The band used to travel around in a Minnie Winnie RV. Cheap, ugly, embarrassingly lame and with "Minnie Winnie" in giant letters on its side, they were pretty pleased to start making enough to afford a tour bus.
  • Badass Biker/Cool Bike: The band likes playing at motorcycle rallies, MAAW IV had live motocross performances and the band is planning some project with the motorcycle drama series "Sons of Anarchy".
  • Badass Crew: They were essentially formed as Chicago's hard rock supergroup of hard workers; no one in any of the other bands had quite as much drive (Fuzz once admitted that several of them were more talented than him but lazy).
  • Empathic Environment: Invoked; Dan likes to record in the winter, when the weather is at its most miserable, believing it can bring out a darker kind of song-writing. The other members may or may not agree with this.
  • Five-Man Band: Sort of. Not all five of them have been there at one time, but they otherwise fit:
    • Team Pet: According to the rest of the band, this spot was occupied by David's purebred Akita Lisa, because he could always be found walking her between shows as a sort of unofficial tour mascot. Since her passing from aggressive bone cancer (incurable and anguishing, forcing David to put her down), this spot will probably be next occupied by his new puppy, also an Akita.[1]
  • Humble Beginnings: The first thing that the fully formed band ever did together (after a few words) was play an improvised instrumental while David ad-libbed a vocal melody, applying lyrics as he went. This eventually became Want from the Sickness album.
  • I Don't Know Mortal Kombat: Like every other band who's tried playing their own songs on a videogame, they suck at Rock Band.
    • Though recently, Mike was commenting on how interesting it is that the Rock Band series is heading in the stringed instrument direction (not to mention the addition of cymbals and keyboards).
  • Local Hangout: The band has confessed that despite all their money they still eat at the same cheap chicken place in south-side Chicago. They've made it into this during their stays in Chicago (since they all live in different parts of the country now).
    • Being the Chicagoans they are, when they're not going to this place/living in the studio, they're ordering pizza.
  • The Nicknamer: To each other; Danny, Mikey and Dave have replaced their regular names within the group. Oddly, only John hasn't received this yet, but he is allowed to use the other's nicknames (observant fans may note that he started doing this during or after the Indestructible touring cycle). Generally in the world of Disturbed you know you've gotten close to them when you can call them by a nickname.
  • Real Men Eat Meat: They may not subscribe to this belief, but the entire band seems to be collectively carnivorous.
  • Troll: When asked why they covered a U2 song, Dan answered "To piss off the haters". That being said, John and David count themselves as a U2 fans, so it did have more meaning beyond that.
  • True Companions: The band is known for their comradeship.

David Michael Draiman - Vocals

Ooh-WA-AH-AH-AH!

Primary Influences:

"If I had a dollar for every time somebody asked me to make that damn noise..."

Vocalist, lyricist and animal-crier. David has received singing training since he was a boy, his family hoping he would be a choir leader like his great grandfather, who was the cantor for one of the largest synagogues of Jerusalem. His family believe this is where he got his voice from. David first took an interest in rock music at age 12 on a Sunday night (the sabbath) where he snuck out to a small club in Chicago. Within was a local punk band playing Ramones and Misfits covers along with a few originals. David says he was mesmerized by the energy of the band and crowd, deciding his destiny that moment.

David sang in multiple bands throughout high school, varying in genre (first punk, then classic rock, later Chili Peppers-esque funk and probably many others). He says Disturbed was his first real attempt at metal, though he's always wanted to play the genre. His last band before singing in Disturbed was closely in line with Faith No More.

Disturbed was fully formed after he answered their ad in the Illinois entertainer looking for a singer (David says he'd answered roughly 20 other ads that month). After briefly talking with the band (called "Brawl" at the time), when asked what cover he wanted to try - having grown weary of the monotony of auditioning - he told them to play anything at all while he sings (if nothing else he came off as an unusual individual). Jamming one of their originals awkwardly, David listened for a minute, found a melody and sang what would become the song "Want" and the first incarnation of Disturbed's style. The band took to him immediately.

Shortly after being accepted into Brawl, David suggested to them a name he'd been contemplating for much of his life: "Disturbed". Liking the title, and with no better ideas of their own, they changed their name to his suggestion, and thus Disturbed was complete.

In 2005 during a small-scale tour in support of Ten Thousand Fists, David was diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection, forcing the band to cancel that run. He'd developed a bleed (ruptured a capillary in the vocal cord) caused by severe acid reflux, forcing him to go into surgery to repair a valve at the top of the stomach which had eroded away, useless as breathing tool - he'd been a long-time sufferer of violent acid reflux, his vocal chords often being bathed in acid while lying down and sleeping. He also happens to have high tolerance to drugs/medicine, which had caused his medication to lose its effect (this has become something a paranoia for him). Later next year he underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum which had been giving him breathing problems, caused by several broken noses throughout his life (in his words "Most people's noses are straight, mine was more like a S"). Essentially for the first two albums he was almost incapable of breathing through his nose on command.[2] After all this he's sworn off alcohol and rarely takes unnecessary risks, such as over-shouting on stage (which may have something to do with his steady move from Careful with That Axe to the Metal Scream in recent albums[3]). Recently the band was forced to cancel their short American leg prior to the Uproar Festival[4] because a negligent doctor overdosed on the allergy shot he'd been taking, sending him into anaphylactic shock (he'd been told that if he sang he'd be risking permanent damage). More recently the band has had to cancel the final dates of their MAAW V fest due to David losing his voice.

Despite all the many set-backs maligning him, David has been often regarded as one of the better vocalists in recent memory; in a time when most of his contemporaries scream, he sings (powerfully at that). Be it rock, metal, punk, alternative or funk, there aren't many voices that sound quite like him. Cherish him while he's around; there may never be a sound-alike.

During Disturbed's hiatus he says he has a project in the works with several other musicians that will have an Nine Inch Nails/Rammstein/Ministry-esque Industrial bend. He claims to be working with Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of Filter (Short Bus to The Amalgamut).

  • Alliterative Name, Awesome McCoolname: David Draiman. Just say it out loud.
  • Ate His Gun: The Inside the Fire video.
  • Badass: He even fits the general badass mold: he has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has studied Krav Maga and Hapkido.
  • Badass Biker: He doesn't just own multiple Harleys, he can use them.
  • Badass Bookworm: Some of his favorites include The Stand, The Catcher in The Rye and The Da Vinci Code.
  • Badass Longcoat: In the Prayer video.
  • Bald of Awesome
  • Berserk Button: He hates it when audience members refuse to stand up in concert (they don't necessarily have to mosh).
  • Big No: He gives one in the Inside The Fire video.
  • Born Unlucky/Trauma Conga Line: Whenever he recounts the things that've happened to him during the break between touring and the studio (or perhaps even during) his list seems almost comically large, filled with contrived mishaps and unlikely occurrences (the band likes to think of it as his personal black cloud that makes for excellent lyrical material). He wrote "The Curse" about this.
    • As a for-instance, the way his voice gives out as often as it does has never really been his fault, as explained above. That doesn't even get to all the times he's popped ribs from singing too hard.
  • Careful with That Axe: Rather than the clean belting he does now, during The Sickness he would often just scream and shout like a madman. This is most obvious in "Conflict", "The Game" and "Droppin' Plates".
  • Catch Phrase: He ends every concert with "Say our name with us now, my brothers, my sisters, my blood", followed by "We Are! Disturbed!" (Audience Participation included).
  • Celebrity Resemblance: Howie Mandel. David is very unhappy about.
"Anything else he does to get closer to looking like me is copyright infringement"
—David on Mandel wearing a double labret on his chin.
  • Evil Laugh/Laughing Mad: He tends to play both the narrator and the subject in the stories he weaves, so these overlap. He seems to really enjoy doing this live.
  • Handicapped Badass: His throat, lung, stomach and breathing problems have never stopped him from singing with the best of them.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Fuzz once pointed a camera at him before getting up on stage while saying into it "Hey look, everybody, it's Rob Halford!"
  • Iconic Item: The double-labret piercings in his chin, sometimes called "Fangs" or an "Artificial Beard".
  • I Have No Son: The case with his entire family throughout much of his life. His grandfather (who he ended up dedicating the Believe record to) and him didn't speak for years after he chose to become a rock star (they eventually reconciled).

"I'm the antithesis of everything that [my parents] tried to raise me as. I'm the lead singer of Disturbed. If I was Neil Diamond or Tom Jones or some shit like that, I think they'd feel better about it."

  • Important Haircut: He once had a (albeit, very short) head of hair during the group's underground days. He shaved it to the Bald of Awesome he now sports before the recording process of The Sickness, so he's never been known in the public eye as ever having hair.

"When we officially knew that we had our deal, and I knew I could quit my job, there are two things I did right away: shave my head and do the piercing I had been thinking of for the longest time."

  • Incredibly Long Note: Not his trademark, but he's rather competent at it.
  • The Insomniac: Roughly 5 hours of sleep every night, even in a relaxed state (such as during a band hiatus).
  • Kubrick Stare: So very common in his promotional images.
  • Large Ham: During live shows he's been described as everything from a motivational speaker to evangelist-esque healer to high priest of a twisted sermon. See for yourself.
  • Melismatic Vocals: Setting him apart from his contemporaries, he has a natural knack for these, given his heritage. It's a skill he doesn't use very often, because it wouldn't fit very well in the kind of music he sings to, but it can make surprise appearances.
  • Memetic Outfit: Even before Slipknot got famous for it, David has been using jumpsuits since before the band was signed, though today he's taken more to black jumpsuits, usually ones that sport the Believe symbol.
  • Metal Scream: He's becoming better at it (but he's still no Rob Halford or Chris Cornell, which he laments).
  • Milking the Giant Cow: Furthering his Large Ham status, constantly, both live and in videos.
  • Must Have Caffeine: One of his other addiction displacements. He says can just can't get off of Star Bucks.
  • Nice Jewish Boy: He describes himself as this before discovering rock.
  • No Indoor Voice: This isn't just a live trope; he's not shy about abusing the CAPSLOCK button whenever he's on the internet, as can be seen on his Myspace and Twitter.
    • "I WILL NEVER SUBMIT!!! ALL CAPS!!! ALL THE TIME!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!"
    • "CANT...STOP...YELLING..."
    • "I WILL NEVER DENY MY CAPS!!!"
    • "I WILL NEVER TURN OFF CAPS LOCK. GET OVER IT...."
    • "NO, EVERYTHING IS JUST REALLY LOUD (IN MY HEAD)", "ITS JUST MY THING" (in response to why he does this)

"Dude, what's with the Capslock?"
""I LOVE IT LOUD"
"Why are you shouting?"

"ALWAYS DO"
—Just a few other responses
  • The Philosopher: According to his majors. He also loves to post his favorite quotes by famous philosophers on his Twitter page.
  • Psychotic Smirk: He's prone to this during videos. A certain facial contortion he makes inspired the Guy's face.
  • Real Men Eat Meat: When asked "What food would you be?", he answered steak, unaware that Dan answered the same thing. His fridge is regularly packed with various marinating meats (though as a relic of his long-dead spirituality, he only eats kosher food).
    • During one of his mid-concert speeches describing the might and greatness of metal, he compared pop music to a sweet dessert while likening metal to "a big, fat fucking steak". You would've had to have been there for that to sound cool (and keep in mind that these speeches are mainly improvised).
  • Scatting: He can do this unintentionally at times, often when he can't hear himself. He apparently picked up some reggae ability during one of his band tenures in high school.
  • The Smart Guy: Lyricist with majors in business administration, social sciences and philosophy. Also has the strongest vocabulary and general knowledge of world events, leaving him to conduct the most interviews.
  • So Happy Together: His former fiancée Jasmine. He said multiple times to the linear notes of Indestructible about how happy and at-peace she'd made him with the other band mates emphasizing how positive her effect on him was. Supposedly their breakup had to do with his family being against her and their marriage (which apparently heavily had to do with her Persian/German ancestry). In the end, she couldn't take the stress and left (which heavily fueled his emotional state on Asylum).
  • Straight Edge/The Teetotaler: He takes his singing very seriously, not drinking or using any drugs for fear of hurting his voice.
  • Twitter: He has one. He was the first member of the band to open an account.

Had some time and an internet connection. I answer when I can...

  • Weak but Skilled: As mentioned above, David has suffered from multiple problems with his nose, diaphragm and throat, and sings in a highly unorthodox manner. He's able to hold long notes and scream with clarity only from his own hard work and technique (which sometimes leaves him in a perpetual Training from Hell just to maintain his voice).
  • Yiddish as a Second Language: When he's either not in the mood to vocalize (a rarity) or just very tired, he tends to mumble in a Yiddish accent while little phrases slip into his conversation style. Interestingly, he was born in and spent the first 3 years of his life Brooklyn, New York City. Coincidence?

Daniel Joseph Donegan - Guitar

Epic Riffage imminent

Primary Influences:

  • Tony Iommi
  • Dimebag Darrell
  • Randy Rhoades
  • Eddie Van Halen
  • Zakk Wylde
  • Glenn Tipton / K.K Downing
  • Jerry Cantrell
  • Mick Mars
  • Kirk Hammett

Lead guitarist, keyboardist, master of electronic noises and lead song-writer (the man behind the hook). Dan taught himself to play guitar, following the technique of traditional metal/NWOBHM and Hair Metal guitarists. Practicing diligently throughout his teenage years, his father one day knocked on his door telling him "Oh yeah, I'm sure people are going to line up to see you play in here...". Sometime after these words of encouragement he went out seeking bands to play in (has been he was 17). His first band Vandal put out one album called Better Days, which was noted for its Ratt-like instrumentation and melodic direction. The shredding solos he played in Vandal would hint at his later work. He would later move on to the hard rock band Loudmouth, who would go on to sign with Hollywood records (he left shortly after this). Once again his solos from his time in Loudmouth hinted strongly at much of his 80's leanings. Coincidentally, Johnny K went to the same high school as Dan's brother, who would recommend him often. K managed to see one of his shows with Loudmouth, which would eventually lead to K producing all four of Disturbed's demos before ultimately working on The Sickness.

Taking something of a Groove Metal direction, he, Mike and Fuzz formed Brawl (temp name) with singer Erich Awalt, several of the riffs he wrote at the time going on to become future Disturbed songs (Guarded, Divide). With Awalt's departure, the band put out an ad for a lead singer in 1996, auditioning multiple applicants over the course of several weeks. Dan says that when he first jammed the song that would become "Want" with David's voice, he smiled ear-to-ear thinking "This sounds new". The band would get signed three years later to Giant Records.

Dan would learn about the finer aspects of electronic programming and keyboard-playing during early years of the band, taking in K's production skill. His guitar playing would become simpler and more aggressive for The Sickness, but much of his repressed ability would show up throughout Believe; anthemic choruses like Remember, acoustic dirges like Darkness and instrumental segments taking cues from his 80's influences, such as the Loading The Weapon opener he created for MAAWII. By Ten Thousand Fists he'd began utilizing guitar solos (again).

Dan's guitar ability would come full-circle with his first venture into the production seat with Indestructible, incorporating techniques he he'd never done on an album before, and dusting off old ones he hadn't touched in years. Currently Dan is touting Asylum as the band's best work yet.

  • Alliterative Name, Awesome McCoolname: He really does sound like a guitar player in a metal band.
  • Badass Beard
  • Badass Biker: Him too.
  • Eighties Hair: When he played in Vandal (obviously) and in Brawl; there's a funny story about it he describes at length in M.O.L. David says that when he first met them, he thought they were a group of washed-up hair rockers because of this.
  • Happily Married: The first one in the band too.
  • The Hero: Primary song-writer, producer, co-mixer, electronics/keyboard guy and founding member. Generally the drive behind the band's musical direction.
  • Hot Paint Job: His Washburn signature series (the "Maya") that he used during the Ten Thousand Fists and Indestructible tours had a black body with a flame-shaped scratch plate.
  • Iconic Item: His Weapon pedal.
  • Real Men Eat Meat: When asked "What food would you be?", he answered steak, unaware that David would answer the same thing
  • Record Producer: The band now self-produces collectively, but he's still the primary producer.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: David says this about him in M.O.L:

"The man drinks beer and eats ice-cream, and the shittiest food on the planet, and gets ripped. I don't get it".

    • Recently when asked by an interviewer if 10 years later he still loves beer and ice-cream, he was quiet for a moment, then shamefully answered yes (but as an older man, he's cutting back).
  • Twitter: Right here. He was the second to make it to Twitter.
  • Unskilled but Strong: He learned most of what he knows from listening to his favorite bands growing up, sitting in his room with a guitar in hand. He says formal training is nice and that he loves what it has to offer, but his basis is by ear.

Mike Wengren - Drums

Faster than a bullet, terrifying scream~!

Primary Influences:

  • Tommy Lee
  • Vinnie Paul
  • Scott Travis
  • Danny Carey

"I don't think I'm as fast as some of the other guys out there, but then again our music doesn't necessarily call for it"

Drummer, programmer for The Sickness and crazy guy. He actually did take drumming lessons at age 10, but only started taking it seriously around 15 (similar to The Rev, he spent a large part of his child hood learning to hit things percussively). He started taking an interest in drumming thanks to the work of Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, later getting into heavier bands like Testament and Slayer along with the virtuosic Racer X. He apparently at one point had an epiphany after listening to Cowboys From Hell by Pantera, deciding at that moment that he would become a professional drummer.

Mike met Dan mostly by coincidence; all the South Side bands would rent out public storage sheds to hold their equipment, which they could conveniently use as a practice space. Mike would bump into Dan and Fuzz often, and Dan eventually noticed that he seemed to be more diligent above showing up to practice than the rest of his band, which was the case with Dan and Fuzz's bands.[5] Seeing as their influences were similar, they formed Brawl in 1994 as the hardest-working members of their own bands, and thus the first incarnation of Disturbed came to be.

During a show in Milwaukee during the Ten Thousand Fists run, the band stopped the performance, with him getting up to tell the crowd that he'd met someone special here in this city. He then called his then-girlfriend up on stage to propose to her. She accepted, and the band finished the show with Stupify. He has since moved to Milwaukee to be with her.

  • The Alcoholic: He confessed in Decade of Disturbed that with the band's inner tensions regarding Fuzz he would usually drink his problems away. Thus he doesn't remember much of the Believe touring cycle.
  • All Drummers Are Animals: Where do you think he comes up with all those tribal beats?
  • Awesome McCoolname: Though slightly less so than his band-mates.
    • Plain Name: Mike or Mikey alone doesn't carry quite as much punch.
  • Badass Beard: The most so in the band.
  • Badass Biker: He has some skill on one as well.
  • The Big Guy: Most "wild" of all the band members and generally responsible for the heavier aspects of the group. The other primary song-writer, co-producer and founding member.
  • Eighties Hair: Even him.
  • Happily Married: Also the most recent father.
  • Hot Paint Job: His kit tends to carry this decor.
  • I Call It Vera: Not by choice; as time passed and his kit got bigger and bigger, the band eventually nick-named it "The Enterprise". He doesn't even like Star Trek.
  • Iconic Item: His beanie he used to wear all the time. It seems to have switched to his bandana these days.
  • Irony: Being influenced by Racer X only to later lose a Grammy to The Mars Volta, who contains Racer X's old bassist Juan Alderete.
    • Arguably the same could be said of Judas Priest's nomination, with Scott Travis losing to his old band mate playing in a younger band.
  • Not a Morning Person: M.O.L. highlights this multiple times.

Fuzz: "We have a rarity here: the prince of darkness is up before noon... people who will see this just do not understand- Ooh, and the light is burning his skin! Oh my God!"

  • Obfuscating Stupidity: He likes to act like an insane and often-drunk fool most of the time. Ask him about music or throw him in a studio and he's highly professional. He's also notably calmer during interviews than his usual on-camera persona (such as in "Making of" videos and Rockumentaries). One could argue that his wild personality is an important factor in the mindset by which he approaches drumming. Thus, he comes off as an absolute nut pre-show.
  • Running Gag: "The Mikey Chronicles"

"Chronicles BEGIN!!"

  • Trademark Favorite Food: Him and Pedialyte (as in, the children's energy drink for vomiting). At first it was a hangover cure they learned from Pantera, until he grew so fond of it that it replaced the liquor he'd been drinking it for. In his words "Drinking one bottle of Pedialyte is equal to drinking about 4 bottles of Gatorade."

Dan: There were many nights were I catch Mike just laying there in his bunk passed out with a bottle of pedialyte on his chest...

  • Unskilled but Strong: He attempted to join band club in school as a drummer, but they were so horrifically underfunded that most of the sign-ups spent more time fighting over space and bad-quality instruments. He left quickly to get a part-time job saving up for his own kit, self-teaching by listening to Motley Crue records.

"They were arguing over one kit in jazz band and I was in my room playing Shout at the Devil".

John Moyer - Bass

That's not something you'd play in a band, so much. That's more of a bass-solo-thing. But fun.

Primary Influences:

  • Duff Mc Kagen
  • Geezer Butler
  • Billy Gould
  • Rex Brown

I run around the stage, look cool, try to act cool, that kind of thing

Bass-player, back-up shouter, and Fuzz's replacement. Born in El Paso Texas, he's been playing in bands since age 15 as a guitarist, picking up his first bass (subsequently learning "Sweet Child o' Mine") at 16, borrowed from a friend. John first played in the Dallas industrial band Soak, where his ability for bass-playing was first truly hinted at.[6] He got his big break playing bass/back-vocals in the San Antonio industrial rock act The Union Underground, who would put out two albums (one live) and make such hits as Turn Me On "Mr. Deadman", Killing the Fly, Revolution Man and Across The Nation before splitting up. After the Union Underground fizzled John's old band-mate, guitarist Patrick Kennison formed Heaven Below, offering him - which was ultimately a brief stint - a position as their bassist. John, with no better prospects got a hold of Dan when he heard they needed a bass-player. He'd been directed to the massive open audition of hundreds of bass-players held in Chicago and Los Angeles (he showed for the Chicago audition). The band noted that a more arrogant man who was already famous could very well have jumped to the front of the line, with him instead taking the humble route among hundreds of other candidates.

He played bass for the Ten Thousand Fists album but wasn't able to appear in the artwork or linear notes, or even be credited as a member because of how late he'd been added. He was introduced (unofficially) as a full member during the band's small-scale tour just before the recording process of Ten Thousand Fists. He's mentioned that he's thankful for being so closely accepted by the band.

Fun fact: he says his favorite video is The Animal (possibly because it was filmed in Austin).

During Disturbed's hiatus he's playing bass for The Adrenaline Mob with Mike Portnoy, Russell Allen and Mike Orlando.

  • Badass Long Hair
  • Buffy-Speak: Since he appears in the fewest interviews, he isn't as experienced or well-spoken as the others.
  • Celebrity Resemblance: Supposedly to David Spade ("Maybe just a little..."). Decide for yourself
  • The Chick/Sixth Ranger: He tends to straddle the line between the two: he can appear to have little aspirations beyond a support-role in the band and conducts the least interviews, which could all be attributed to his humble personality.[7] He admits that his first goal is to tightly structure/help a song move, connecting the rhythm section with the guitar and vocal, and then maybe throw in a bit of showing off (for that matter, it's not as though he can't play solos). At the same time his down-to-earth attitude while also being the only member not from Chicago make him unique in the group. His playing style mainly compliments the other members, in contrast to Fuzz who would play funky alternative riffs, sometimes far removed from the rhythm of the song. His coming from a slightly different musical background let him bring some interesting, and often beneficial traits to the table. His use of the pick for instance sets him apart as the only member to value aggressive speed interwoven with the melody, the opposite stance of the rest of the band.[8] In a band of anti-speed, melody sticklers who favor lean, razor-sharp precision, he gallops and pummels like a fleet-footed boxer.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Late winter/early spring of 2012 has him showing up in the news quite a bit more than the other band members (since they're on hiatus). This is when it was announced he joined the Adrenaline Mob, so he's been getting frequently interviewed, it was when he started his Twitter account and he even put out an instructional DVD. His gig in the Adrenaline Mob gave him the opportunity to appear in a commercial for the Revolver Golden God Awards 2012 with his band-mate Mike Portnoy. This commercial also features Zakk Wylde, Vinnie Paul, Vinny Appice and Alice Cooper. Time will tell if he reaches Lead Bassist-levels of fame.
  • Flaming Skulls: His 8x10 cabinets, which he designed himself.
  • Guttural Growler: During the live setting - since layered vocals in the songs tend to be growls and long-held notes - David, with his vocal power will take the high-projection section while John handles the growls. He's thus conditioned his voice to go in this direction to achieve high-projection/volume. One example of this would be the "You're Mine!" in The Animal. Amusingly his speaking voice is much higher.
  • Guyliner: A part of his get-up during his Union Underground days. As you can see, he's abandoned this.
  • Happily Married: His child being born was one of the reasons he wasn't present for a portion of the Indestructible recording process.
  • Initiation Ceremony: His was an interesting one: the manager Jeff called him saying "Well, John, the band really likes you, but it’s between you and this other guy. And this other guy’s really good. He’s from Chicago here, and he knows all the songs off all the records. He’s jammed with the guys and he’s very impressive, so they want you to learn all the material and come up and jam again to make sure that you’re going to be our guy". He learned every song in under an Easter weekend, flying to Chicago that Monday. Upon arriving, instead of a jam session they invite him to dinner. On a full stomach and copious amounts of wine he thinks "God, there’s no way I can jam after all this!". With a series of raised glasses the conversation works like this:

"So, did you learn all the songs?"
"I sure did!"
"Welcome to Disturbed."
"Are you kidding?"
"There is no other guy; we just wanted to mess with you and make you learn all the material!"

  • Mr. Fanservice: Putting aside the popularity of lead singers, he's basically the prettiest member of the band. Care to deny it?
  • Nice Hat: The cowboy hat he wore during his time in The Union Underground, which had become his Iconic Item. Since Disturbed lacks a Texas/great south/cowboy theme, he hasn't worn it since.
  • Nobody Loves the Bassist: Averted. He's well-liked by the fans and is well-respected among the bass-playing Disturbed1s.
  • Pop Star Composer: He wrote at least four songs for the Topware video game, Scivelation developed by Black Wing Foundation.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He unintentionally has the same hair-length as Fuzz. Funnily enough, when The Sickness was first released, the disc had a picture of four Guy smileys (one with a scrub-brush beard and left brow piercing, one with an over-long beard, one with two pointy labrets in its chin and one with very long hair). Since it still made sense, when The Sickness got re-released this went completely unchanged (though they probably just wanted to respect Fuzz's contribution).
  • Twitter: Here, making him third in the band to get on Twitter.
  • You All Meet at a Festival: He would've first met Disturbed at Ozzfest 2001, where the Union Underground was playing second stage with them (though that was the year that Disturbed famously got moved up to main stage). Almost immediately afterwards Disturbed and The Union Underground would go on to open for Marilyn Manson on several European tour dates. The odd thing is, during that leg Fuzz shattered his ankle going down a fire escape, leaving him unable to participate (the band called in the hired gun bassist Marty O'Brien for that run). In other words, Fuzz most likely never spoke with the man who would replace him.

Steve "Fuzz" Kmak - Bass

This is the big, gay tour, so everybody is big and gay


Bassist for The Sickness, Believe, and the guy who got fired. Started playing guitar at the age of 10, but later switched to bass. Played in various bands alongside Dan before forming Brawl after meeting Mike. Held the place of "The character" in the band, usually cracking jokes or making sarcastic remarks. After playing the last show of Music as a Weapon II in Chicago - his last show with Disturbed - he was fired from the band for irreconcilable personal differences (at the time the fans were given no indication that there had been tensions in the band). Disturbed has never fully explained why he was fired (David has stated "it just got to the point where I simply couldn't work with him anymore"), but they indicated in Decade of Disturbed his being the "Character" could make him kind of callous and bull-headed. He himself has communicated that he was getting unhappy with touring anyway, and didn't want to miss his kids growing up. He currently owns a contracting business in Chicago (and has also learned how to play a bit of piano).

The Guy

The Guy in his most basic form

The Guy, Disturbed's mascot. He (it?) started out as simply an insane looking smiley face showing up on the artwork and disc for The Sickness before being fully animated and anthropomorphised by Spawn creator Tood McFarlane for Ten Thousand Fists album, showing up on the cover and as the main character of the Land of Confusion video. The Guy has since been animated by Top Cow (currently Marvel) artists David Finch for the Indestructible album (and itsrespective singles) and Raymond Swanland (artist popular with Dark Horse Comics and Magic: The Gathering) for Asylum.

The original smiley was said to have been scribbled by David in a bar while talking to his art student friend. The image was entered in a drawing program and distorted three times before becoming the crooked face that decorated the album artwork for The Sickness. Today The Guy has shown up as the most prominent figure in Disturbed's merchandise and album artwork as various characters and personae, much like Eddie's relationship with Iron Maiden. As the only mascot to come from a recent metal band, time will tell if he reaches the prominence of Vic Rattlehead, Snaggletooth or even Eddie himself.

  1. ↑ The sad story behind this being that this is his second "new" puppy; he'd already ordered a new Akita named Angel which died during delivery to his house. The current Akita is more grown and named Gabriel
  2. ↑ He's mentioned that breathing exclusively through the mouth has a way of leaving the throat very dry after a night's sleep, which also ties into the acid reflux burning his vocal chords when lying down. He was forced to remedy this every day, somehow managing to be stage-ready by the evening, all until the next day when it starts over
  3. ↑ admittedly he's been taking fewer shouting-related risk for years at the fear of developing vocal nodules; he's in it for the Long Runners
  4. ↑ many visitors note that he didn't sound very good on the last few Uproar dates, sounding breathless during simpler songs and even abandoning notes during drawn-out screams, something he never does
  5. ↑ this also might have had something to do with Mike literally living out of his band space; chasing his dream had left him so poor that he could barely afford to eat. He later got by on selling car parts
  6. ↑ Incidentally, Soak was a part of the burgeoning Dallas hard rock/heavy metal scene started in the wake of Pantera, giving the world bands such as Slow Roosevelt and Drowning Pool
  7. ↑ he's also the only member with no hand in production duties
  8. ↑ except for when David does his trademark rhythmic belting
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