Why Disturbed Is So Good

Disturbed sell so many albums because they don’t use filler and they put more into them than many other bands – says drummer Mike Wengren.

The Chicago metallers have racked up more than 11 million album sales and are bucking the global trend for declining record sales.

And Wengren reckons that can be put down to the loyalty of the Disturbed fan base but also the amount of effort and passion they pour into every release.

He tells RockAAA: “The loyalty of our fans is the secret. They know when we deliver a record it is going to be a full complete record of great songs all the way through from start to finish.

“I think a lot of artists these days don’t put a lot into their records, usually just a couple of good songs with the rest being all filler songs.

“That’s not the way we go. We feel like every single song on the record could be a single and our fans know that. They know when the buy a record of ours they are going to get a full package, they know we won’t let them down and they don’t let us down either. Our fans are very loyal and very passionate about us.

“It’s been a great blessing for us and there are few bands out there who are still selling records but I think it goes back to the fans. I think it just proves that if you put out good music people will want to buy it.”

Illegal downloading and changes in the way fans listen to music but Disturbed insist they are embracing new technology rather than fearing it.

Wengren says: “Technology as a whole has come up a long way and that is one of the reasons, after 10 years, we decided to remix, remaster and re-release The Sickness.

“Back when we recorded it 10-years ago there was a lot of different ways of doing things and we thought we wanted to bring it up to speed with everything else.

“Technology is a great thing and helps us write new material when we are on the road.

“I think the old blue print isn’t necessary set in stone anymore. Things are changing and evolving on a daily basis and not only is iTunes a good way to get your music out there. You also have video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero now.

“I think whatever avenue we can use to explore and get our music out there, by whatever means, is a great thing. It is all about getting your music out there.”

Full story at RockAAA here.