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Disturbed dishes on forthcoming album

When the men of Disturbed discussed the direction for the group's forthcoming 2008 album, lead singer David Draiman had one thing in mind.

"I said to the guys, 'Give me the darkest, nastiest, heaviest stuff you can come up with,'" Draiman recalled during an interview with LiveDaily. "That's what started everything. It seems to be a much darker record overall than the previous two have been. That's for certain.

"Darker, a little faster paced, more complex, heavier. It definitely isn't neglecting those melodic aspects that the 'Believe' and '10,000 Fists' records brought more out of. But it's also going back to that place--that primal sort of place--that was much more like [the album] 'The Sickness.'"

So why was Draiman looking for a harder, more primal edge? Two years of bad luck, which includes a fire in the garage housing his vehicle collection and a motorcycle accident during which he injured his arm. However, Disturbed isn't down, therefore, it is tentatively naming its album "Indestructible."

"There's a number of meanings [for the title]. As a band, we are still around and still doing business and still a force. We're one of the last hard rock bands out there that still is able to maintain the level of success that we're lucky enough to be able to maintain. That's also one of the aspects of the 'Indestructible' [title]. The title track in and of itself was written sort of like a battle cry for soldiers, if you will."

The titles of the other tracks are just as telling. Draiman rattled off "The Night," "Enough," "Inside the Fire," "Run" and "Deceiver."

"We're about 12 in right now," Draiman said. "We're going to do about 15 total. Twelve will go on the record."

Draiman explained he is at a loss as to why Disturbed has weathered the music industry storm and remained a viable act. But he has a few ideas.

"I think we're fortunate enough that we've been able to deliver what people expect from us," Draiman said. "I guess that's what it comes down to. Our fans know whenever a Disturbed record comes out, there's certain things that they're going to be looking for from us, which they get. They'll be able to put the thing in their car and be able to listen to it front to back without having to jog around and pick specific tracks. They always know they can get that from us. As long as we continue to provide that to them, I think they'll stay loyal."

For the last three albums, Disturbed has been loyal to its longtime producer Johnny K., a fellow Chicagoan. This time around, Disturbed--which also includes guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren--is turning the knobs on its own.

"We've done three records with Johnny and we've learned a lot from him in doing three records. To be honest with you, by this point in time, if we don't know how to do it ourselves, we shouldn't be doing it."