DISTURBED’S DEBUT ‘THE SICKNESS’ CERTIFIED PLATINUM; BAND SHOOT VIDEO FOR FORTHCOMING SINGLE “VOICES”

FROM: KRISTINE ASHTON/LATHUM NELSON MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARIE DOMINGUEZ

DISTURBED’S DEBUT ‘THE SICKNESS‘ CERTIFIED PLATINUM; BAND SHOOT VIDEO FOR FORTHCOMING SINGLE “VOICES” The momentum continues to build for DISTURBED‘s critically acclaimed debut THE SICKNESS(Giant), which was certified gold in September and now has reached platinum status. With music described as an “insinuating brand of heartland heaviness that slashes through to the emotional core” by Matt Diehl in Rolling Stone (September 28, 2000), the Top 30 album features the Top 5 Active Rock and Top 10 Modern Rock track “Stupify.”

It’s no secret that the contagious songs found on The Sickness are the backbone of the Chicago-based band’s success. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News noted in a feature on DISTURBED: “Unlike many current metal bands, Disturbed make music that’s as melodic as it is brutal. In the tradition of Metallica and the recent Deftones, the band writes tunes rather than riffs.” Singer DAVID DRAIMAN told the New York Daily News: “There’s no reason hard music can’t be memorable. We want to give people something they can come away singing.” Underlining the band’s musical passion even further, DRAIMAN said in the November issue of Spin: “We need [music] like most people need air and water.”

Looking towards the future, DISTURBED–vocalist DRAIMAN, guitarist DAN DONEGAN, drummer/programmer MIKE WENGREN and bassist FUZZ–recently made a trip to Los Angeles to shoot a video for their forthcoming single “Voices,” set to assault radio in late November. The video, shot by director Gregory Dark, follows a disenfranchised young man in a stereotypical, faceless 21st century workplace battling with the “voices” in his head, fantasizing about tormenting hostile co-workers who can’t accept this outsider. The only outlet he finds for his rage is a DISTURBED concert where he feels safe among others like him, venting their rage in a positive way. DRAIMAN talked to the Pittsburgh City Paper about the dark video the band made for their hit “Stupify,” which was a staple on MTV, MTV2 and The Box. DRAIMAN said, “The child in the video represents my inner child whose vision has been warped by life experience, who lives in a world around him that–according to his vision–is dark and frightening and is haunted by specters and ghosts from the past that still live with him. I think it’s representative of the way I feel.”

In other news, DISTURBED will make their overseas debut November 13, where they’ll perform in six cities throughout England, Holland, France, Denmark, Germany and Italy. Meantime, the intense and introspective Chicago-based band remain a heavy presence on the American concert trail, performing on MTV’s Return of the Rock Tour ll with Stone Temple Pilots and Godsmack. Fans have been treated to a special highlight at certain shows when DRAIMAN joins STP onstage during STP’s “Dead and Bloated.”

Finally, be on the lookout for new DISTURBED tracks on a variety of soundtracks and compilations in the coming weeks. “The Forbidden ‘Fu’ Mix” of “Stupify” can be found on the soundtrack of Adam Sandler’s latest film, “Little Nicky,” in stores now. This version blends the ferocity of the band’s original with the remix reflexes of Fu, who has made a name for himself remixing songs for Korn (“Somebody, Someone”), Kid Rock (“Bawitdaba”) and Deftones (“My Own Summer (Shove It)”). The soundtrack also features Filter, Cypress Hill and Deftones. Next up, look for the band’s songs on the Return Of The Rock 2 CD, due out November 7 and on the “Dracula 2000” soundtrack, set for release December 5.

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More to come…

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