Disturbed bassist John Moyer interviewed Friday, September 17, 2010, while in Irvine, California.

Can I speak to Patrick Douglas?

This is Patrick.

Hey, Patrick, this is John Moyer from Disturbed. How you doing?

Great. How you doing?

Doing well. I’m backstage here at Uproar in Irvine. We have four shows here, two shows and then a Phoenix show and then two more. I’m desperately trying to find a place that’s semi-quiet for me to talk to you (laughs). It is complete madness.

I’m in Montana and it snowed all day today.

Right on.

It’s coming.

Congrats on the new record. The reception has got to be pretty sweet for you guys.

It’s a good moment for us. We got to another number one position for us, our fourth in a row for ‘Asylum.’ It’s such a big thing for any band to achieve this. I don’t even know how to take it in. All I can think about is the show we’re gonna do tonight for the crowd. It really is a testament to the power of the genre because it’s not just the number one rock record for last week, it’s the number one record overall. It’s a true testament to the fans of the genre and of course our fans that keep coming out to our shows and keep us on the road so that we can keep doing what we love to do.

It’s incredible because Iron Maiden comes out with a great album as well and it only gets to number four and I read where there are only two other bands that have had four straight number ones and that’s Metallica and Dave Matthews Band. It’s crazy.

Yeah, it’s good company to be in.

The most unexpected part of this album is the intro to ‘Remnants.’ When I first heard it, I was thinking ‘what is this? Master of Puppets?’ It’s got that vibe to it. Then it kicks in to the unmistakable Disturbed album. How has this band evolved in such a matter where melody has started to become just as important as raw power?

I think you got it nailed exactly. We are sort of diving into the more melodic territory both with Danny’s guitar playing and his soloing and David too. David’s always going to be the master of the staccato attack. Nobody does it like him and it’s awesome. Obviously we can’t do that record after record. We would get bored. We’re always pushing ourselves to do things that we’ve never done before on previous albums and so you’re going to find us expand into other areas and a lot of it is the melody side. Even rhythmically we offer things on this record that we haven’t before. Instrumentally, between the guitar bass and drums interplay, we’re offering things that we’ve never done before. As you pointed out with ‘Remnants,’ we’re offering whole arrangements of songs that we’ve never tried before. We’re constantly evolving machine but at the same time, we’re never going to not be Disturbed. We’re always gonna be us. We’re always going to try and give the most powerful, rhythmic force of nature that we can do and that’s what makes us us.

You guys conquer on every release. You never have one where no one cares about it. Sometimes that leads bands to complacency where they start to think ‘We’re on top, what’s next?’ Kind of like what happened to Metallica in the ‘90s. What’s your biggest motivation going in to write this album knowing that you guys have accomplished so much?

I think part of is to keep the momentum going. Disturbed’s a workhorse of a band, we’re a working a machine. When we’re not touring, we’re writing and when we’re not writing, we’re recording. There’s a constant effort of love. There’s very few breaks this band ever takes. If you think about it, this band’s only been signed for 10 years and in that 10 years, there’s been five records and we’ve toured on every one over a year and a half so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of down time when you consider going into the studio, when you consider the setup that these records take, when you consider the artwork and not to mention the fact of writing record after record. Us making sure the momentum doesn’t stop. We love to work and we just keep it going. We never take a break long enough to where we come back and go ‘How does this go again?’ It’s always just this constant push. Even now when we’re on the road, Danny will write a riff and he’ll record it. We’ll hear that riff later when we’re putting together songs for a record. He’ll start to write a song around a riff. We won’t do a lot of songwriting while we’re touring. It’s a little too chaotic for that. We do take the opportunity to capture moments for inspiration because when those come across you wanna make sure you don’t lose it. We take what we do very seriously and as songwriters, we’re just so adamant about topping whatever we did on the previous record but not copying what we did.

‘Another Way to Die,’ is another great Disturbed song. It’s like you’ve tapped into a well of great singles with these great hooks. Describe the feeling you guys get when you start pounding out a song like this and you just know that this is going to be the next great song in the band’s history?

To be honest, while that song was being written and worked on, there were a few other songs that were being written and worked on. I don’t think that any single song stood out to us as like ‘This is going to be the forerunner for the record.’ As we’re in the studio and as the writing and recording process sort of works its way down that road, I think we all have different ideas of what we think are going to be singles and favorites and it’s really not until we’re listening to some of the final products and some of the final mixes where I think decisions can be made of what’s going to be a single and what’s not going to be a single. I don’t know that we’ve ever had that point where we’re working on a song where we’re like ‘Wow, this song is really going to catapult us as a single.’ We just don’t think that way. To us, there’s a labor of love that’s put into every one of our songs. There’s no songs that get the special treatment. It’s never happened for us. Every one becomes these pet projects that we’ve gotta make sure sound as good as it can be and the lyrics are exactly what they’re supposed to be. We don’t treat any of them like filler. That’s not to say that some songs don’t turn out better than other songs. Definitely. Some songs are favorites of fans more than others. Our head space going into them is equal. We just are trying to make the most of every piece of music that comes in. I don’t know if we have that moment where we’re like ‘Yeah, this is going to be the single.’ We put together 15 or 16 tracks and then we whittle it down to the 12 best that really constitute a body of work. From that, we go ‘okay, what are the standout tracks and what makes sense?’ You know for the climate, for our audience and what they expect to hear from us and what we would like to push forth as our artistic first step on a record. A lot of those decisions get made at the end of it. Not really in the beginning.

Going back too, this song has another great guitar solo in it. Like I was saying, it encompasses all of what Disturbed has become.

Oh yeah. Thank you. That’s a groovy tune. I agree. It’s interesting, ‘Another Way to Die,’ has a lot of the isms that you would expect from Disturbed. The choppy staccato guitar riffs, the David delivery, convicted anger. It says the things that all of us are thinking and does it so well. At the same time, ‘Another Way to Die,’ has that unique intro that we’ve never done before. That sort of laid back, atmospheric intro that we also used behind the guitar solo which is part of the new elements that we’re trying to infuse into the animal.

I saw where Vinnie Paul simply said that this album kicks ass. As a musician, do you get more pride in hearing stuff like that and being accepted by your peers or from your fans?

At the end of the day it’s nice to have the acceptance of your peers and guys you grew up on and appreciated. We write these songs kind of for each other first. We’re always trying to impress each other. I think that’s the biggest hurdle for us. We wanna make sure that what we bring to the table is something that the other three guys in the band are gonna go ‘Fuck’n’a. That’s bad ass.’ It kind of starts there and then it turns into, we obviously hope that the fans like it and they appreciate it. Then, if some of our peers are into it too, that makes it all the better. Especially a guy like Vinnie Paul, you can’t deny the royalty of heavy metal. Guys who we grew up on, who influenced our playing and then they turn around and give us acknowledgement, that’s a huge thing. I will say this, during a live show, I don’t always get nervous in front of the big crowds, but when I look over at the side and I see some of the other bands watching us, that’s when I’m like ‘Uh oh, I better play well.’ (laughs)

You joined this band after they had become established and even though you’ve been there, what, six or seven years now, you’re still the new guy in Disturbed.

I’m always gonna be the new guy (laughs).

Describe the camaraderie between you guys now that you’ve had this core group of dudes going back to when you joined.

It’s good. The vibe is strong. Obviously if there wasn’t a fracture within the band, I wouldn’t have been able to get the gig. When I entered into it, it was a broken house and there was some healing that needed to happen. Also some acceptance of me. Now, six years later, we’ve had our ups and our downs and I feel like the camaraderie and the brotherhood is stronger than ever. We’re all in it to win it. We all understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we back each other up like a true brotherhood. That’s what it boils down to. When you can trust someone and you’ve been through it before, that means a lot. We all value that trust and it conveys itself into a high level of respect and that respect basically drives us. We want to make sure that we don’t let the other guys down.

Do you get a kick out of being referred to as the new guy after all this time, even though you’ve been there probably longer than Fuzz had?

He was in the band since it formed in ’96. You can’t take that away from him. The early years, the first two records, and he was a great player and really established what the bass sounded like in Disturbed. I learned a lot when I joined the band and learned all the new material. Since then, playing on ‘Ten Thousand Fists,’ ‘Indestructible,’ and now the new record ‘Asylum,’ I’ve tried upholding his tradition in addition to adding what I do artistically and my attitude and my stamp on it. It is what it is. He’s a part of the legacy and you can’t ever take that away from him and nor would I try. If I have to be referred to as the new guy 20 years down the road, that’s okay. I don’t mind. I just enjoy being in the band and enjoy doing what I love.

Right. AC/DC, Brian Johnson is still the new guy.

Yeah, I heard a joke that Neil Peart was the new guy in Rush because they had someone for like a year before he got in the band or something like that.

It’s hard these days to have a frontrunner in metal. Back in the day you had Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC, you had all these powerhouses standing out. There’s no doubt Disturbed, especially looking at record sales in the past 10 years, have to be mentioned as standing out in metal. Talk about being part of such a high powered band and does that add pressure to stay on top?

Of course. Once again, it’s self-imposed pressure. We put it on ourselves. When you’re an unknown, there’s pressure to become known and once you’re on top, there’s pressure to stay on top. I think it’s holding on to that hunger has been a secret to the band staying on top. I shouldn’t say staying on top but being successful, being able to connect with our fanbase and not let them down and being able to respect each other enough to stay healthy and to stay in the game and to make sure that we can do this as long as we want to.

Does it give you chills to think that 20 years from now there might be a guy in a big band that will come up to you and say ‘When I was a kid, it was all about Disturbed,’ the way you guys look back and say ‘When I was a kid, it was all about AC/DC and Iron Maiden and Judas Priest?’

You know what? It’s already happening. Disturbed’s been doing it for 10 years now. There’s guys who were 13 that are now 23 that were rockin’ who are out there touring. They’re telling us ‘You’re one of our influences. You’re the reason I play bass. You’re the reason I play guitar.’ Fortunately, we’re out there still working and being successful. It’s already happening. We’re seeing it. It’s a beautiful thing. It means the most to us because we were those kids. We were the ones in the Pantera audience. We were the ones in the audience at the Judas Priest shows, the Megadeth shows, the Testament shows, watching and just soaking it in and understanding the power of being in that audience.

Where did the idea for the U2 cover originate?

Dan was toying around with ideas for a new cover for this record and he was thinking more on an international level. He was like ‘Who is the biggest band in the world? Something huge that we can grab hold of and make it our own?’ He started with U2 as a band and then going through their catalog and saying ‘I think I can do something with this.’ That was mainly his brainchild. It’s a nice touch to the record. I think maybe not every fan will get it, but I think it’s great. I think David’s performance is outrageous on it. I think we changed the music enough to make it a Disturbed song. We really did change it up. We made it a metal song and took it places, I think, that people would never expect our band to take it to. I think we had a lot of fun saying to ourselves ‘Where can we go with this?’ You don’t wanna lose that melodic why people love this song and that’s the melody and the words. I think David did a great job adhering to the original version while making it his own.

I’ve been to a shitload of concerts, mostly in Colorado, and I saw Disturbed back in 2001 when they were thrust on the mainstage at Ozzfest. I tell you what, I’ve never been in a line as long as the one for your show here in Great Falls a year or two ago. That thing ran out into the parking lot and zig-zagged about three or four times, each line about 75 yards long. It was insane. We got there an hour before the show and still missed two opening bands just standing in lines to get in.

Wow.

Do you see a more intense reaction from more out of the way venues?

Yeah, I think so ‘cause you’re hungry for it. I don’t think the heavy metal or hard rock bands come through that often. When they do, you’re hungry for it and you wanna make sure you don’t miss it. Some of our biggest and best shows are at places that were a little bit off the beaten path. Honestly those are the people that connect with us the most. That’s good. Like I said, we have a show in Irvine, California tonight. I love playing for the people in Lincoln, Nebraska and Great Falls, Montana and wherever in Michigan. Those kind of markets, we definitely enjoy playing. There is a difference.

If you could share the stage with any bands past or present, which ones would you choose?

Oh, man. That’s such a dangerous question ‘cause you’re just asking for it. I’ll go with past and I’ll go with the original Black Sabbath lineup. Back in the day. Them back then. Not that there’s anything wrong with them today I’m just saying I would love to share the personality with them when they were still up and coming. It was just blowing up and it wasn’t established. Just a crazy, black, what is heavy metal? Who are these people? It was just being created. I would love to share the stage with them back then.

I’ve always enjoyed catching up with you guys and I’m always amazed whenever there’s a new release and you keep the momentum going. Thanks for visiting with me.

My pleasure, Patrick.

Hopefully see you back in Montana soon.

Okay. Great.

Bye.