DISTURBED's DAN DONEGAN 'Embraces' Being Known As The 'Ooh-Wah-Ah-Ah-Ah' Band

In a new interview with "Cutter's Rockcast", DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan spoke about how it feels to always be associated with the signature "ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah" staccato noise from singer David Draiman in the band's song "Down With The Sickness". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a blessing and a curse. I'll never complain about the signature 'Oooo-Wakakaka' thing. That's the thing that put us on the map, so we know that that's gonna be there. It's like Jani Lane from WARRANT saying, 'I'm always gonna be that 'Cherry Pie' guy.' It's a blessing and a curse. But ultimately, it's that thing that put you on the map that people identify you with. I embrace it. I'll take it. It's the thing that kind of opened people up to becoming fans and listening to material throughout our career."

A while back, Draiman told MTV about his rhythmic vocal sounds in "Down With The Sickness": "That noise just kind of came one day. The song originally was written and it just had a pause. Mike [Wengren, drums], his beat is just so tribal, and it just kind of made me feel like an animal."

Back in 2014, a comedian named Brandon Muller posted a two-and-a-half minute parody of DISTURBED. Titled "The Greatest Hit Of Disturbed", the clip took the form of an infomercial and poked fun at the band's "limited creativity" and Draiman's "repetitive vocal phrasing," even suggesting that the band's material sounds like "one never-ending song." The clip satirized several of the band's hits, like "Down With The Sickness" and "Liberate", while taking apart Draiman's vocals by boiling them all down to "yuh-nuh-muh-yuh." Muller starred as Draiman in the video, right down to the chin rings, although the vocals are handled by Archie Wilson.

DISTURBED's eighth studio album "Divisive", arrived on November 18 via Reprise. The LP was recorded earlier this year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. The follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" includes the three recently released singles "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and "Divisive". Donegan's divorce inspired the "Divisive" song "Don't Tell Me", which is a duet with HEART's Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record.

In March 2021, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was officially canceled. The amphitheater tour, with very special guest STAIND and BAD WOLVES, was originally slated to take place in the summer of 2020 but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was eventually scrapped altogether.

"The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was supposed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DISTURBED's seminal album "The Sickness". On this tour, the band was expected to perform songs off the album, as well as tracks from "Evolution" and DISTURBED's extensive catalog.