DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was questioned by GHS Strings about his favorite album or song. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reproduced his response: “Everything we write is personal, thus there are many. We’ve written almost 200 songs in our career. I rarely narrow down my choices, but ‘The Light’ is a song that stands out. We often turn negative topics into good ones to inspire, empower, and remind ourselves that everyone goes through different things. We all go through tough times, whether it’s depression, addiction, sadness, losing a loved one, going through a breakup, or having a rough time at work or school. We try to have a positive outcome to get through them. ‘The Light’ always brings good vibes. That song’s famous line is’sometimes darkness can show you the light.’ Dark times can help you dig deep, discover strength, and find the light again to get through it.”
When asked for advise for emerging artists, Dan answered, “No boundaries. Music has no limits. Keep an open mind. Do what you like. Do what feels nice. My guitar reflects who I am and how I feel. Don’t worry about what others want to hear or trends—just write naturally. Just keep writing and expressing yourself. That was my only goal—just another way to express myself. I used it as an escape and to communicate my feelings because I was a quiet kid. When I felt aggressive, desired a stronger riff, or felt dark and vibey… Don’t doubt yourself. Sometimes your first instincts are right. Even when we first wrote and recorded demos as a local band, when we got a record deal and made our first album, ‘The Sickness’, we tried to recreate them. They were raw and natural because they were first instinct. We lifted several tracks from the demo and kept them for the album since they had a rawness and captured a moment. It’s impossible to reproduce something when the magic happens the first time. So have an open mind and do what feels good to you.”
DISTURBED announced the 34-date “The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour” in October, starting in Nampa, Idaho on February 25, 2025. Live Nation will produce. The tour commemorates DISTURBED’s 25th anniversary of their legendary debut album, one of the most significant heavy metal albums ever. DISTURBED will perform “The Sickness” in full each night, followed by their best hits. Three Days Grace, featuring the return of original singer Adam Gontier, and opener SEVENDUST will support the first half of the tour, while DAUGHTRY and opener NOTHING MORE will accompany the second half.