Disturbed was formed in 1996 when musicians Dan Donegan, Steve Kmak, and Mike Wengren hired singer David Draiman in Chicago, Illinois. They have sold over 11 million albums worldwide, and released four consecutive #1 debuts a feat achieved by only two other rock bands in the history of the chart: Metallica and Dave Matthews Band. Originally classified as a nu metal band, Disturbed is now regarded by some music critics as hard rock or heavy metal, although others now regard them as nu metal. However, the band’s genre is still being debated. When asked about die-hard metal fans not finding Disturbed heavy enough, frontman David Draiman stated:
“We probably have too much melody going on or we’re not quite as turbulent or caustic. While I really love that type of music, it’s not what we try to do. If we have to place things in context, we’re more hard rock than heavy metal these days.”
