DISTURBED frontman David Draiman says fans can expect to be “pleasantly surprised” by the band’s upcoming new material, the first major batch of songs written for their next studio album following 2022’s Divisive.
In a post shared on X on May 30, Draiman revealed that he has recently revisited the new tracks after some time away from them—and came away more impressed than ever.
“I’ll tell you one thing… I’ve had a lot of time to go over these last songs we’ve written. Took time away, came back to them, and fell in love with them all over again. Diverse, fresh, and powerful.
“It’ll be some time…but I can’t wait for these songs to see the light of day,” Draiman added. “I think everyone will be pleasantly…surprised.”
The comments arrive as DISTURBED continue to shape the follow-up to Divisive. While details around a release date remain under wraps, guitarist Dan Donegan previously confirmed that the band recorded “a bunch of material” in the fall of 2024—enough, in fact, to potentially complete a full album.
Speaking in April 2025 on Rock 100.5 The KATT FM’s Cameron Buchholtz, Donegan explained that the band opted to release the standalone single “I Will Not Break” during their early 2025 touring cycle celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sickness, rather than immediately committing to a full album rollout.
Donegan also highlighted the band’s new independent setup, with “I Will Not Break” arriving via DISTURBED’s own Mother Culture Records, following their long-standing relationship with Warner Brothers.
“We’ve been with Warner Brothers our whole career, and this is, yeah, the first time us doing it on our own. We had a great relationship with them. They always worked hard for the band. [We’re] very thankful for the relationship we had. And it probably helped that we were successful early on the first album, that they always stayed out of our way. So we were able to do what we wanted to do, and they’d say, ‘Hey, it’s working. We’re not gonna interfere.’ And that’s always a great relationship when an artist could do what they want. So it was a great run with them, but we weren’t obligated to stay. We have a great relationship with our management company, with Q Prime, and they have the infrastructure too. So they have their radio department and their marketing and their social media and everybody. And they’ve been amazing with us as well. And I think our relationship with radio and the fans over the years, just as the band, all the relationships we’ve built, we’ve had a lot of support. You guys, everybody have always been there for us. So if we keep delivering the songs and you guys keep playing it, it’s a good partnership for us.”
Earlier, Draiman also reflected on the band stepping back from an intense touring schedule, revealing that DISTURBED planned to take a much-needed break after wrapping their The Sickness 25th anniversary run in October 2025.
He wrote on X at the time: “Headed home!!! Thanks so much to EVERYONE that made #TheSickness25 a tour to truly remember! Crew, Management, Agent, Promoters, and ESPECIALLY my brothers in DISTURBED. Not sure when we will be headed back out. We all need a nice long break. Hope to see you when we do.”
He later added more context about winding down after months on the road, sharing a more personal reflection on the experience.
“Feeling high school high after not burning (except Amsterdam… that doesn’t count) for the last three months in preparation for #TheSickness25. Reflecting on the beautiful madness of it all. Looking forward to being with family and friends. Taking a nice long break.”
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