DISTURBED Frontman: 'It's Just A Good Time To Go Away'

According to The Pulse Of Radio, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman is speaking out on the speculation regarding the band's future, which he himself started two weeks ago when he hinted that the group's current tour could be its last for a while if not for good. Draiman confirmed to The Pulse Of Radio that DISTURBED plans to take an indefinite hiatus, and gave some hints about the "personal reasons" behind the decision. "Many of those reasons are have to do with the state of the music industry in general and, you know, the demise of hard rock and heavy metal right now, and I think it's just a good time for DISTURBED, after 10 to 12 years straight of touring, to go away for a little while and kind of wait for the phoenix to rise from the ashes here," he said. "It's frightening times right now, and it's just a good time for us to go away."

But Draiman also admitted that DISTURBED may in fact never come back. "It could be a concern," he said. "You don't know. We don't know. I can't definitively tell you one way or the other at this point. We really haven't gotten that far in our discussions. We all agree that we are going to step away for an indefinite period of time."

Draiman told Billboard that one thing the hiatus is not about is any personal strife between the four band members, saying, "This is really not due to any animosity I want to make that very clear. In fact, we just had dinner together last night. Believe me, it's not like we can't work with each other anymore or we don't get along."

The singer said that all four members of the group have other creative endeavors they'd like to pursue, with both he and guitarist Dan Donegan interested in producing other acts.

Draiman added that he doesn't think a solo album is in his future. But he also told Billboard, "Depending on how far those individual interests end up taking us, and depending on how much we end up missing (the band) over the course of time which, of course, at some point I'm sure we will that will determine if and when we return."

In the meantime, the band is still touring the country on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which passes through Virginia Beach on Tuesday (August 2). Some sort of live release and a B-sides collection may also be in the works.

Draiman said that the band, which has toured for 12 years and issued five albums, is playing "stronger...and with more passion" on the current trek, adding, "We're all viewing this as our last hurrah for awhile, and we're making them count."