Disturbed Vocalist David Draiman Says Tired, Denies Hiatus Issues Triggered By Pro-Israeli Political Controversy

Disturbed Vocalist, David Draiman (Instagram @davidmdraiman)

JAKARTA - The vocalist of the Disturbed metal band, David Draiman, finally opened his voice about the band's decision to take a break.

He also firmly dismissed all rumors linking this hiatus to the controversy surrounding his political stance that openly supports Israel.

This statement comes after Draiman, last week, announced via social media that Disturbed would take a break after finishing the 25th birthday celebration tour of their debut album, "The Sickness".

"I'm not sure when we'll be back on stage. We all need a good long rest. We hope to see you when we get back," said Draiman, quoted from the uploaded statement, Friday, November 7.

The announcement of this pause comes amid a series of controversial news involving Draiman and his pro-Israeli stance.

A number of incidents that have occurred recently include news of the cancellation of Disturbed performances in Belgium, friction with a number of protesters in Glasgow, a war of words with the hip-hop trio Kneecap, to disagreements with Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

Not surprisingly, the series of headlines involving the band made some parties assume that this hiatus decision may be closely related to the vocalist's political views.

However, Draiman has now clearly dismissed the speculation. Through platform X, he stated that the reason for the break was solely because the band personnel were already feeling tired.

"For Note: We took a break because we HAD, TITIK," said the vocalist.

He added that the decision had nothing to do with the controversial news about him.

"We are all fine, and have a good relationship," he said. Tur Europe is the biggest in our career. We play in a packed arena every night. Let's do it again next time.

Draiman is known to have outspokenly voiced support for Israel over the years. In 2019, he criticized Roger Waters, calling him and "his Nazi counterparts" for calling for a boycott of Israel. His stance was reiterated in 2022, where he admitted he did not care if his pro-Israeli views made a number of fans stay away.

A year later, he even sang the Israeli national anthem at one of the Disturbed concerts in Tel Aviv. At its peak in 2024, Draiman sparked widespread debate among fans after his photo circulated while signing an artillery shell belonging to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).