Following Disturbed's recent announcement that they'll be taking "quite a bit of time off next year," bassist John Moyer has stepped in to calm speculation, stressing that the pause is completely normal and not a sign of trouble within the band.
Speaking in a new interview with Mark Strigl, Moyer pushed back against headlines suggesting the break was anything unusual: "Yeah, you know, every band takes a break after they tour. It's pretty standard," Moyer said.
"Some people are trying to make — honestly, it's so weird. Social media, and some of these news outlets, they try to blow things up, 'Disturbed are taking break after' blah, blah, blah… Every band takes a break after a tour. There's nothing special about this. It's not that big a deal."
Moyer also pointed out that there are plenty of personal reasons to slow things down after a long touring cycle: "There's nothing wrong. Everything's great. Dave [Draiman] just got married. He might wanna enjoy some time with his wife before we jump back out on the road again. Just a thought."
While no new album has been officially announced, Moyer confirmed that Disturbed have been quietly writing and recording for years, and fans can expect more music in the future.
"There's no shortage of music coming from Disturbed, I'll tell you that right now. The band's been working in the studio now for the last two years, and there's a lot of material that is sitting there that's gonna get released. And it's some great stuff."
According to Moyer, it's simply a matter of timing and presentation, rather than a lack of material: "It's just a matter of which songs are right for us, what the concept is, and all the things that go with creating that art and pushing it."
Disturbed recently wrapped up their 25th anniversary tour for The Sickness on October 28, marking a major milestone for the band. Frontman David Draiman echoed Moyer's sentiments in a pair of social media posts, confirming that the band is intentionally stepping back for a while.
"Not sure when we will be headed back out. We all need a nice long break," Draiman wrote. "Hope to see you when we do." In a follow-up post, Draiman added: "Looking forward to being with family and friends. Taking a nice long break."
