DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has credited producer Kevin Churko with pushing him toward the vulnerable, stripped-down vocal delivery that turned the band's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence" into one of their biggest hits.
Speaking on the "Detours & Destinations" podcast, hosted by Rabbi David Ingber, Draiman discussed his path from an Orthodox Jewish upbringing to fronting one of modern metal's biggest bands, alongside the story behind the 2015 cover recorded for DISTURBED's "Immortalized" album. "Kevin Churko... gave me the courage to go there and encourage me," Draiman said of the recording process.
For years, Draiman said he stuck to a more aggressive vocal style, wary of backlash following the reception to 2002's "Believe" album — the last time he had leaned into cleanly sung vocals was on that album's acoustic track "Darkness." Churko's collaborative approach, including his suggestion of an octave drop and a near-whispered delivery in places, reshaped how Draiman approached the "Sound Of Silence" recording.
The risk paid off. Following the band's television debut of the song on "Conan," Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK personally called Draiman to tell him he was surprised by the range Draiman had shown. The cover went on to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, became DISTURBED's highest-charting single, surpassed one billion YouTube views by May 2024, and earned the blessing of Paul Simon himself.
Draiman was firm in giving Churko his due: "Kevin doesn't get enough credit... he was a big part of that song."
DISTURBED formed in Chicago in 1996 and became one of the defining bands of the early-2000s nu-metal wave with its debut album "The Sickness." The "Sound Of Silence" cover marked an unexpected creative turn roughly two decades into the band's career, showing a different side of Draiman's voice to an audience that had mostly known him for his aggressive delivery and signature vocal stutters.