Disturbed, The Sound of Silence | COVERS

In the 10^th edition of COVERS (2026), Disturbed delivers a compelling rendition of “The Sound of Silence,” originally performed by Simon & Garfunkel.

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”A” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”]h, it’s time to get cozy and cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician. COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers.  It is open to established and lesser-known musicians. In the 10^th edition of COVERS (2026), Disturbed delivers a compelling rendition of “The Sound of Silence”, originally performed by Simon & Garfunkel.[/otw_shortcode_dropcap]

[nx_pullquote]“Hello, darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again.”[/nx_pullquote] Those extraordinary lyrics appear in the Simon & Garfunkel (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel) classic, “The Sound of Silence”. Simon composed “The Sound of Silence,” which was a rousing success, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.  With all of its accolades, there is elephantine pressure on anyone attempting to cover it.  The good news for the hard rock band Disturbed is that they have been in this position before.  David Draiman (b. 1973) already nailed a big-time cover in the past with “Shout 2000”, originally recorded by Tears For Fears.  Draiman and company come through victorious again, covering “The Sound of Silence,” which appears as the 11^th track on their 2015 double platinum album, Immortalized.  In Disturbed’s hands, “Silence” earned them their rare entry and highest-charting song on the pop charts, peaking at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.  As of March 2025, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the single nine times platinum.  Adding to the accolades, Disturbed earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance at the 59^th Annual Grammy Awards for “The Sound of Silence (Live On Conan)”. Kevin Churko produced Disturbed’s take on this rock tour de force.

“The Sound of Silence” commences with enigmatic, warm piano accompaniment. David Draiman lets his smooth (yes, you read correctly) baritone vocals get to work.  Initially, he sings in an undertone.  No worries, as his performance continually expands as “Silence” progresses.  His tone is everything, particularly during the kinder, gentler beginning verses.  Beginning with the second verse, there is more oomph, with slightly more overt vocals and expanded instrumentation: rhythmic guitar, left-hand piano playing bass notes, and rich strings.  The orchestral cues are utterly superb and ultra-sophisticated, bringing a symphonic element to rock that truly rocks 🤘.  The orchestration is brilliant. The big story is, as “The Sound of Silence” progresses, it inches closer to the type of record we envision Disturbed recording. No, it never becomes carefree, unfiltered metal, but Draiman and company make this folk-rock masterpiece their own.  After his subtlety early on, I love the overt power of Draiman’s vocals, which signify that silence becomes louder. He exhibits more assertiveness and grit, sounding true to himself.  Cinematic, dramatic, and scintillating, Disturbed put their foot, rather, their feet, into “The Sound of Silence”. On Spotify, their rousing rendition of the record is approaching a billion plays!