Hearing this version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” sung by the heavy metal band “Disturbed,” is like hearing the song for the first time.
Lead singer David Draiman has a shaved head and facial piercings, and looks as huge and powerful and his basso profundo voice.
He’s backed by a full orchestra and flanked by two huge kettle drums that match his presence and forceful intensity.
This version is all angst and pent up rage –a whole new vibe to the rock ‘n’ roll classic that’s been recorded scores of times, but never quite like this, which is so good, Paul Simon has given it his endorsement.
“The Sound of Silence” in on Disturbed’s latest album ”Immortalized,” which came out last Aug. and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s album chart.
In 2013, “The Sound of Silence” was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important”
“The Sound of Silence” was a failure when it was released as an album in October 1964, and Simon & Garfunkel broke up as a singing duo. In the spring of 1965, the song began to attract airplay, which led Tom Wilson, the song’s producer, to remix the track, overdubbing electric instrumentation with the same musicians who backed Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” Simon & Garfunkel were not informed of the song’s remix until after its September 1965 release, and the rest, as they say, is history.