The band is on its Take Back Your Life tour through early March

Hard rock group Disturbed delivered a high-octanes fueled set of their distinctive melodic metal on Tuesday (Feb 13th) at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.

Frontman David Draiman’s famously operatic baritone flew high above the decidedly heavy metal arrangements played by his bandmates. This combination is what creates Disturbed’s uniquely enveloping sound. Draiman can hit the low growl “yeah-eee-yeah” register of the Hatfield ilk. But when he decides to sustain a note, what comes through the speakers is as pure a voice as found by singers in any genre.

Three of the four members of the Sickness era remain with the band; Draiman, guitarist and keyboard player Dan Donegan, and drummer Mike Wengren. John Moyer rounds out the quartet on bass, his position since 2004.

The threesome does a great job melding with what Donegan has previously called Draiman’s “huge” voice. Songs like “Prayer” and the stripped-down “Reason to Fight” showcase Disturb’s ability to unearth the melodic side of their genre. While “Bad Man” and “Stupify” exemplify their ability to deliver classic head-bangers as well.

Disturbed showed off the parts of their whole, with Donnegan, Wengren, and Moyer each showcasing skill on their respective instruments, individually melting the faces of 14,000 people. Draiman “soloed” each time he talked. It’s clear the baritone vocals are not a put-on, as his speaking voice is so low and other-worldly, it was like he is a transplant from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I almost want to hear his baritone do the “oom papa mow-mows” on “Elvira.” Up for a new cover, boys?

Speaking of covers, “The Sound of Silence,” it is the centerpiece of the show. The grandness in the way the song builds, the departure from metal yet the familiarity of its trappings so ever present, it’s a perfect tune. Simon and Garfunkel were ahead of their time with its seminal release, and the Disturbed rendition of “Silence” is the song as it was meant to be heard, and felt. Not pensive, and yet not angry, but a balance between the two.

Opener Plush’s lead vocalist Moriah Formica joined for a late-set “Don’t Tell Me.” It was a slow-burn ballad in which Draiman and Formica’s voice were yin and yang, showcasing that both the legacy and future of hard rock are in very capable hands.

The Take Back Your Life Tour is minimally staged. No screen in sight, just a dancing light bar that spends most numbers ablaze with flames shooting from the trusses. It feels like a phrase this reporter over uses: but it’s clear Disturbed wants to keep the focus on the music.

For many in the crowd, songs like “The Light” have helped them through journeys of recovery from addiction. Draiman welcomed a fan who shared his story of recovery at the meet and greet to the stage. That fan, Justin, told the crowd he’s using Disturbed quotes in his education to become a therapist.

That love for music and the people who hold their songs close to them personally are an obvious motivator for Disturbed, who are edging up to 30 years as a group. Draiman said of the power of music, “When the demons are clawing at your back, the right songs fight them off.”