The Sickness

Last updated

The Sickness
TheSickness.jpg
Studio album by
Disturbed
ReleasedMarch 7, 2000 (2000-03-07)
RecordedNovember–December 1999
StudioGroovemaster Studios, Chicago, Illinois and Soundtrack Studios, New York City
Genre Nu metal [1] [2]
Length47:36
Label
Producer Johnny K
Disturbed chronology
The Sickness
(2000)		 Believe
(2002)
Singles from The Sickness
  1. "Stupify"
    Released: April 12, 2000
  2. "Down with the Sickness"
    Released: October 31, 2000
  3. "Voices"
    Released: November 21, 2000
  4. "The Game"
    Released: February 20, 2001

The Sickness is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on March 7, 2000, by Giant and Reprise Records. The album peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard 200, and spent a total of 106 weeks on the chart. It was Disturbed's only album to not hit number one on the US Billboard 200 until their seventh album Evolution debuted at number 4 in 2018. [3] In 2018, The Sickness was certified five times platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over five million copies in the US, making it the band's most successful album. [4]

Contents

Background and recording

The Sickness was Disturbed's first studio release since the band's formation in 1994. Reflecting on the band's early days, lead vocalist David Draiman said in a 2015 interview, "People think it was like this meteoric rise. It really wasn't. We beat the hell out of ourselves for two or three years as a local band, our own self-promotional mega-machine, every band member in a different venue of the city every time a rock show would come through town, passing out our promotional material — cassettes, stickers, t-shirts, whatever we could. [This was] in addition to playing strategically where we thought it made sense and in addition to building our following on the south side of Chicago. So there was a long period of time before that and a lot of struggle in a city that wasn't conducive to hard rock and heavy metal. Chicago was an alternative town. It was Smashing Pumpkins, Local H. It was not metal. So we were blacklisted. We couldn't even play inner-city clubs. We weren't cool enough. We were too metal. That was something that wasn't considered cool enough. We had to force our way in." [5]

However, as the late 1990s brought a shift in focus in the rock industry toward a heavier sound, the band secured a record deal with Giant Records and Disturbed got their big break. [6] Prior to the album's recording, the band sought to refine its sound. Lead guitarist Dan Donegan took a different approach than usual and adopted a style that did not incorporate guitar solos: "In the beginning, before we were even signed, I'd solo all over the place and it didn't really work, so I pretty much cut out the solos altogether until the last album or two. That's the way it's worked with us. Over time we've pushed each other to become better musicians," Donegan said in a 2011 interview with Guitar World . [7]

According to Draiman, it was challenging for him to become comfortable with writing about the personal themes contained throughout the album's lyrics, saying, "It's very frightening. Because here you go, you've decided to be open and bare a part of your soul to these people, and lay it out on a platter for them to observe. So until you know that the listeners are getting any part of what you're saying, it's incredibly frightening." [8]

With Draiman on vocals and Donegan on guitar, the two were joined by Mike Wengren on drums and Steve "Fuzz" Kmak on bass. Seeking help with the album's production process, the band turned to producer Johnny K, who had gone to high school with Donegan's brother. By the time work on the album had started, a bond had already formed and Johnny K had begun working with the band as the producer for their album. In an interview with Guitar Edge, Johnny K spoke about the process, saying, "They fought hard to get me to do their record. They didn't want to go to L.A. and make a record that wouldn't be any better than their demos. I felt that with a budget and time, I could make a record everyone would really like [...] I pushed them as hard as I could, and we felt successful before it sold one copy. All of that hard work, and the fact that they are such a good band, made it easy for me to get other jobs. People liked it and would say, 'Who did the Disturbed album? Let's get him.'" [6]

Recording sessions took place in late 1999, and on March 7, 2000, The Sickness was released; however, the album was not an instant success. The lead single from the album, "Stupify", was released in April 2000. "[It] was actually a hard sell at radio," Draiman said. "It's not like it shot up. They worked it. Giant Records at the time, they worked it. They pushed it to where it got enough awareness that it did start to chart decently." [6] The track addressed themes of racism and discrimination, loosely based on one of Draiman's own experiences. It would go on to reach No. 12 on the Mainstream Rock chart and No. 10 on Modern Rock and remains one of their most popular songs. [6] It was followed by the singles "Down with the Sickness" in October of the same year, "Voices" the following November, and "The Game" in February 2001.

Reissues

10th anniversary

On March 23, 2010, a reissue of the album was released that was remastered, slightly remixed and includes B-sides, new artwork, and exclusive online content. [9] This reissue celebrates the tenth anniversary of the release of the album and is available for the first time in Standard Black vinyl format. [10]

Disturbed's guitarist, Dan Donegan, commented on the reissue: "[...] it's the album that put us on the map and launched our career. So we went back into the studio and we remixed it, we're having it remastered, we're gonna put a couple of bonus tracks on there and touch up some of the packaging and the artwork. Just a little collector's item, a little tribute to that album for the fans". [11]

The two songs included in the reissue, "God of the Mind" and "A Welcome Burden", are also included in a B-side compilation called The Lost Children .

20th anniversary

In January 2020, Disturbed announced that they were going on tour for The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour with Staind and Bad Wolves. The tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sickness was re-released to mark the album's 20th anniversary. It includes all of the original songs remastered and live versions of the songs. The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour was rescheduled for July and September 2021 but was once again canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Metal Hammer 9/10 [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Spin 5/10 [16]

The album received positive reviews upon release. Steve Huey from AllMusic commented "But even if it has a few less-than-compelling moments, The Sickness overall comes off as the work of a band who really doesn't have far to go to achieve total control of its sound and compositional skills, and that makes it a terrific debut album." [12]

Accolades

In 2013, Loudwire featured The Sickness in their "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums" list, placing the album at number 24. [17]

In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 2000 by Metal Hammer magazine. [18]

In 2021, the album was put on the list of the Revolver magazine "20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums". [19]

Soundtrack appearances

Track listing

All tracks are written by Disturbed, except for "Shout 2000", which was composed by Ian Stanley and Roland Orzabal

Standard and 20th Anniversary Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Voices"3:11
2."The Game"3:47
3."Stupify"4:33
4."Down with the Sickness"4:38
5."Violence Fetish"3:23
6."Fear"3:46
7."Numb"3:44
8."Want"3:52
9."Conflict"4:35
10."Shout 2000" (Tears for Fears cover)4:18
11."Droppin' Plates"3:48
12."Meaning of Life"4:01
Total length:47:36
2002 re-issue
No.TitleLength
13."God of the Mind"3:05
14."Stupify (live)"4:53
15."The Game (live)"3:53
16."Voices (live)"3:36
17."Down with the Sickness (live)"6:16
Total length:1:09:19
10th anniversary edition
No.TitleLength
13."God of the Mind"3:04
14."A Welcome Burden"3:32
Total length:54:12
Instrumental disc
No.TitleLength
15."Voices (instrumental)"3:18
16."The Game (instrumental)"3:53
17."Stupify (instrumental)"4:13
18."Down with the Sickness (instrumental)"4:45
19."Violence Fetish (instrumental)"3:29
20."Fear (instrumental)"3:53
21."Numb (instrumental)"3:50
22."Want (instrumental)"3:57
23."Conflict (instrumental)"4:41
24."Shout 2000 (instrumental)" (Tears for Fears cover)4:25
25."Droppin' Plates (instrumental)"3:48
26."Meaning of Life (instrumental)"4:00
Total length:1:42:24

Personnel

Disturbed

Production

10th anniversary edition (2010)

International edition live tracks

Charts

Singles

YearSongChartPeak
position
2000"Stupify" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks [36] 12
Alternative Songs [37] 10
2001"Down with the Sickness"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks [36] 5
Alternative Songs [37] 8
2006Hot Ringtones [36] 2
2000"Voices"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks [36] 16
Alternative Songs [37] 18
2001 UK Singles Chart [21] 52
2002"The Game"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks [36] 34

Certifications

Certifications for "The Sickness"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [38] Platinum70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [39] 2× Platinum200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [40] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [42] 5× Platinum5,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disturbed (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, formed in 1994. The band includes guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, lead vocalist David Draiman and bassist John Moyer. Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Draiman replacing original lead vocalist Erich Awalt in 1996 and Moyer replacing original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2004.

<i>Believe</i> (Disturbed album) 2002 studio album by Disturbed

Believe is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released on September 17, 2002 via Reprise Records. Produced by the band and Johnny K, it focuses heavily on religious and spiritual themes inspired by recent tragedies. With greater emphases on melodic dynamics, it also demonstrates a broadening in the band's musical range compared to their 2000 debut The Sickness. Believe was the last studio album to feature original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak before he was fired from the band in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Draiman</span> American singer

David Michael Draiman is an American musician. Noted for his distorted, operatic, baritone voice and percussive singing style, he has been the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Disturbed since 1996. He has written some of the band's most successful singles, such as "Stupify", "Down with the Sickness", "Indestructible", and "Inside the Fire". In 2006, he was ranked at No. 42 on the Hit Parader list of "Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time". During Disturbed's hiatus from 2011 to 2015, he worked on an industrial metal project with Geno Lenardo, which was later named Device. They released one self-titled album in 2013. Disturbed returned with the album Immortalized in 2015, Evolution in 2018, and Divisive in 2022.

<i>Ten Thousand Fists</i> 2005 studio album by Disturbed

Ten Thousand Fists is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on September 20, 2005 and became Disturbed's second consecutive number 1 debut on the Billboard 200 in the United States, shipping around 239,000 copies in its opening week. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA and was also the band's second number 1 release in New Zealand. It is also the first Disturbed album to not have the Parental Advisory label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down with the Sickness</span> 2000 single by Disturbed

"Down with the Sickness" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was recorded in 1999 and released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, The Sickness. "Down with the Sickness" is one of Disturbed's best-known songs and is a concert staple, usually played as the last song. This was Disturbed's first single to be certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prayer (Disturbed song)</span> 2002 single by Disturbed

"Prayer" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on 14 August 2002, as the first single from their studio album, Believe. The song was inspired by the death of vocalist David Draiman's grandfather as well as various circumstances after the September 11 attacks, and is about a conversation between Draiman and God. Upon release, many media outlets refused to air the "Prayer" music video, citing supposed similarities between the imagery of the music video and that of the September 11 attacks. "Prayer" peaked at number-three on two United States airplay charts, Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, as well as peaking at number-fifty-eight on Billboard's Hot 100 and number-fourteen on the Canadian Singles Chart. "Prayer" is Disturbed's second highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 and their highest-charting single on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and one of only two of their songs to reach the top five on the chart. The song is playable and part of the soundtrack to the 2015 music video game, Rock Band 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stupify</span> 2000 single by Disturbed

"Stupify" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on April 12, 2000, as the first single from their debut album, The Sickness. It peaked at No. 12 on the United States Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was used in an English adaptation of the Dragon Ball Z movie, Lord Slug, in the trailer for the film Swimfan, and remixed for the movie Little Nicky as "Stupify ", and even Little Scarlet. Unlike many other Disturbed songs, "Stupify" features mostly synthesizers throughout the song.

"The Game" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on 20 February 2001, as the fourth single from the band's debut album The Sickness, and has remained a live staple since. The song is playable on Rock Band and was featured in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge.

<i>Indestructible</i> (Disturbed album) 2008 studio album by Disturbed

Indestructible is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. A self-produced effort, Indestructible is the first Disturbed album that did not feature Johnny K, the producer of Disturbed's previous three albums, The Sickness, Believe, and Ten Thousand Fists. Indestructible was recorded at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Illinois. The album features two songs, "Perfect Insanity" and "Divide", that were written by Disturbed prior to their first album, The Sickness, but were never previously released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect Insanity</span> 2008 single by Disturbed

"Perfect Insanity" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released as a single from their fourth album Indestructible. The song was originally written by the band prior to their debut album, The Sickness, and was previously released on the band's documentary, M.O.L., as a demo track with a music video. The band re-recorded the song in 2007 and released it on Indestructible. It is also featured in the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 and is a downloadable track in the Rock Band series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indestructible (Disturbed song)</span> 2008 single by Disturbed

"Indestructible" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released as the third single from their studio album of the same name. The single peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 10 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The music video for the song appeared on Disturbed's website on August 20, 2008, and the single was released on September 29, 2008. "Indestructible" is meant to encourage troops going into battle, and boost their morale. It is also meant to represent Disturbed's success in the music industry. It is one of Disturbed's best known songs. The song appeared in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

<i>Asylum</i> (Disturbed album) 2010 studio album by Disturbed

Asylum is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on August 31, 2010, in the United States through Reprise Records. The album is meant to take a fresh direction in the band's music career, while remaining consistent with the band's previous albums. Most of the lyrical content was inspired by aspects of frontman David Draiman's life prior to making the album. Asylum is also the third consecutive Disturbed album to not feature the Parental Advisory label. A tour in support of the album, titled the Asylum Tour, started in late August 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Way to Die (Disturbed song)</span> 2010 single by Disturbed

"Another Way to Die" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released as the first single from their fifth studio album, Asylum. Airplay for the single began on the morning of June 14, 2010. That same day, a lyric video was posted by the band on their official YouTube channel and was released as a digital download on June 15, 2010, via iTunes. On August 31, 2010, an excerpt of the song played in a newly released second trailer for the 2011 Mortal Kombat game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Animal (song)</span> 2010 single by Disturbed

"The Animal" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on October 4, 2010, as the third single from their studio album, Asylum. According to vocalist David Draiman, "The Animal" was heavily inspired by the movie The Wolfman (2010).

Device was an American industrial metal band started by David Draiman, frontman of the heavy metal group Disturbed, and Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of Filter. They released one album, Device, in 2013.

<i>Immortalized</i> (Disturbed album) 2015 studio album by Disturbed

Immortalized is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. The album was released on August 21, 2015, by Reprise Records, and is Disturbed's first studio album since Asylum (2010), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career.

<i>Evolution</i> (Disturbed album) 2018 studio album by Disturbed

Evolution is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on October 19, 2018, by Reprise Records. The album's first single, "Are You Ready", was released before the album in August 2018, while the second single, "A Reason to Fight", was released a month later. The third single, "No More", was released on June 2, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Are You Ready (Disturbed song)</span> 2018 single by Disturbed

"Are You Ready" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on 16 August 2018, as the first single from their album Evolution. The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in September 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Reason to Fight</span> 2018 single by Disturbed

"A Reason to Fight" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released as the second single off of their seventh studio album Evolution. It topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for three weeks and became the band's record-breaking sixth consecutive number one on the chart.

<i>Divisive</i> (album) 2022 studio album by Disturbed

Divisive is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. Produced by Drew Fulk, it was released on November 18, 2022, via Reprise Records.

References

  1. ↑ Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 8, 2019). "Top 50 Nu-Metal Albums of all-time". Loudwire . Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  2. ↑ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Disturbed Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ Metal Hammer Forum – Einzelnen Beitrag anzeigen – Der relevante Charts/Verkaufszahlen Fred Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Childers, Chad (October 28, 2015). "Disturbed Frontman David Draiman Reflects on 'The Sickness'". Loudwire . Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "21 Years Ago: Disturbed Spread 'The Sickness'". Loudwire . Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Interview: Dan Donegan Discusses Gear, Tunings, Recording and the Future of Disturbed". Guitar World . November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ Magahern, Jimmy (July 16, 2003). "Disturbed & Disturbeder". Cleveland Scene . Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Disturbed Begins Recording Next Album". Blabbermouth.net . Roadrunner Records. February 8, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Disturbed's 'The Sickness' To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks, Expanded Artwork". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner records. January 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Disturbed Getting Ready To Record Next Month". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. January 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Review The Sickness Disturbed". AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  13. ↑ Shiels, Liam (April 22, 2000). "Albums". Kerrang! . No. 798. EMAP. p. 44.
  14. ↑ Kulkarni, Neil (August 2000). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer . No. 77. UK: Future plc. p. 70.
  15. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (September 28, 2000). "Rolling Stone Review of The Sickness, Mudvayne's L.D. 50, Relative Ash's Our Time With You, and Soulfly's Primitive". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  16. ↑ Seward, Scott (June 2000). "Reviews". Spin . 16 (6). SPIN Media LLC: 158. ISSN   0886-3032 . Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  17. ↑ "No. 24: Disturbed, 'The Sickness' – Best Debut Hard Rock Albums". Loudwire. June 6, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  18. ↑ "The Top 20 best metal albums of 2000". Metal Hammer . Future plc. September 29, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  19. ↑ "20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums". Revolver. November 8, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. April 1, 2001. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  21. 1 2 Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK 1994–2008". Zobbel.
  22. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. April 22, 2001. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Disturbed Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Disturbed Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Disturbed Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Disturbed – The Sickness". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Disturbed – The Sickness". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Disturbed Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 29. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam! . Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam! . Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002". Jam! . Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  35. ↑ "The Decade in Music - Charts - Top Billboard 200 Albums" (PDF). Billboard. December 19, 2009. p. 166. Retrieved November 14, 2021– via World Radio History.Digit page 170 on the PDF archive.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 "Disturbed > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  37. 1 2 3 "Disturbed Album & Song Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard.
  38. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Disturbed – The Sickness". Music Canada . Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Certifications May 7 2006". radioscope.co.nz. Archived from the original on October 1, 2006. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  41. ↑ "British album certifications – Disturbed – The Sickness". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved September 20, 2020.Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Sickness in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  42. ↑ "American album certifications – Disturbed – The Sickness". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 20, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.