The metal debut that forced its way through a blacklisted Chicago scene
In short: Before hitting number 29 on the Billboard 200, Disturbed faced a city that simply wasn't ready for them. In a Chicago dominated by alternative rock, the band found themselves blacklisted and struggling to find a venue that would host their heavy sound.
Formed in 1994, Disturbed spent years as a local band in Chicago, acting as their own "self-promotional mega-machine" to overcome a local scene that favored alternative acts like Smashing Pumpkins over heavy metal. This period of struggle was essential to their eventual breakthrough with their debut album, The Sickness, released on March 7, 2000, through Giant and Reprise Records. The group's members worked tirelessly in various venues across the city to build a following. This persistence helped them break through a local music culture that was not conducive to their genre.
The album's sound was shaped by a deliberate stylistic choice by guitarist Dan Donegan, who decided to cut out guitar solos to refine the band's approach. Produced by Johnny K, the recording process was intense; the producer pushed the band to ensure the quality matched their demos, a move that eventually helped establish his own career in production. This collaborative intensity helped the musicians push each other to improve. The resulting sound helped launch their professional career.
The Sickness was not an instant radio success. The lead single, "Stupify," was initially a hard sell for radio stations, but through persistent work by Giant Records, it eventually reached number 12 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album's lyrical themes were deeply personal, with vocalist David Draiman describing the process of being so vulnerable with an audience as "incredibly frightening." The single's lyrics explored themes of discrimination and racism. It eventually became one of the band's most enduring hits.
The album's legacy is significant, eventually earning a five-times platinum certification from the RIAA for over five million US shipments by 2018. It remains the band's most successful release and has been recognized by various publications as an essential nu-metal and hard rock debut. The record has been celebrated by several music magazines. It was even included on lists of essential nu-metal albums.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Sickness
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