When Disturbed released their debut album, The Sickness, in 2000, it was a game-changer. The band proved to have their fingers firmly on the pulse of angsty, millennial pulse with their blend of raw, in-your-face metal, soaring melodies, heavy riffs and dark intensity; ushering in a new era in modern rock and metal – aka nu metal – with stand out singles like “Stupify” and “Down with the Sickness”.

Disturbed | “Down With The Sickness”

The collection of anthemic hits cut straight to the heart of disaffected listeners. With frontman David Draiman's broad vocal range at the forefront, levelling all in its path, The Sickness launched the band to worldwide success.

Disturbed | “Stupify”

Disturbed's aggressive blend of hard rock and alternative and metal announced their arrival as an official force in the world of rock. Their masterful welding of catchy hooks, stomping power riffs and uncompromising swagger confirmed their place as a radio staple for the two decades that followed. The multi-platinum debut remains the band’s most beloved and best-selling album to date.  

Disturbed | “Voices”

In a recent interview with The Pulse Of Radio, Guitarist Dan Donegan reflected on the band’s shock at the runaway success of The Sickness: "I think “Down With The Sickness” was like the seventh most downloaded song that was recorded in the '90s," he said. "It was like in a list of like four Michael Jackson songs and Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and we were in the Top 10 of those songs. And I was just blown away by those statistics. Those are big numbers there. I mean, we're just overwhelmed to think that we could go from a garage band in the south side of Chicago to selling a lot of albums and having a fan base and making a career out of it."

Celebrate 20 years of angst-driven hard rock with Disturbed’s smash hit studio debut, The Sickness on Spotify:

Listen to The Sickness on Apple Music: