The Sickness is the first effort from the band, Disturbed. They debuted with a bang, of which they haven't reached since. And it's what the name suggests; aggressive, angry metal. It would really classify as nu-metal, and some of the best from that particular genre. It was certainly something. Really heavy, dark, and loud. David Draiman has the unique bark sound to his voice, but actually has decent range, being able to scream and growl, while returning to singing nicely. I also can't understand a word, and have made up half the lyrics. But the guitar is muted, low, and heavy for sure. The drums are thumping and seem to set the tone for everything. The electronic elements blend in perfectly, and are really well done. It sounds sort of dark and creepy, angry and violent. It's low and mean. It's that signature Disturbed sound. C'mon and feel their noize.

"Voices" has some fun little effect, with David growling "so" in that barking voice of his, then they lay on the heavy. The rest is David half-screaming, half-singing to some guitars which are on perfect tempo. It leads into "The Game", which isn't as good. The chorus is really the song's saving grace. It still feels a little "off", I guess. I like it a lot still. "Stupify", one of my favorites. This song really helps make the album, it really gets you going. Really heavy chorus with a great rhythm section, bass and drums working hand-in-hand. David does a great job singing things you'd have to read to understand, and some very excellent guitar work. It's just really heavy and sticks in your head. One of the best.

Who hasn't heard "Down with the Sickness"? No one, and for good reason. It's my personal favorite on this album, and favorite Disturbed song. The intro starts with Mike and some great orangutan drumming, but Dan comes in with some fantastic palm-muted guitar and David makes more noises. This is where things get "heavy". David can change between barking and singing really well, and the rest of the band do a great job leading into an amazing chorus, albeit and odd one. The bridge is an odd one, as it's basically David screaming about how abusive his mother was. Can't verify the authenticity, but it adds some more dark, angry, violent lyrical to an already dark, angry, violent album. Lead riff to chorus, end. Fantastic.

"Violence Fetish" is filler, really. It begins with some distorted guitar courtesy of Dan, and David doing his "Disturbed" thing. The guitar is weird, yes, but David and Dan are still magical together, and they do a good job. Needs some more traditional hardcore metal choruses, but dear lord the chorus is made of joy. The guitar is doing this fun screeching, with a hint of technical elements and David is just screaming and being angry. Makes the song. "Fear" has a really different intro, with some drums and this interesting little techno effect, then drops so excellently with David screaming and Dan providing the heavy. The whole band mixes together and delivers and perfect verse, and a pretty good heavy metal chorus. The outro hits you hard, with everyone kickin' it into overdrive.

"Numb" is filler, filler, filler. It's also sort of different in the fact it's slow... but slow, harmonizing David doesn't sound as good as the slower songs from American Capitalist. The c horus is pretty good, with all that good screaming and the rest of the band bringing in some hardcore. The chorus is what saves the song. David's more harmonizing voice doesn't really work on the song, and it's just kinda sub-par. "Want" begins with some very quiet, soft talking and this robotic drone and this industrial banging sound... Then at the 27 second mark, David startles me by screaming "SHE WANT MEH!" as loud as he can, then they destroy the verse. Dan's guitar palm-mutes and squeals. It's a slower song, but it's a slower Disturbed song done right. Decent effort with "Numb", but this is brilliance. It's crunching, heavy, and just great.

"Conflict" is great. The beginning has little bit of Dave, but it's really just doing their heavy (again) thing. The verse is a mix of Dan muting and Dave half-singing again. The chorus is full of screaming and plenty of HEAVY. The drumming is great on this album, I might add. But this song in particular. We are reunited with our double-bass drum friend, and it's a grand reunion. The bridge is actually fairly creepy, and the song ends with muting and bass/drum deliciousness.

"Shout 2000" is, in fact, a cover the Tears for Fears song of the same name. Not really original, but it's an amazing heavy metal cover of an older pop song. I really do like the Fears version, but oh my. I do love the Disturbed one. Even more so, I think. Sorry, but I do. Deal with it. "Droppin' Plates" is such a silly song. "A little somethin' for your earholes! GET UP!" Okay, it is one of my favorites from these guys. It's just sort of rolling, and David's screaming takes it places. It's the heaviest. They dished out the heavy good here. It's rolling and full of David's screaming and Dan on the higher strings. They just go all out on this on.Turn up your speakers.

"Meaning of Life" begins with a little drum beat from Mike, and an electronic beat that's a dead ringer for "Head Like a Hole". This song is also very heavy, it can compete with "Droppin' Plates". Full of palm-muted joy, and David flawlessly singing to screaming and back again. Mike works overtime, and the bridge is great. Dave basically raps, and I really couldn't understand what he said. Anyway, this is a brilliant way to top off the album. Fast, heavy, and probably the creepiest song on the album.

Overall, The Sickness wins in big ways. It's nu-metal at its absolute finest. Heavy, palm-muted guitars, fast drum rolls, screaming vocals and electronics mesh together flawlessly to create this lyrically dark, violent, profane, and angry album!



I also learned that Song-by-song takes a lot of time and text.