This Chicago, Illinois, USA-based nu-metal outfit attracted a great deal of media attention with their March 2000 debut, The Sickness. The band was formed by Dan Donegan (b. Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA; guitar), Fuzz (b. Covington, Kentucky, USA; bass), Mike Wengren (b. Chicago, Illinois, USA; drums), and the charismatic Dave Draiman (b. Brooklyn, New York, USA; vocals). Draiman, who also suggested the band's name, provided an immediate focal point when he joined the three other members in 1997. The quartet soon built up a sizeable following on the Chicago rock scene, but national success beckoned when their demo caught the attention of the major Giant Records. The Sickness polished off the rough edges of their demo, leaving a fairly traditional metal sound with the occasional nod to electronica in the style of White Zombie or System Of A Down. In common with most of their nu-metal contemporaries the band also rattled out a desultory but interesting cover version of an 80s classic, in this case Tears For Fears' "Shout".
Steady touring in support of their debut album helped propel Disturbed to multi-platinum status. The band's status as one of nu-metal's most commercially successful acts was confirmed when their second album, Believe, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard chart in October 2002. Bass player Fuzz left the band the following November.

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