It starts with a rhythmic, gutteral grunt. You know the one. Staccato. Animalistic. To a casual listener in the year 2000, it sounded like a breakdown. To the music industry, it was the sound of a multi-platinum explosion. When Disturbed released their debut single, people didn't just listen; they reacted. Even now, decades later, "Down with the Sickness" remains one of those rare tracks that transcends its genre, popping up in TikTok memes, workout playlists, and horror movie soundtracks with a frequency that defies the usual shelf life of nu-metal.
The song is weird. Honestly, it's structurally bizarre compared to the radio rock of its era. You have David Draiman’s rapid-fire delivery, those tribal beats from Mike Wengren, and a mid-section "domestic abuse" monologue that still makes people incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, it’s the highest-certified digital single from the entire nu-metal movement. Why? Because it captured a specific, jagged energy that hasn’t been replicated since.
The Viral Genesis of a Nu-Metal Staple
When "Down with the Sickness" hit the airwaves, the musical landscape was a mess of transition. Grunge was dead. Pop-punk was getting shiny. Metal was trying to find its footing after the "Satanic Panic" of the 80s died out. Disturbed emerged from Chicago with a sound that felt more clinical and rhythmic than their peers.
Draiman didn't growl like a death metal singer. He barked.
The song reached number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, but its cultural footprint was much larger than a chart position. It became the anthem for the "outcast" kid, but also for the gym rat. It’s a versatile piece of aggression. Most people forget that the radio edit of the song cuts out the entire bridge—the part where Draiman enacts a harrowing scene of a child being beaten by his mother. That’s the "sickness" he’s talking about. It isn't a flu. It's the cycle of abuse and the "sickness" of a society that produces it.
Why the "Monkey Noises" Actually Worked
Let's talk about the staccato vocalizations. Ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah! It’s been parodied a thousand times. Richard Cheese did a lounge version. YouTubers have mashed it up with everything from The Muppets to Animal Crossing.
But here’s the thing: it was a stroke of branding genius, even if it wasn't intended that way. In a sea of cookie-cutter vocalists, that sound gave Disturbed an immediate, recognizable sonic logo. Draiman has explained in various interviews over the years—including conversations with Loudwire and Revolver—that those sounds were meant to represent the animalistic nature of the "sickness" taking over. It was about the loss of humanity.
Musically, the track relies on a very specific syncopation. Dan Donegan’s guitar work isn't overly complex in terms of theory, but the chugging rhythm is locked perfectly with the drums. It creates a "bounce." This is the secret sauce of nu-metal that bands like Korn and Deftones pioneered. If you can't jump to it, it isn't nu-metal. "Down with the Sickness" is perhaps the ultimate jumping song.
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The Controversial Bridge and the Meaning of the "Sickness"
If you only listen to the song on the radio, you're missing the darkest part of the narrative. The full album version on The Sickness includes a spoken-word/screamed segment that is deeply disturbing. Draiman plays the role of a child pleading with an abusive mother before eventually snapping and retaliating.
It’s raw. It’s ugly.
Many critics at the time found it gratuitous. Some still do. However, for a generation of fans who dealt with domestic instability, it was a moment of extreme catharsis. Draiman has been open about the fact that while the lyrics weren't strictly autobiographical in a literal sense (his own mother wasn't a monster), they were inspired by the feelings of helplessness he felt during his youth and the rigid upbringing he rebelled against.
This is where the song gains its E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) in the eyes of its fans. It wasn't just "angry music." It was a channeled, specific trauma. When you "get down with the sickness," you're acknowledging the darkness within and the scars left by external forces. It’s a psychological anthem dressed up in distorted guitars.
Legacy and the "Meme-ification" of Disturbed
It’s impossible to discuss this song without acknowledging how it lives on the internet today. Usually, when a song becomes a meme, it dies a quick death. "Down with the Sickness" is different. It’s "meme-proof."
Every time a creator uses that opening bark for a jump-scare or a punchline, it reinforces the song’s place in the cultural zeitgeist. It has over a billion streams across various platforms. That’s insane for a metal track from 2000. It outlasts its contemporaries because it is fundamentally catchy. The hook—“Get up, come on get down with the sickness”—is a masterclass in songwriting. It’s simple. It’s an invitation. It’s a command.
The band’s cover of "The Sound of Silence" years later showed the world that Draiman actually had a classical, operatic voice, but "Down with the Sickness" is where he proved he could use that voice as a weapon.
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The Technical Backbone
Mike Wengren’s drum intro is iconic. He uses a combination of tom-heavy grooves that feel more like a war march than a standard rock beat.
- The opening beat is a 4/4 time signature but feels slightly shifted due to the accents on the toms.
- The guitar enters with a flanger/wah effect that creates a sense of dread.
- The bass (originally played by Steve "Fuzz" Kmak) provides a thick, muddy foundation that fills the frequency gaps.
This production, handled by the band and Johnny K, was incredibly "dry" compared to the over-produced rock of the late 90s. There’s not a lot of reverb. It’s in your face. It’s claustrophobic.
Impact on the Health of the Genre
By the mid-2000s, nu-metal was a dirty word. Bands like Linkin Park were moving toward alt-rock, and others were fading into obscurity. Disturbed stayed the course. They didn't change their sound to chase trends. "Down with the Sickness" became the blueprint for "Active Rock"—that specific subgenre of hard rock that dominates festivals like Aftershock or Louder Than Life.
It’s a gateway song. Ask a 30-year-old metalhead how they got into heavy music, and there’s a 50% chance this song was the starting point. It’s accessible enough for the radio but aggressive enough to feel rebellious.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you want to truly understand why this track still hits, you have to look past the parodies. Listen to it through a high-fidelity system. Notice the way the vocals are layered. Draiman isn't just singing; he's performing a character.
The song explores the "sickness" as a metaphor for:
- Societal decay.
- Individual non-conformity.
- The literal trauma of abuse.
- The rush of adrenaline and primal instinct.
It’s a multifaceted piece of art that happened to have a really catchy "monkey noise" at the beginning.
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Actionable Steps for the Modern Listener
To get the most out of the Disturbed experience and understand the history of this track, here is what you should do:
Listen to the "un-cut" version. If you've only heard it on the radio or in movies like The One or Dawn of the Dead, find the version from the original The Sickness album. It changes the entire context of the song from a generic "let's get crazy" anthem to a dark psychological drama.
Watch the "Sound of Silence" live performance. To appreciate the technical skill in "Down with the Sickness," you need to see the range Draiman possesses. Understanding his control makes the "animal" noises in the earlier work more impressive—it was a choice, not a limitation.
Explore the Chicago Nu-Metal scene. Disturbed didn't exist in a vacuum. Look into bands like Mudvayne and Soil to see the environment that birthed this specific, aggressive-yet-rhythmic sound.
Analyze the lyrics as a metaphor. Next time you hear the chorus, think of it not as an illness, but as a shedding of societal expectations. "Getting down with the sickness" is about accepting the parts of yourself that others find "sick" or "wrong."
The song isn't going anywhere. Whether it's through a pair of headphones at the gym or a 15-second clip on a social media feed, the sickness is here to stay. It is a permanent fixture of the rock canon, a testament to the power of a weird idea executed with total conviction.
You don't just listen to it. You feel the pulse. You hear the bark. You recognize the "sickness" in yourself. That is the hallmark of a classic.