Believe is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released on September 17, 2002 via Reprise Records. Produced by the band and Johnny K, it focuses heavily on religious and spiritual themes inspired by recent tragedies. With greater emphases on melodic dynamics, it also demonstrates a broadening in the band's musical range compared to their 2000 debut The Sickness. Believe was the last studio album to feature original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak before he was fired from the band in 2003.
Believe debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making it Disturbed's first number one debut, selling over 284,000 copies in its first week of sales. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States on September 23, 2008. Three singles were released from the album: "Prayer", "Remember", and "Liberate".
Background and recording
With Black Sabbath's August 2001 tour canceled, and Disturbed's opening slot with it, the Chicago quartet planned to use the month following Ozzfest to begin pre-production of their next album while preparing for their own headlining tour.
That summer, vocalist David Draiman's grandfather, an Orthodox Jew, died in Israel. At a young age, Draiman was beloved by his grandfather; however, when Draiman became a heavy metal musician, his elder cut off their communication. It was not until the grandfather fell ill that he wished to see his grandson. But by the time word got to Draiman, who was on Ozzfest, his grandfather had mere hours to live. Regarding his grandfather's death, he noted, "No one could look at the aura I projected over the course of that next week and not feel my pain and those feelings very definitely will present themselves on the record."
That same month, Draiman had undergone surgery to remove a damaged valve that was causing acid to spill on his vocal cords. The successful surgery not only repaired Draiman's voice but also allegedly broadened his vocal range.
The band entered K's Groovemaster Studios in mid March 2002 to begin recording with producer Johnny K, the man behind their debut album. The majority of songs, which reportedly included about 10 at the time, had been written since November the previous year, including "Prayer" which debuted during Ozzfest.
By mid-April, Disturbed had completed 12 songs for Believe. In an interview with MTV, Draiman elaborated how the reevaluating of his own Jewish heritage and compromises of life as a musician affected his writing. He noted the album as being "the greatest work we have ever done in our lives" but also expressed concern over how fans would react to the vulnerability and vast expression of emotions showcased on the album.
Music and lyrics
As The Sickness, Believe has been described as nu metal,
Touring and promotion
Believe boasted three singles which gained substantial radio and video airplay. The lead single, "Prayer", featured a video with apocalyptic imagery of a city being destroyed. This led some outlets to refuse to play the video on the grounds that it conjures similarities to the September 11 attacks. After initially considering to edit the video, Disturbed ultimately chose not to. Follow up singles "Remember" and "Liberate" also charted well and gained significant rotation on radio and television. The title track "Believe," although not a single, would also find its way to radio airwaves.
In 2003, Disturbed headlined Music as a Weapon II with Chevelle, Taproot, and Ünloco. A live album, featuring Disturbed's cover of "Fade to Black", would result in 2004. Upon finishing the tour, Steve Kmak was fired by the band because of "personality differences". He was soon replaced by John Moyer, and the group joined the Main Stage of Ozzfest 2003.
"Liberate" appeared on the soundtrack for the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2. "Intoxication" appeared on the soundtrack for NFL GameDay 2004.
Critical reception
Believe currently holds a score of 62 out of 100 on review-aggregating website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on nine reviews. AllMusic's Bradley Torreano praised the album, declaring that on Believe, Disturbed takes the kind of leap that their heroes in Soundgarden and Pantera had after their respective albums of progress. He also states that "it is not a function of the agitation of the tempo and percussion-based riffing of the past; guitarist Dan Donegan has made great strides in expanding its sound to include more varied guitar work all around."
Commercial performance
Believe debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart,
By January 2003, SoundScan had recorded over 1 million album sales. The record was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States on September 23, 2008.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Believe.
Disturbed
- David Draiman – vocals
- Dan Donegan – guitar, keyboards
- Steve "Fuzz" Kmak – bass
- Mike Wengren – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Alison Chesley – cello on "Darkness"
Production
- Johnny K – producer
- Disturbed – producers
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Tony Adams – studio drum technician
- Chris "Rock" Glatfelter – studio guitar technician
Design
- Mick Haggerty – art direction and design
- Stephen Danelian – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for Believe by Disturbed
! scope="col"| Chart (2002)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (European Top 100 Albums)
|74
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)
| 3
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Year-end chart performance for Believe by Disturbed
! scope="col"| Chart (2002)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
| 115
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
| 33
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
| 16
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 102
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 115
|}
Singles
{|class="wikitable"
!Year
!Song
!Chart
!Peak<br>position
|-
|rowspan="8"|2002
|rowspan="5"|"Prayer"
|Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
|align="center"|3
|-
|Alternative Songs
|align="center"|3
|-
|The Billboard Hot 100
|align="center"|31
|-
|rowspan="3"|"Remember"
|Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks