Disturbed, a heavy metal band came together through the matching of a band with a singer. Long-time friends Dan Donegan, guitar, Mike Wengren, drums, and Fuzz, bass played collectively in Chicago for some time previous to hooking up with singer David Draiman in 1997. Draiman had grown up in a spiritual family from which he revolted, being expelled from five boarding schools in his teenage years. His rage found an opening in the thrashing sound of Disturbed, and the band built up a following on Chicago's South Side before a demo tape led to their signing to Giant Records, which released their debut album, The Sickness, in March 2000.

Disturbed gained additional fans and revelation playing the main stage of the 2001 Ozz Fest, then breaking away to do their own self-described "victory lap" around the U.S. that fall. Also during this period, they managed to record a cruel new version of wrestler Steve Austin's theme song that was so good it ended up receiving radio play, and was one of the numerous bands publicized to work on a high profile Faith No More tribute album. Disturbed stepped into the studio after stepping off of the road and began work on a new disc that would reproduce their increase as a band. Feeling tentative, Disturbed worked with producer Johnny K. and mixer Andy Wallace in order to create an album that could contrast to other classic metal records they admired. Intensifying their affection for groups like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and Soundgarden, Believe was released in the fall of 2002 and was instantly accepted as a heavier, more diverse, and finally greater record to their debut.