| ## Story behind the song | |
| "Down With the Sickness" was one of the first songs written after the band's formation in 1997. | |
| - | [[David Draiman]]'s skits during |
| + | [[David Draiman]]'s skits during live performances created the misconception that the song is about child abuse. However, the band has denied that this song is about literal child abuse; it is about a metaphoric abuse. Dave Draiman explained that these screamed psychodramas are merely inspired by personal history, but they are not a literal record of his unhappy childhood. "I'm really talking about the conflict between the mother culture of society, who's beating down the child yearning for independence and individuality, and the submission of the child." <ref name="pnt1">{{cite PhoenixNewTimes.com|url="http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/disturbed-and-disturberer-6408263"|title="'Disturbed & Disturberer' by Jimmy Magahern"}}</ref> |
| He insisted, "'Down With The Sickness,' for instance, wasn't meant to be an indictment specifically against parents - certainly nothing specifically against my own. The record was an indictment of this whole way of life, this set of morals and ethics and rules, that was laid down by the norm in society." <ref name="pnt1"/> | |
| > It's kind of weird because I try to write these songs cryptically so that it's open to self-interpretation. But then, so many people take the songs literally. I mean, what do you do about all these kids who are thanking you for dealing with abuse in one of your songs, when that wasn't the point? <ref name="pnt1"/><br><br> | |
| > Here lies David Draiman. Ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah. <ref name="yt1"/> | |
| ## Music videos | |
| - | ### Album version of the song |
| - | |
| - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6tZ8ySKrO0 |
| - | |
| ### Official music video | |
| - | Nathan Cox directed the official video for the song, <ref>{{cite IMDb.com|url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6113398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_7"|title="Disturbed: Down with the Sickness (2001)"}}</ref> which features shots of the live performance |
| + | Nathan Cox directed the official video for the song, <ref>{{cite IMDb.com|url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6113398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_7"|title="Disturbed: Down with the Sickness (2001)"}}</ref> which features shots of the live performance of the band. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09LTT0xwdfw | |
| ### Live version | |
| ### Guitars | |
| #### Dan Donegan | |
| - | For the recording of the album, |
| + | For the recording of the album, Dan Donegan used Gibson Les Paul Standards and Gibson SGs. But after the release of the album, he switched to PRS single-cut guitars, which can be seen in the official video. |
| - |  |
| - | |
| - | *Gibson Les Paul Standard.* |
| + | ![]() |
| #### Steve Kmak | |
| - | |
| + | Kmak used five-string Music Man StingRay basses. |
| - |  |
| - | |
| - | *Steve Kmak with his five-string Music Man StingRay bass.* |
| + | ![]() |
| ### Amps and effects | |
| #### Dan Donegan | |
| Dan Donegan used **Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier amp heads** with **Mesa/Boogie Rectifier 4x12 cabs** during these years. | |
| - |  |
| - | |
| - | *Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier amp head.* |
| + | ![]() |
| In 2000, Dan Donegan revealed that he was a user of several effects pedals and processors: **BOSS PH-2 Super Phaser**, **Dunlop Crybaby Wah**, **Ernie Ball Volume pedal**, and **BBE Sonic Maximizer**. <ref>{{cite denyaristya.wordpress.com|url="https://denyaristya.wordpress.com/tag/disturbed/"|title="Disturbed, 'Another Way to Die' — New Song"}}</ref> | |
| ### Amp settings | |
| - | + Gain - 8-9 |
| - | + Treble - 9 |
| - | + Mids - 4 |
| - | + Bass - 7-8 |
| + | |
| ## Tuning | |
| - | Guitars: [[drop C |
| + | Guitars: [[drop C# tuning]] (C# G# C# F# A# D#). |
| 5-string bass: drop C# tuning (A# C# G# C# F#), though Steve Kmak didn't use the fifth string. | |
| ## Song key | |
| The song is written in the key E minor. | |
| ## Techniques | |
| - | Dan Donegan is the only guitar player in the band, though this song contains two separate guitar lines. The second guitar appears throughout the whole song except the [[chorus (song part)|choruses]]. |
| - | |
| ### Song breakdown | |
| The song has the following [[Song structure|structure]]: | |
| **[[Intro]] - [[Verse]] 1 - [[Pre-chorus]] 1 - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 1 - [[Verse]] 2 - [[Pre-chorus]] 2 - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 2 - [[Bridge (song part)|Bridge]] - [[Interlude]] - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 3** | |
| - | The song starts with a series of [[dead note|muted]] strums; then it goes to the [[palm-muted]] single note intro riff. After the first staccato vocals of David Draiman, the main guitar starts playing [[power chords]]. |
| - | |
| - | For the [[verse|verses]], [[palm-muted]] [[power chords]] are used (in fact, there is only one power chord repeated). During the verses, the second guitar plays a line, which consists of single notes with several [[natural harmonics]]. |
| - | |
| - | In the [[pre-chorus|pre-choruses]], the main guitar plays a riff on the sixth string, while the second continues the lines from the verses. |
| - | |
| - | In the [[chorus (song part)|choruses]], the main guitar performs a mix of [[power chords]] with [[natural harmonics]]. Also, take note of the long [[slide (technique)|slide]] with [[vibrato]] in the middle of the chorus. The transition between the first chorus and the second verse is created with a slide too. |
| - | |
| - | The [[bridge (song part)|bridge]] is performed with a lot of [[slide (technique)|slides]], [[vibrato|vibratos]], and [[dead note|dead notes]]. The second guitar plays simple single notes. |
| - | |
| - | The interlude after the bridge is rhythmically the same as the intro line. |
| - | |
| ## Recommended lessons | |
| ### Dan Donegan's guitar lesson | |
| - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySD5VP621l8 |
| - | |
| - | ### Guitar tutorial with tabs |
| - | |
| - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om7EM1_7AhU |
| - | |
| - | ### Guitar lesson |
| - | |
| - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aJx49N6vQ8 |
| - | |
| - | ### Bass cover |
| - | |
| - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIo5_ePQel8 |
| + | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySD5VP621l8 |