Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	62/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Entertainment Weekly	B+
Kludge	5/10
Rolling Stone
Rock Hard (de)	8/10

Believe is the second studio album by American metal band Disturbed. It was released on September 17, 2002. Believe debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it Disturbed's first number 1 debut, shipping over 284,000 copies in its first week. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States on September 23, 2008.

The album contains three successful singles and focuses heavily on religious and spiritual themes inspired by recent tragedies. With greater emphases on melodic dynamics, it also demonstrates a broadening in Disturbed's musical range compared to their debut album. Believe was the last album to feature original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak before he was fired from the band in 2003.

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 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.

...
Wikipedia