System of a Down, also known by the acronym
SOAD and often shortened as
System, is an
Armenian-American rock band from
Southern California, formed in 1994. It consists of
Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar),
Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar),
Shavo Odadjian (bass, background vocals) and
John Dolmayan (drums). All four members are of Armenian descent, and are widely known for their outspoken views expressed in many of their songs confronting the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 by the
Ottoman Empire as well as the ongoing
War on Terror.
The band has achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums; three of their studio albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four
Grammy Awards, and won the award in 2006 for
Best Hard Rock Performancefor the song "
B.Y.O.B.". On August 13, 2006, the group went on indefinite
hiatus.
biography
You can count on System, one of rock’s most daring and innovative bands, to do things in its own way, and with a level of commitment that’ll knock the wind right out of you. “This band’s what Public Enemy once was and what Rage Against the Machine never quite managed to be: the potent trifecta of credibility, sincerity and real danger,” pronounced Esquire on naming them “Best Agitators” in the magazine’s 2005 Esky Music Awards. If you were looking for the ultimate one-sentence summation of this extraordinary band, that’s pretty good. Malakian has his own take. “We’re really an honest band—that’s why people are listening to us,” he asserts. “We’re not bullshitting ourselves and we’re not bullshitting them.
members...
Shavo Odadjian
Daron Malakian
John Dolmayan
Serj Tankian
Debut album (1998)
In June 1998, System of a Down released their debut album,
System of a Down. They enjoyed moderate success as their first singles "
Sugar" and "
Spiders" became radio favorites and the music videos for both songs were frequently aired on
MTV. After the release of the album, the band toured extensively, opening for Slayer and
Metallica before making their way to the second stage of
Ozzfest. Following Ozzfest, they toured with
Fear Factory and
Incubus before headlining the
Sno-Core Tour with
Puya,
Mr. Bungle, The Cat and Incubus providing support.
In November 1998, System appeared on
South Park's
Chef Aid album, providing the music for the song "Will They Die 4 You?" Near the end of the song Serj can be heard saying, "Why must we kill our own kind?" a line that would later be used in the song "Boom!" Although System of a Down is credited on the album, South Park character
Chef doesn't introduce them as he does for all other artist featured on the record.
System of a Down's former drummer, Ontronik Khachaturian, briefly reunited with the band at a show at
The Troubadour in 1999, filling in on vocals for an ill Tankian.
[2] In 2000, the band contributed their cover of the
Black Sabbath song "
Snowblind" to the Black Sabbath tribute album
Nativity in Black 2.
Toxicity and Steal This Album! (2001–2002)
On September 3, 2001, System of a Down had planned on launching their second album at a free concert in Hollywood as a "thank you" to fans. The concert, which was to be held in a parking lot, was set up to accommodate 3,500 people, however, an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 fans showed up. Due to the large excess number of fans the performance was cancelled by police officers just prior to the group taking stage.
The group’s big break arrived when their second album
Toxicity debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, despite the events of September 11. The album eventually achieved
multi-platinum certification and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide. It was still on top in America during the week of the
September 11, 2001attacks and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding the album's hit single “
Chop Suey!” The song was taken off the radio as it contained politically sensitive lyrics at the time such as “(I don’t think you) trust in my self-righteous suicide.” Regardless, the video gained constant play on MTV as did the album's second single, “
Toxicity.” Even with the controversy surrounding “Chop Suey!” (which earned a Grammy nomination) System of a Down still received constant airplay in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with “Toxicity ” and “
Aerials.” In May 2006,
VH1 listed Toxicity in the #14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.
album
mezmerize hypnotize
toxicity
steal this album
