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System of a Down

March 04, 2023

For the eponymous album from this band, see System of a Down (album).
"Soad" redirects here. For other uses, see Soad (disambiguation).

System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals); Shavo Odadjian (bass, backing vocals); and John Dolmayan (drums), who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian.[1]

System of a Down
System of a Down performing in Wantagh, New York, in 2012
Background information
Also known as
  • SoaD
  • System
OriginGlendale, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1994–2006
  • 2010–present
Labels
SpinoffsScars on Broadway
Members
Past members
Websitesystemofadown.com

The band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and their song "B.Y.O.B." won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006. The band went on hiatus in 2006 and reunited in 2010. Other than two new songs in 2020 ("Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz"),[2] System of a Down has not released a full-length record since the Mezmerize and Hypnotize albums in 2005. The band has sold over 12 million records worldwide, while two of their singles, "Aerials" and "Hypnotize", reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

All members of System of a Down are of Armenian descent, being born to Armenian immigrants or being immigrants themselves.

History

Soil (1992–1994)

Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School as children. However, due to their eight-year age difference they did not meet until 1992 while working on separate projects at the same recording studio.[3] They formed a band named Soil with Tankian on vocals and keyboards, Malakian on vocals and guitar, Dave Hakopyan (who later played in The Apex Theory/Mt. Helium) on bass and Domingo "Dingo" Laranio on drums. The band hired Shavo Odadjian (another Rose and Alex Pilibos alumnus) as manager, although he eventually joined Soil on second guitar. In 1994, after only one live show at the Roxy and one jam session recording, Hakopyan and Laranio left the band.

Demo tapes and signing (1994–1997)

After Soil split up, Tankian, Odadjian, and Malakian formed a new band, System of a Down. The group took its name from a poem that Malakian had written titled "Victims of a Down".[4] The word "victims" was changed to "system" because Odadjian believed that it would appeal to a much wider audience and also because the group wanted their records to be alphabetically shelved closer to their musical heroes, Slayer.[5] Odadjian switched from guitar to bass and passed on his managerial duties to Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group and its founder David "Beno" Benveniste.[6] The band recruited drummer Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian, an old school friend of Malakian and Odadjian who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens.[4]

In early 1995, System of a Down performed under the name Soil at the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do, a nightclub in Los Angeles. Shortly after the event, System of a Down made what is known as Untitled 1995 Demo Tape, which was not commercially released, but eventually appeared on file-sharing networks around the time of the band's success with Toxicity about six years later. Demo Tape 2 was released in 1996. At the beginning of 1997, System of a Down recorded their final publicly released demo tape, Demo Tape 3. In mid-1997, drummer Khachaturian left the band because of a hand injury (he subsequently co-founded The Apex Theory, which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan).[4] Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan.

The band's first official and professionally recorded song was on a collection called Hay Enk ("We're Armenian" in English), an Armenian genocide recognition compilation in 1997. After playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the Whisky a Go Go and Viper Room, the band caught attention of producer Rick Rubin, who asked them to keep in touch. Showing great interest, the group recorded Demo Tape 4 near the end of 1997, specifically to be sent to record companies. Rubin signed the group to his American/Columbia Records, with the band celebrating the signing with a performance at The Roxy Theatre with Human Waste Project on September 12, 1997.[7] Afterwards, System began laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album with engineer Sylvia Massy. "I loved them," Rubin recalled. "They were my favourite band, but I didn't think anyone was going to like them apart from a small, likeminded group of people like me who were crazy. No one was waiting for an Armenian heavy metal band. It had to be so good that it transcended all of that."[8]

In 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards.[9]

Self-titled album (1998–2000)

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 on the Diabolus in Musica tour, behind Clutch, 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 of a Down 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, Tankian 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 does not introduce them as he does most of the other artists featured on the record.[10]

Toxicity and Steal This Album! (2001–2003)

 
Guitarist Daron Malakian met Serj Tankian for the first time in 1992 before forming the band a couple of years later.

On September 3, 2001, System of a Down planned to launch 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 10,000 to 15,000 fans showed up. Due to the large excess number of fans, the performance was canceled by fire marshals just before the group took the stage without announcement of the cancellation. Fans waited for more than an hour for the group to appear, but when a banner hanging at the back of the stage that read "System of a Down" was removed by security, the audience rushed the stage, destroying all the band's touring gear (approximately $30,000 worth of equipment) and began to riot, throwing rocks at police, breaking windows, and knocking over portable toilets. The riot lasted six hours, during which six arrests were made. The band's manager, David "Beno" Benveniste, later said that the riot could have been avoided if the group had been permitted to perform or had they been allowed to make a statement at the concert regarding the cancellation. System of a Down's scheduled in-store performance the next day was cancelled to prevent a similar riot.[11][12]

The group's big break arrived when their second album, Toxicity, debuted at No. 1 on the American and Canadian charts. The album has eventually achieved 3x multi-platinum certification in the United States.[13] It was still on top in America during the week of the 9/11 attacks 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 according to the 2001 Clear Channel memorandum 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 number 14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

In 2001, the band went on tour with Slipknot throughout the United States. Following a performance in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Odadjian was allegedly harassed, ethnically intimidated, and was physically assaulted by security guards backstage, who then dragged him out of the venue. Odadjian received medical attention from police and later filed a suit against the security company.[14] Despite the incident, the tour was a success and System of a Down and Slipknot went on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour together with Rammstein in 2001.

In late 2001, unreleased tracks from the Toxicity sessions made their way onto the Internet.[15] This collection of tracks was dubbed Toxicity II by fans. The group released a statement that the tracks were unfinished material and subsequently released the final versions of the songs as their third album, Steal This Album!, which was released in November 2002. Steal This Album! resembled a burnable CD that was marked with a felt-tip marker. About 50,000 special copies of the album with different CD designs were also released, each designed by a different member of the band. The name of the album is a reference to Abbie Hoffman's counter-culture book, Steal This Book, as well as a message to those who leaked the songs onto the Internet. The song "Innervision" was released as a promo single and received constant airplay on alternative radio. A video for "Boom!" was filmed with director Michael Moore as a protest against the War in Iraq.[16]

Mezmerize, Hypnotize, band hiatus and side projects (2004–2008)

 
Serj Tankian has gained a reputation for his large vocal range along with his unusual delivery.

In 2004, the group recorded the follow-up to Steal This Album!: a double album, which they released in separate installments six months apart. The releases notably included album cover artwork by Malakian's father, Vartan Malakian, and were designed to connect the two separate album covers. The first album, Mezmerize, was released on May 17, 2005, to favorable reviews by critics. It debuted at No. 1 in the United States, Canada, Australia and all around the world, making it System of A Down's second No. 1 album.[17] First-week sales exceeded 800,000 copies worldwide. The lead single "B.Y.O.B.", which questions the integrity of military recruiting in America, worked its way up the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, and would go on to win the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.[18] "Question!" was released as the next single, with Shavo Odadjian co-directing the music video. Following the album's release, the band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada with The Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip supporting.[19]

The second part of the double album, Hypnotize, was released on November 22, 2005. Like Mezmerize, it debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., making System of a Down, along with The Beatles, rappers 2Pac and DMX, the only artists ever to have two studio albums debut at No. 1 in the same year.[20] "Hypnotize" was released as the lead single and was followed by "Lonely Day" and "Vicinity of Obscenity", all three of which were also released as EPs, including several B-sides from 1999–2000, such as a collaboration with the Wu-Tang Clan, titled "Shame". "Kill Rock 'N Roll" was released as the final promotional single.[21]

Whereas on System of a Down's previous albums, most of the lyrics were written and sung by Tankian and the music was co-written by Tankian and Malakian (and sometimes Odadjian), much of the music and lyrics on Mezmerize/Hypnotize were written by Malakian, who also took on a much more dominant role as vocalist on both albums, often leaving Tankian providing keyboards and backing vocals.

System of a Down's song "Lonely Day" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007 but lost to "Woman" by Wolfmother.

A biography of the band entitled System of a Down: Right Here in Hollywood, written by Ben Myers, was published in May 2006, later being published in the U.S. in 2007 through The Disinformation Company. Additionally in 2006, concert footage and interviews with the band concerning the importance of helping create awareness and recognition of the Armenian genocide were featured in the film Screamers, directed by Carla Garapedian. An interview with Tankian's grandfather, a survivor of the genocide, was also included in the film as well as Tankian's and Dolmayan's meeting with then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert during which the two musicians campaigned for the United States government's official recognition of the genocide. Footage of Tankian and Dolmayan marching with protesters outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C., was also used in Screamers.

In May 2006, the band announced they were going on hiatus. Malakian confirmed the break would probably last a few years, which Odadjian specified as a minimum of three years in an interview with Guitar magazine. He told MTV, "We're not breaking up. If that was the case, we wouldn't be doing this Ozzfest. We're going to take a very long break after Ozzfest and do our own things. We've done System for over ten years, and I think it's healthy to take some rest."[22] System of a Down's final performance before their separation took place on August 13, 2006, in West Palm Beach, Florida. "Tonight will be the last show we play for a long time together," Malakian told the crowd during Sunday's last performance. "We'll be back. We just don't know when."[23]

The band members continued with their own projects; Malakian formed a band called Scars on Broadway, which was joined by Dolmayan. After one self-titled album, the project became dormant and Dolmayan left the band. However, the band released their long-awaited sophomore album in 2018, titled Dictator, under the name "Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway". Dolmayan, alongside working with Scars on Broadway, formed his own band, Indicator.[24] Dolmayan has also opened Torpedo Comics, an online comic book store. Odadjian pursued his project with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, a hip-hop group named AcHoZeN, worked on his urSESSION website/record label and performed as a member of funk legend George Clinton's backing band. Meanwhile, Tankian opted for a solo career and released his debut solo album Elect the Dead in the autumn of 2007.[25] He has continued releasing solo albums, recording them almost entirely by himself even after System of a Down had begun to reunite for tours.

Reunion and touring (2010–2020)

On November 29, 2010, following several weeks of Internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they would be reuniting for a string of large European festival dates in June 2011.[26] Among the announced tour dates included UK's Download Festival, Switzerland's Greenfield Festival, Germany's Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Sweden's Metaltown, Austria's Nova Rock Festival and Finland's Provinssirock. The reunion tour commenced on May 10, 2011, in Edmonton, Alberta.[27] System's first tour through Mexico and South America began on September 28, 2011, in Mexico City, ending in Santiago, Chile on October 7, 2011.[28] From late February to early March 2012, they headlined five dates at Soundwave festival.[29] The band have continued playing around the world. On August 11 and 12, 2012, they played the Heavy MTL and Heavy T.O. music festivals in Montreal and Toronto respectively.[30] In August 2013, System of a Down played at the UK's Reading and Leeds Festivals, among other festivals and venues that year.[31]

System of a Down played their only 2013 U.S. performance at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29; tickets sold out hours after going on sale on March 22. On November 23, 2014, System of a Down announced the Wake Up The Souls Tour to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The tour included a free concert in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 23, 2015, their first show in the country.[32]

 
Bassist Shavo Odadjian

In a November 2016 interview with Kerrang!, drummer John Dolmayan revealed that System of a Down was working on more than a dozen songs for their follow-up to the Mezmerize and Hypnotize albums. Although he stated that the band does not know when the album will be released, he added that, "I want everyone on board and feeling good about it. That's what we're trying to accomplish right now. There's a tremendous amount of pressure on us, though, because it's been 11 years—at least 12 by the time it comes out."[33]

In a video Q&A session with fans on July 2, 2017, Shavo Odadjian was asked about the status of the next album and he responded, "I'm waiting for a new album too. It's not happening. I don't know. I don't know when it's gonna be. Not right now."[34] In a December 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Serj Tankian said that System of a Down wrote some new material but was uncertain of what to do with it. He then said that he doesn't want to commit to a new album due to the lack of committing to longform touring.[35]

Malakian singled Tankian out as the reason no new album had yet been released.[36] Tankian detailed his view of the band's past and present conflicts and their overall situation, saying, "As we couldn’t see eye to eye on all these points we decided to put aside the idea of a record altogether for the time being."[37] Dolmayan blamed all of the members due to the personal and creative differences that have been preventing them from recording a new studio album.[38] Tankian also expressed uncertainty on whether the new album would be made or not but did not rule out the possibility. He went on to describe how he imagined the album sounding: "It's gotta be organic, it's gotta feel right in every way."[39]

Odadjian said that the band has material written from "like the last 10, 12 years", but expressed uncertainty on if it would form into a System of a Down album or not. He also said that Malakian and Tankian have visual differences on what the album should sound like, and that the band's inner tension had been building far longer than fans would be aware, despite having love and respect for one another nonetheless.[40] He would later say that there was no extant conflict between the members, expressing confidence that System of a Down would eventually record a new album and claimed that they have material written that would be their best to date.[41] However, Tankian contradicts this statement by stating that there was no talk of the band recording a new album.[42]

Malakian explained that there was a mixture between the matter of different creative perspectives for the band's hesitation to record a new studio album and the lack of desire to tour; however, he did not dismiss the possibility of an album being made, but that it would likely not happen anytime soon.[43] He felt that the fans don't care that the band wasn't making an album, "but I think a lot of the fans just want an album." He expressed hopes that the members would get together and record new music but was content with the direction of his band Scars on Broadway, noting the members' good friendship, "But at the same time, I don't see that happening anytime soon that we're all going to get together and make a new System of a Down album."[44] Malakian said that Tankian and the rest of the band members have been unable to come to an agreement over how to go about making new music, but insisted that there was no negativity between them.[45]

 
Drummer John Dolmayan

Despite System of a Down's ability to perform live, Odadjian expressed disappointment at their inability to record new music, explaining that there has been new material written by the other members in the form of a possible new album. However, without Tankian's presence, no recordings had been made. He questioned why the band still hasn't made an album, citing creative differences as the problem.[46] With the lack of commitment to record new music, Tankian, however, is in favor of releasing a collection of previously unreleased System of a Down songs from the band's past album sessions but would have to convince all the members in order to see its release.[47]

Dolmayan had started in 2014 a Kickstarter to fund a cover project, titled "These Grey Men", alongside friend James Hazley.[48][49] In 2020, he released the first single, a cover of Radiohead's "Street Spirit", on January 23.[50] Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows contributes vocals to the track; Tom Morello contributes the guitar solo at the song's close.[51] The second single features System of a Down bandmate Serj Tankian in a cover of David Bowie's "Starman".[52] The album, titled These Grey Men, was released on February 28, 2020.[53] It consists on covers/reimaginations of other songs by artists such as Radiohead, AFI, Madonna and Talking Heads, among others.

With the differences concerning the band members, Dolmayan became uncertain in wanting to make new music anymore. Although he did not want to put Tankian and Malakian at fault for the band's inability to record a new album, he said, "It takes four people to make this band, and it takes four people to unmake it. I think that we're all to blame. I could just blame Daron and Serj, because, quite frankly, they're the primary songwriters, so it's easy to blame them. But it's not just their fault. A lot of it is their fault, but it's not just their fault."[54] In an interview, Dolmayan exclaimed that putting the band on hiatus was a grave mistake: "I never wanted System to take a hiatus. I think it was a disastrous move for us because we never reached our peak." Dolmayan believed that the band could have risen through the charts if they had just kept going.[55] On December 17, 2020, Serj Tankian announced in a Rolling Stone interview that he would release an EP by the name of Elasticity under his own name. Tankian had planned to release the EP in October; however, due to COVID-19, he changed plans and released it in February 2021 instead. In the interview, he explained that the EP contains songs he had written for System of a Down that the band ultimately opted not to record.[56]

Artsakh benefit singles and possible sixth studio album (2020–present)

On November 5, 2020, in response to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, System of a Down released their first songs in 15 years, "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz", both of which "speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia."[2][57] Music videos were made for both singles, and "Protect the Land" marks the band's first music video in 14 years, since "Lonely Day". Proceeds from the songs were to help Armenia Fund and for humanitarian needs of displaced families from the war.[58][59]

As for a possible new album, Dolmayan told Rolling Stone, "If it was up to me, we'd have a new album every three years. But things aren't up to me. I'm at the mercy of my team, and although I fought for it for many years with band members, I've accepted that it is what it is. We do have five albums and [now] two songs. We've accomplished a lot in our careers. If it ends at that, so be it."[2] In the same interview, Malakian claimed that "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" were originally going to be released under his own band Scars on Broadway. However, as the conflict came to fruition, the band had decided to come together and release the songs under System of a Down instead.[2] Malakian also said he does not see the band making new music anytime soon, saying that the singles were a "one-off kind of thing".[60] Shavo Odadjian spoke with Wall of Sound in a follow up interview discussing the conception of the songs, stating, "It was amazing... Even though we have had our differences, when we’re in there it’s just like brothers making music together, like it all started."[61] When asked if the two songs had inspired a new era of creativity for System of a Down, Tankian said to Triple J in December 2020, "I don't know, because right now we're focused on what's going on in Armenia. There's a huge humanitarian catastrophe. We're still focused on raising funds, raising awareness about this. Time will tell whether this leads to something else or not."[62]

In January 2023, Dolmayan claimed that Tankian "hasn't really wanted to be in a band for a long time [...] and quite frankly, we probably should have parted ways around 2006. We tried to get together multiple times to make an album, but there were certain rules set in place that made it difficult to do so and maintain the integrity of what System of a Down stood for." Despite the major setback, he said the chemistry to play live together as a band is still great.[63]

Artistry

Lyrical themes

System of a Down's lyrics are often oblique[64] or dadaist[64][65] and have discussed topics such as drug abuse,[64] politics[64][66] and suicide.[64] "Prison Song" criticizes the War on Drugs[67] whereas Rolling Stone describes "Roulette" as a "scared, wounded love letter".[68] "Boom!", among the band's most straightforward and unambiguous songs, lambasts globalization and spending on bombs and armament.[69] Commenting on the track "I-E-A-I-A-I-O", drummer John Dolmayan said it was inspired by an encounter he had with Knight Rider's actor David Hasselhoff in a liquor store in Los Angeles when he was around 12.[70] On Mezmerize, "Cigaro" makes explicit references to phallic imagery[71] and bureaucracy[65] while "Violent Pornography" harshly views television[71] and degradation of women.[72] System of a Down's discontent towards the controversial Iraq War arises in "B.Y.O.B.",[65][73] which is a double entendre reference to beer and bombs,[74] containing the forthright lyric "Why don't presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?",[65][71][72] "Old School Hollywood" describes a celebrity baseball game.[72][75] On their album "Hypnotize", "Tentative" describes war,[76][77] "Hypnotize" refers to the Tiananmen Square events,[78][79] and "Lonely Day" describes angst.[75] The album title Steal This Album! is a play on the book Steal This Book by left-wing political activist Abbie Hoffman.[69][80][81] System of a Down's firm commitment for the Armenian genocide to be recognized appears in two songs: "P.L.U.C.K." and "Holy Mountains", which rank among the band's most political songs.[77]

Music

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated "Like many late-'90s metal bands System of a Down struck a balance between '80s underground thrash metal and metallic early-'90s alternative rockers like Jane's Addiction".[82] System of a Down's music has variously been termed alternative metal,[82][83][84][85][86] nu metal,[87][88][89][90][91] heavy metal,[82][92] hard rock,[93][94][95] progressive metal,[96][97][98] thrash metal,[99][100][101] art rock,[102][103] and avant-garde metal.[104][102] Malakian has stated that "We don't belong to any one scene"[105] and that "I don't like the nu-metal drop-A 7-string guitar sound; it is not my thing, at least not yet."[106] In interview with Mike Lancaster, he also said, "People always seem to feel the need to put us into a category, but we just don't fit into any category."[107] According to Tankian, "As far as arrangement and everything, [our music] is pretty much pop. To me, System of a Down isn't a progressive band. [...] But it's not a typical pop project, obviously. We definitely pay attention to the music to make sure that it's not something someone's heard before."[108] Malakian once described their music "as if Slayer and the Beatles had a baby."[109]

The band has used a wide range of instruments, such as electric mandolins, baritone electric guitars, acoustic guitars, ouds, sitars, and twelve string guitars.[110] According to Malakian, he would often write songs in E♭ tuning, which would later be changed to drop C tuning in order to be performed by the band.[106] Malakian states that "For me, the drop-C tuning is right down the center. It has enough of the clarity and the crisp sound—most of our riffy stuff is done on the top two strings, anyway—but it's also thicker and ballsier."[106]

Influences and comparison to other artists

System of a Down's influences include Middle Eastern music,[111] Ozzy Osbourne,[105][111] Black Sabbath,[112] Led Zeppelin,[112] Def Leppard,[113] Scorpions,[113] Morbid Angel,[113] Death,[113] Obituary,[113] Eazy-E,[113] N.W.A,[113] Run-DMC,[113] Umm Kulthum,[113] Abdel Halim Hafez,[113] The Kinks,[113] the Bee Gees,[113] Grateful Dead,[113] The Beatles,[114] Red Hot Chili Peppers,[112] Dead Kennedys,[115] Bauhaus,[116] Depeche Mode,[116] New Order,[116] Radiohead,[116] Metallica,[117] Miles Davis,[117] Alice in Chains,[118] Iron Maiden,[118] Bad Brains,[115] Slayer,[111][119] Van Halen,[120] and Kiss.[121] One reviewer claimed that their music encompasses different sounds, from sounding like "Fugazi playing Rush" to sometimes "tread[ing] close to Frank Zappa territory."[122] Malakian has stated that "I'm a fan of music. I'm not necessarily a fan of any one band."[123] Dolmayan stated "I don't think we sound like anybody else. I consider us System of a Down."[124] Odadjian stated "You can compare us to whoever you want. I don't care. Comparisons and labels have no effect on this band. Fact is fact: We are who we are and they are who they are."[124]

Band members

 
System of a Down in 2013

Current members

  • Serj Tankian – lead vocals, keyboards (1994–2006, 2010–present), rhythm guitar (2001–2006, 2010–present)
  • Daron Malakian – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–2006, 2010–present), co-lead vocals (2004–2006, 2010–present), rhythm guitar (1994–2001)
  • Shavo Odadjian – bass (1994–2006, 2010–present), backing vocals (1995–2006, 2010–present)
  • John Dolmayan – drums, percussion (1997–2006, 2010–present)

Former members

Occasional contributors

  • Arto Tunçboyacıyan — percussion, composition (on Toxicity: "Science", "ATWA" and "Arto". Steal This Album!: "Bubbles". Some live concerts in 2005, 2013)[125][126]

Timeline

Discography

Main article: System of a Down discography

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Category Work Result
1999 Kerrang! Awards[127] Best International Live Act — Won
2002 Grammy Awards[128] Best Metal Performance "Chop Suey!" Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards[129] Best Rock Video Nominated
Best Editing Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Modern Rock Artist of the Year — Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica Best International Rock Artist Nominated
Best International New Artist Nominated
2003 Grammy Awards[128] Best Hard Rock Performance "Aerials" Nominated
MuchMusic Video Awards[130] Best International Video - Group "Boom!" Nominated
California Music Awards Outstanding Group — Won
American Music Awards[131] Favorite Alternative Artist Nominated
Kerrang! Awards[132] Best International Band Nominated
2005 Kerrang! Awards[133] Best Single "B.Y.O.B" Nominated
Best Video Nominated
Best Album Mezmerize Nominated
Best Live Band — Nominated
Best Band on the Planet Nominated
American Music Awards[134] Favorite Alternative Artist Nominated
Metal Storm Awards Best Alternative Metal Album Mezmerize Won
MTV Video Music Awards[135] Best Art Direction "B.Y.O.B." Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards[136] Best Alternative — Won
2006 Grammy Awards[128] Best Hard Rock Performance "B.Y.O.B." Won
MTV Europe Music Awards[137] Best Alternative — Nominated
ECHO Awards Best International Rock/Alternative Group Mezmerize Won
mtvU Woodie Awards[138] Greatest Social Impact "Question!" Won
2007 Grammy Awards[128] Best Hard Rock Performance "Lonely Day" Nominated
2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Awards[139][140] Best Film Wake Up The Souls Tour Won

References

  1. ^ McKenna, Dave (May 13, 2005). "System of a Down: Some Very Heavy Metal". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Grow, Kory. "Hear System of a Down's First New Music in 15 Years, 'Protect the Land' and 'Genocidal Humanoidz'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Meyers, Ben. System Of A Down: Right Here In Hollywood (2007), p. 14.
  4. ^ a b c . Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  5. ^ "7 Things You Didn't Know About System of a Down's Self-Titled Album". Revolver. June 30, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ^ . lamusicblog.com. March 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
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External links

 
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March 04, 2023
system, down, eponymous, album, from, this, band, album, soad, redirects, here, other, uses, soad, disambiguation, also, known, soad, simply, system, armenian, american, heavy, metal, band, formed, glendale, california, 1994, since, 1997, band, consisted, serj. For the eponymous album from this band see System of a Down album Soad redirects here For other uses see Soad disambiguation System of a Down also known as SoaD or simply System is an Armenian American heavy metal band formed in Glendale California in 1994 Since 1997 the band has consisted of Serj Tankian lead vocals keyboards Daron Malakian guitar vocals Shavo Odadjian bass backing vocals and John Dolmayan drums who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian 1 System of a DownSystem of a Down performing in Wantagh New York in 2012Background informationAlso known asSoaD SystemOriginGlendale California U S GenresAlternative metal nu metal heavy metal hard rock progressive metalYears active1994 2006 2010 presentLabelsAmerican ColumbiaSpinoffsScars on BroadwayMembersSerj Tankian Daron Malakian Shavo Odadjian John DolmayanPast membersAndy KhachaturianWebsitesystemofadown wbr comThe band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums three of which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and their song B Y O B won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006 The band went on hiatus in 2006 and reunited in 2010 Other than two new songs in 2020 Protect the Land and Genocidal Humanoidz 2 System of a Down has not released a full length record since the Mezmerize and Hypnotize albums in 2005 The band has sold over 12 million records worldwide while two of their singles Aerials and Hypnotize reached number one on Billboard s Alternative Songs chart All members of System of a Down are of Armenian descent being born to Armenian immigrants or being immigrants themselves Contents 1 History 1 1 Soil 1992 1994 1 2 Demo tapes and signing 1994 1997 1 3 Self titled album 1998 2000 1 4 Toxicity and Steal This Album 2001 2003 1 5 Mezmerize Hypnotize band hiatus and side projects 2004 2008 1 6 Reunion and touring 2010 2020 1 7 Artsakh benefit singles and possible sixth studio album 2020 present 2 Artistry 2 1 Lyrical themes 2 2 Music 2 3 Influences and comparison to other artists 3 Band members 4 Discography 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditSoil 1992 1994 Edit Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School as children However due to their eight year age difference they did not meet until 1992 while working on separate projects at the same recording studio 3 They formed a band named Soil with Tankian on vocals and keyboards Malakian on vocals and guitar Dave Hakopyan who later played in The Apex Theory Mt Helium on bass and Domingo Dingo Laranio on drums The band hired Shavo Odadjian another Rose and Alex Pilibos alumnus as manager although he eventually joined Soil on second guitar In 1994 after only one live show at the Roxy and one jam session recording Hakopyan and Laranio left the band Demo tapes and signing 1994 1997 Edit After Soil split up Tankian Odadjian and Malakian formed a new band System of a Down The group took its name from a poem that Malakian had written titled Victims of a Down 4 The word victims was changed to system because Odadjian believed that it would appeal to a much wider audience and also because the group wanted their records to be alphabetically shelved closer to their musical heroes Slayer 5 Odadjian switched from guitar to bass and passed on his managerial duties to Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group and its founder David Beno Benveniste 6 The band recruited drummer Ontronik Andy Khachaturian an old school friend of Malakian and Odadjian who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens 4 In early 1995 System of a Down performed under the name Soil at the Cafe Club Fais Do Do a nightclub in Los Angeles Shortly after the event System of a Down made what is known as Untitled 1995 Demo Tape which was not commercially released but eventually appeared on file sharing networks around the time of the band s success with Toxicity about six years later Demo Tape 2 was released in 1996 At the beginning of 1997 System of a Down recorded their final publicly released demo tape Demo Tape 3 In mid 1997 drummer Khachaturian left the band because of a hand injury he subsequently co founded The Apex Theory which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan 4 Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan The band s first official and professionally recorded song was on a collection called Hay Enk We re Armenian in English an Armenian genocide recognition compilation in 1997 After playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the Whisky a Go Go and Viper Room the band caught attention of producer Rick Rubin who asked them to keep in touch Showing great interest the group recorded Demo Tape 4 near the end of 1997 specifically to be sent to record companies Rubin signed the group to his American Columbia Records with the band celebrating the signing with a performance at The Roxy Theatre with Human Waste Project on September 12 1997 7 Afterwards System began laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album with engineer Sylvia Massy I loved them Rubin recalled They were my favourite band but I didn t think anyone was going to like them apart from a small likeminded group of people like me who were crazy No one was waiting for an Armenian heavy metal band It had to be so good that it transcended all of that 8 In 1997 the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards 9 Self titled album 1998 2000 Edit 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 on the Diabolus in Musica tour behind Clutch 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 of a Down 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 Tankian 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 does not introduce them as he does most of the other artists featured on the record 10 Toxicity and Steal This Album 2001 2003 Edit Guitarist Daron Malakian met Serj Tankian for the first time in 1992 before forming the band a couple of years later On September 3 2001 System of a Down planned to launch 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 10 000 to 15 000 fans showed up Due to the large excess number of fans the performance was canceled by fire marshals just before the group took the stage without announcement of the cancellation Fans waited for more than an hour for the group to appear but when a banner hanging at the back of the stage that read System of a Down was removed by security the audience rushed the stage destroying all the band s touring gear approximately 30 000 worth of equipment and began to riot throwing rocks at police breaking windows and knocking over portable toilets The riot lasted six hours during which six arrests were made The band s manager David Beno Benveniste later said that the riot could have been avoided if the group had been permitted to perform or had they been allowed to make a statement at the concert regarding the cancellation System of a Down s scheduled in store performance the next day was cancelled to prevent a similar riot 11 12 The group s big break arrived when their second album Toxicity debuted at No 1 on the American and Canadian charts The album has eventually achieved 3x multi platinum certification in the United States 13 It was still on top in America during the week of the 9 11 attacks 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 according to the 2001 Clear Channel memorandum 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 number 14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs In 2001 the band went on tour with Slipknot throughout the United States Following a performance in Grand Rapids Michigan Odadjian was allegedly harassed ethnically intimidated and was physically assaulted by security guards backstage who then dragged him out of the venue Odadjian received medical attention from police and later filed a suit against the security company 14 Despite the incident the tour was a success and System of a Down and Slipknot went on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour together with Rammstein in 2001 In late 2001 unreleased tracks from the Toxicity sessions made their way onto the Internet 15 This collection of tracks was dubbed Toxicity II by fans The group released a statement that the tracks were unfinished material and subsequently released the final versions of the songs as their third album Steal This Album which was released in November 2002 Steal This Album resembled a burnable CD that was marked with a felt tip marker About 50 000 special copies of the album with different CD designs were also released each designed by a different member of the band The name of the album is a reference to Abbie Hoffman s counter culture book Steal This Book as well as a message to those who leaked the songs onto the Internet The song Innervision was released as a promo single and received constant airplay on alternative radio A video for Boom was filmed with director Michael Moore as a protest against the War in Iraq 16 Mezmerize Hypnotize band hiatus and side projects 2004 2008 Edit Serj Tankian has gained a reputation for his large vocal range along with his unusual delivery In 2004 the group recorded the follow up to Steal This Album a double album which they released in separate installments six months apart The releases notably included album cover artwork by Malakian s father Vartan Malakian and were designed to connect the two separate album covers The first album Mezmerize was released on May 17 2005 to favorable reviews by critics It debuted at No 1 in the United States Canada Australia and all around the world making it System of A Down s second No 1 album 17 First week sales exceeded 800 000 copies worldwide The lead single B Y O B which questions the integrity of military recruiting in America worked its way up the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts and would go on to win the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance 18 Question was released as the next single with Shavo Odadjian co directing the music video Following the album s release the band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada with The Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip supporting 19 The second part of the double album Hypnotize was released on November 22 2005 Like Mezmerize it debuted at No 1 in the U S making System of a Down along with The Beatles rappers 2Pac and DMX the only artists ever to have two studio albums debut at No 1 in the same year 20 Hypnotize was released as the lead single and was followed by Lonely Day and Vicinity of Obscenity all three of which were also released as EPs including several B sides from 1999 2000 such as a collaboration with the Wu Tang Clan titled Shame Kill Rock N Roll was released as the final promotional single 21 Whereas on System of a Down s previous albums most of the lyrics were written and sung by Tankian and the music was co written by Tankian and Malakian and sometimes Odadjian much of the music and lyrics on Mezmerize Hypnotize were written by Malakian who also took on a much more dominant role as vocalist on both albums often leaving Tankian providing keyboards and backing vocals System of a Down s song Lonely Day was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007 but lost to Woman by Wolfmother A biography of the band entitled System of a Down Right Here in Hollywood written by Ben Myers was published in May 2006 later being published in the U S in 2007 through The Disinformation Company Additionally in 2006 concert footage and interviews with the band concerning the importance of helping create awareness and recognition of the Armenian genocide were featured in the film Screamers directed by Carla Garapedian An interview with Tankian s grandfather a survivor of the genocide was also included in the film as well as Tankian s and Dolmayan s meeting with then Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert during which the two musicians campaigned for the United States government s official recognition of the genocide Footage of Tankian and Dolmayan marching with protesters outside the Turkish embassy in Washington D C was also used in Screamers In May 2006 the band announced they were going on hiatus Malakian confirmed the break would probably last a few years which Odadjian specified as a minimum of three years in an interview with Guitar magazine He told MTV We re not breaking up If that was the case we wouldn t be doing this Ozzfest We re going to take a very long break after Ozzfest and do our own things We ve done System for over ten years and I think it s healthy to take some rest 22 System of a Down s final performance before their separation took place on August 13 2006 in West Palm Beach Florida Tonight will be the last show we play for a long time together Malakian told the crowd during Sunday s last performance We ll be back We just don t know when 23 The band members continued with their own projects Malakian formed a band called Scars on Broadway which was joined by Dolmayan After one self titled album the project became dormant and Dolmayan left the band However the band released their long awaited sophomore album in 2018 titled Dictator under the name Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway Dolmayan alongside working with Scars on Broadway formed his own band Indicator 24 Dolmayan has also opened Torpedo Comics an online comic book store Odadjian pursued his project with RZA of Wu Tang Clan a hip hop group named AcHoZeN worked on his urSESSION website record label and performed as a member of funk legend George Clinton s backing band Meanwhile Tankian opted for a solo career and released his debut solo album Elect the Dead in the autumn of 2007 25 He has continued releasing solo albums recording them almost entirely by himself even after System of a Down had begun to reunite for tours Reunion and touring 2010 2020 Edit On November 29 2010 following several weeks of Internet rumors System of a Down officially announced that they would be reuniting for a string of large European festival dates in June 2011 26 Among the announced tour dates included UK s Download Festival Switzerland s Greenfield Festival Germany s Rock am Ring Rock im Park Sweden s Metaltown Austria s Nova Rock Festival and Finland s Provinssirock The reunion tour commenced on May 10 2011 in Edmonton Alberta 27 System s first tour through Mexico and South America began on September 28 2011 in Mexico City ending in Santiago Chile on October 7 2011 28 From late February to early March 2012 they headlined five dates at Soundwave festival 29 The band have continued playing around the world On August 11 and 12 2012 they played the Heavy MTL and Heavy T O music festivals in Montreal and Toronto respectively 30 In August 2013 System of a Down played at the UK s Reading and Leeds Festivals among other festivals and venues that year 31 System of a Down played their only 2013 U S performance at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29 tickets sold out hours after going on sale on March 22 On November 23 2014 System of a Down announced the Wake Up The Souls Tour to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide The tour included a free concert in Republic Square in Yerevan Armenia on April 23 2015 their first show in the country 32 Bassist Shavo Odadjian In a November 2016 interview with Kerrang drummer John Dolmayan revealed that System of a Down was working on more than a dozen songs for their follow up to the Mezmerize and Hypnotize albums Although he stated that the band does not know when the album will be released he added that I want everyone on board and feeling good about it That s what we re trying to accomplish right now There s a tremendous amount of pressure on us though because it s been 11 years at least 12 by the time it comes out 33 In a video Q amp A session with fans on July 2 2017 Shavo Odadjian was asked about the status of the next album and he responded I m waiting for a new album too It s not happening I don t know I don t know when it s gonna be Not right now 34 In a December 2017 interview with Rolling Stone Serj Tankian said that System of a Down wrote some new material but was uncertain of what to do with it He then said that he doesn t want to commit to a new album due to the lack of committing to longform touring 35 Malakian singled Tankian out as the reason no new album had yet been released 36 Tankian detailed his view of the band s past and present conflicts and their overall situation saying As we couldn t see eye to eye on all these points we decided to put aside the idea of a record altogether for the time being 37 Dolmayan blamed all of the members due to the personal and creative differences that have been preventing them from recording a new studio album 38 Tankian also expressed uncertainty on whether the new album would be made or not but did not rule out the possibility He went on to describe how he imagined the album sounding It s gotta be organic it s gotta feel right in every way 39 Odadjian said that the band has material written from like the last 10 12 years but expressed uncertainty on if it would form into a System of a Down album or not He also said that Malakian and Tankian have visual differences on what the album should sound like and that the band s inner tension had been building far longer than fans would be aware despite having love and respect for one another nonetheless 40 He would later say that there was no extant conflict between the members expressing confidence that System of a Down would eventually record a new album and claimed that they have material written that would be their best to date 41 However Tankian contradicts this statement by stating that there was no talk of the band recording a new album 42 Malakian explained that there was a mixture between the matter of different creative perspectives for the band s hesitation to record a new studio album and the lack of desire to tour however he did not dismiss the possibility of an album being made but that it would likely not happen anytime soon 43 He felt that the fans don t care that the band wasn t making an album but I think a lot of the fans just want an album He expressed hopes that the members would get together and record new music but was content with the direction of his band Scars on Broadway noting the members good friendship But at the same time I don t see that happening anytime soon that we re all going to get together and make a new System of a Down album 44 Malakian said that Tankian and the rest of the band members have been unable to come to an agreement over how to go about making new music but insisted that there was no negativity between them 45 Drummer John Dolmayan Despite System of a Down s ability to perform live Odadjian expressed disappointment at their inability to record new music explaining that there has been new material written by the other members in the form of a possible new album However without Tankian s presence no recordings had been made He questioned why the band still hasn t made an album citing creative differences as the problem 46 With the lack of commitment to record new music Tankian however is in favor of releasing a collection of previously unreleased System of a Down songs from the band s past album sessions but would have to convince all the members in order to see its release 47 Dolmayan had started in 2014 a Kickstarter to fund a cover project titled These Grey Men alongside friend James Hazley 48 49 In 2020 he released the first single a cover of Radiohead s Street Spirit on January 23 50 Avenged Sevenfold singer M Shadows contributes vocals to the track Tom Morello contributes the guitar solo at the song s close 51 The second single features System of a Down bandmate Serj Tankian in a cover of David Bowie s Starman 52 The album titled These Grey Men was released on February 28 2020 53 It consists on covers reimaginations of other songs by artists such as Radiohead AFI Madonna and Talking Heads among others With the differences concerning the band members Dolmayan became uncertain in wanting to make new music anymore Although he did not want to put Tankian and Malakian at fault for the band s inability to record a new album he said It takes four people to make this band and it takes four people to unmake it I think that we re all to blame I could just blame Daron and Serj because quite frankly they re the primary songwriters so it s easy to blame them But it s not just their fault A lot of it is their fault but it s not just their fault 54 In an interview Dolmayan exclaimed that putting the band on hiatus was a grave mistake I never wanted System to take a hiatus I think it was a disastrous move for us because we never reached our peak Dolmayan believed that the band could have risen through the charts if they had just kept going 55 On December 17 2020 Serj Tankian announced in a Rolling Stone interview that he would release an EP by the name of Elasticity under his own name Tankian had planned to release the EP in October however due to COVID 19 he changed plans and released it in February 2021 instead In the interview he explained that the EP contains songs he had written for System of a Down that the band ultimately opted not to record 56 Artsakh benefit singles and possible sixth studio album 2020 present Edit On November 5 2020 in response to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war System of a Down released their first songs in 15 years Protect the Land and Genocidal Humanoidz both of which speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia 2 57 Music videos were made for both singles and Protect the Land marks the band s first music video in 14 years since Lonely Day Proceeds from the songs were to help Armenia Fund and for humanitarian needs of displaced families from the war 58 59 As for a possible new album Dolmayan told Rolling Stone If it was up to me we d have a new album every three years But things aren t up to me I m at the mercy of my team and although I fought for it for many years with band members I ve accepted that it is what it is We do have five albums and now two songs We ve accomplished a lot in our careers If it ends at that so be it 2 In the same interview Malakian claimed that Protect the Land and Genocidal Humanoidz were originally going to be released under his own band Scars on Broadway However as the conflict came to fruition the band had decided to come together and release the songs under System of a Down instead 2 Malakian also said he does not see the band making new music anytime soon saying that the singles were a one off kind of thing 60 Shavo Odadjian spoke with Wall of Sound in a follow up interview discussing the conception of the songs stating It was amazing Even though we have had our differences when we re in there it s just like brothers making music together like it all started 61 When asked if the two songs had inspired a new era of creativity for System of a Down Tankian said to Triple J in December 2020 I don t know because right now we re focused on what s going on in Armenia There s a huge humanitarian catastrophe We re still focused on raising funds raising awareness about this Time will tell whether this leads to something else or not 62 In January 2023 Dolmayan claimed that Tankian hasn t really wanted to be in a band for a long time and quite frankly we probably should have parted ways around 2006 We tried to get together multiple times to make an album but there were certain rules set in place that made it difficult to do so and maintain the integrity of what System of a Down stood for Despite the major setback he said the chemistry to play live together as a band is still great 63 Artistry EditLyrical themes Edit System of a Down s lyrics are often oblique 64 or dadaist 64 65 and have discussed topics such as drug abuse 64 politics 64 66 and suicide 64 Prison Song criticizes the War on Drugs 67 whereas Rolling Stone describes Roulette as a scared wounded love letter 68 Boom among the band s most straightforward and unambiguous songs lambasts globalization and spending on bombs and armament 69 Commenting on the track I E A I A I O drummer John Dolmayan said it was inspired by an encounter he had with Knight Rider s actor David Hasselhoff in a liquor store in Los Angeles when he was around 12 70 On Mezmerize Cigaro makes explicit references to phallic imagery 71 and bureaucracy 65 while Violent Pornography harshly views television 71 and degradation of women 72 System of a Down s discontent towards the controversial Iraq War arises in B Y O B 65 73 which is a double entendre reference to beer and bombs 74 containing the forthright lyric Why don t presidents fight the war Why do they always send the poor 65 71 72 Old School Hollywood describes a celebrity baseball game 72 75 On their album Hypnotize Tentative describes war 76 77 Hypnotize refers to the Tiananmen Square events 78 79 and Lonely Day describes angst 75 The album title Steal This Album is a play on the book Steal This Book by left wing political activist Abbie Hoffman 69 80 81 System of a Down s firm commitment for the Armenian genocide to be recognized appears in two songs P L U C K and Holy Mountains which rank among the band s most political songs 77 Music Edit Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated Like many late 90s metal bands System of a Down struck a balance between 80s underground thrash metal and metallic early 90s alternative rockers like Jane s Addiction 82 System of a Down s music has variously been termed alternative metal 82 83 84 85 86 nu metal 87 88 89 90 91 heavy metal 82 92 hard rock 93 94 95 progressive metal 96 97 98 thrash metal 99 100 101 art rock 102 103 and avant garde metal 104 102 Malakian has stated that We don t belong to any one scene 105 and that I don t like the nu metal drop A 7 string guitar sound it is not my thing at least not yet 106 In interview with Mike Lancaster he also said People always seem to feel the need to put us into a category but we just don t fit into any category 107 According to Tankian As far as arrangement and everything our music is pretty much pop To me System of a Down isn t a progressive band But it s not a typical pop project obviously We definitely pay attention to the music to make sure that it s not something someone s heard before 108 Malakian once described their music as if Slayer and the Beatles had a baby 109 The band has used a wide range of instruments such as electric mandolins baritone electric guitars acoustic guitars ouds sitars and twelve string guitars 110 According to Malakian he would often write songs in E tuning which would later be changed to drop C tuning in order to be performed by the band 106 Malakian states that For me the drop C tuning is right down the center It has enough of the clarity and the crisp sound most of our riffy stuff is done on the top two strings anyway but it s also thicker and ballsier 106 Influences and comparison to other artists Edit System of a Down s influences include Middle Eastern music 111 Ozzy Osbourne 105 111 Black Sabbath 112 Led Zeppelin 112 Def Leppard 113 Scorpions 113 Morbid Angel 113 Death 113 Obituary 113 Eazy E 113 N W A 113 Run DMC 113 Umm Kulthum 113 Abdel Halim Hafez 113 The Kinks 113 the Bee Gees 113 Grateful Dead 113 The Beatles 114 Red Hot Chili Peppers 112 Dead Kennedys 115 Bauhaus 116 Depeche Mode 116 New Order 116 Radiohead 116 Metallica 117 Miles Davis 117 Alice in Chains 118 Iron Maiden 118 Bad Brains 115 Slayer 111 119 Van Halen 120 and Kiss 121 One reviewer claimed that their music encompasses different sounds from sounding like Fugazi playing Rush to sometimes tread ing close to Frank Zappa territory 122 Malakian has stated that I m a fan of music I m not necessarily a fan of any one band 123 Dolmayan stated I don t think we sound like anybody else I consider us System of a Down 124 Odadjian stated You can compare us to whoever you want I don t care Comparisons and labels have no effect on this band Fact is fact We are who we are and they are who they are 124 Band members Edit System of a Down in 2013 Current members Serj Tankian lead vocals keyboards 1994 2006 2010 present rhythm guitar 2001 2006 2010 present Daron Malakian lead guitar backing vocals 1994 2006 2010 present co lead vocals 2004 2006 2010 present rhythm guitar 1994 2001 Shavo Odadjian bass 1994 2006 2010 present backing vocals 1995 2006 2010 present John Dolmayan drums percussion 1997 2006 2010 present Former members Andy Khachaturian drums 1994 1997 Occasional contributors Arto Tuncboyaciyan percussion composition on Toxicity Science ATWA and Arto Steal This Album Bubbles Some live concerts in 2005 2013 125 126 TimelineDiscography EditMain article System of a Down discography System of a Down 1998 Toxicity 2001 Steal This Album 2002 Mezmerize 2005 Hypnotize 2005 Awards and nominations EditYear Awards Category Work Result1999 Kerrang Awards 127 Best International Live Act Won2002 Grammy Awards 128 Best Metal Performance Chop Suey NominatedMTV Video Music Awards 129 Best Rock Video NominatedBest Editing NominatedBillboard Music Awards Modern Rock Artist of the Year NominatedMTV Video Music Awards Latinoamerica Best International Rock Artist NominatedBest International New Artist Nominated2003 Grammy Awards 128 Best Hard Rock Performance Aerials NominatedMuchMusic Video Awards 130 Best International Video Group Boom NominatedCalifornia Music Awards Outstanding Group WonAmerican Music Awards 131 Favorite Alternative Artist NominatedKerrang Awards 132 Best International Band Nominated2005 Kerrang Awards 133 Best Single B Y O B NominatedBest Video NominatedBest Album Mezmerize NominatedBest Live Band NominatedBest Band on the Planet NominatedAmerican Music Awards 134 Favorite Alternative Artist NominatedMetal Storm Awards Best Alternative Metal Album Mezmerize WonMTV Video Music Awards 135 Best Art Direction B Y O B NominatedMTV Europe Music Awards 136 Best Alternative Won2006 Grammy Awards 128 Best Hard Rock Performance B Y O B WonMTV Europe Music Awards 137 Best Alternative NominatedECHO Awards Best International Rock Alternative Group Mezmerize WonmtvU Woodie Awards 138 Greatest Social Impact Question Won2007 Grammy Awards 128 Best Hard Rock Performance Lonely Day Nominated2015 Parajanov Vartanov Institute Awards 139 140 Best Film Wake Up The Souls Tour WonReferences Edit McKenna Dave May 13 2005 System of a Down Some Very Heavy Metal The Washington Post Retrieved November 11 2013 a b c d Grow Kory Hear System of a Down s First New Music in 15 Years Protect the Land and Genocidal 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Hiatus MTV News Retrieved February 2 2009 West Palm Beach FL August 13 2006 Review soadfans com July 13 2006 Archived from the original on May 15 2007 Retrieved July 25 2007 Indicator Something Underneath live John Domayan s new project YouTube www youtube com Archived from the original on December 11 2021 Retrieved December 17 2020 Serj Tankian Elect The Dead 2xLP Limited Silver Marbled Vinyl Fat Beats Archived from the original on November 7 2020 Retrieved December 19 2020 Karan Tim November 29 2010 System Of A Down to reunite headline Download Festival Alternative Press Archived from the original on October 1 2012 Retrieved November 29 2010 ChartAttack Staff March 1 2011 System Of A Down Announce North American Dates With Gogol Bordello ChartAttack Archived from the original on March 4 2011 Retrieved March 3 2011 System Of A Down Systemofadown com Archived from the original on January 1 2018 Retrieved January 24 2018 Soundwave Festival 2012 Soundwavefestival com Archived from the 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Robert Reviews of System of a Down Retrieved April 2 2009 Harris Chris May 10 2005 System Of A Down Mezmerize NYC With Crushing 90 Minute Gig MTV Viacom International Retrieved May 10 2012 a b Morse Steve August 26 2005 Pounding out a blistering attack System of a Down lashes out at Hollywood war and hypocrisy The Boston Globe Retrieved April 5 2009 a b c Perry Megan 2004 Daron s Guitar Tunings Wired musicians home studios tools amp techniques of the musical mavericks Hal Leonard Corporation p 79 ISBN 0 87930 794 3 Lancaster Mike The Daron Malakian Interview Glendale High School Newspaper Archived from the original on April 15 2009 Retrieved October 12 2021 DeRogatis Jim September 14 2001 They re an Armenian band The Chicago Tribune Retrieved April 4 2009 Revolver December 3 2021 System of a Down s Daron Malakian Why I Love Slayer s Show No Mercy Revolver Retrieved January 6 2023 System of a Down biography 8notes com Retrieved June 26 2006 a b c Nalbandian Bob Interview with System of a Down Shockwaves Online Retrieved July 21 2007 a b c Liebman Jon January 1 2018 Shavarsh Shavo Odadjian opens up about System Of A Down For Bass Plays Only Archived from the original on September 30 2018 Retrieved September 30 2018 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Appleford Steve July 25 2018 System of a Down and Scars on Broadway s Daron Malakian The Albums That Made Me Revolver Retrieved September 30 2018 Rosen Steven July 6 2018 Daron Malakian There Is No New System of a Down Album Planned Ultimate Guitar com Retrieved September 30 2018 a b Gabriella November 2000 Interview with System of a Down NY Rock Archived from the original on September 30 2018 Retrieved September 30 2018 a b c d Dillon Collins November 21 2022 SERJ TANKIAN Discusses His Varied Solo Career Not Being Tied To One Genre Anymore Metal Injection Metal Injection Retrieved November 23 2022 From Depeche Mode to Radiohead Tankian s tastes and influences on Perplex Cities venture into areas far removed from his heavy metal roots Serj Tankian Yeah definitely I was into Depeche Mode and New Order and a lot of the kind of goth bands goth pop type of bands as well Bauhaus It definitely has all those elements that I like and even Radiohead Kind of a little of the Kid A starting Radiohead moments There s a lot of that but it s mostly experimentation and kind of this brooding attitude but it becomes more intimate Like there s something more intimate and something deeper about it than a lot of the rock songs that are very kind of upbeat and sung high and you know mighty and epic There s kind of like the opposite effect here And that s what I liked about it a b Alderslade Merlin September 4 2016 Serj Tankian The 10 albums that changed my life Metal Hammer Retrieved September 30 2018 a b Eakin Marah September 18 2012 Serj Tankian on his musical firsts and learning to love Iron Maiden The A V Club Retrieved September 30 2018 System of a Down s Daron Malakian on Slayer s Influence Farewell Tour Revolver June 6 2018 Retrieved September 30 2018 DARON MALAKIAN on SYSTEM OF a DOWN As Bandmembers We Tend to Have Different Ways of Wanting to do Things April 30 2019 Childers Chad May 11 2012 Serj Tankian Says System of a Down Bandmate Daron Malakian First Turned Him on to Metal Loudwire Retrieved June 11 2015 Sinclair Tom September 3 2001 Review of Toxicity Entertainment Weekly Retrieved April 2 2009 Many musical influences in System of a Down Long Beach Press Telegram August 3 2005 Retrieved April 5 2009 a b Official System of a Down MySpace myspace com soad Retrieved July 21 2007 Toxicity booklet System of a Down Los Angeles American Recordings 2001 86059 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link System of a Down Ft Arto Tuncboyaciyan Arto Genius September 4 2001 genius com System of a down arto lyrics The Winner takes it all in German Intro de August 17 1999 Archived from the original on November 5 2013 Retrieved May 2 2012 a b c d System Of A Down The Recording Academy Retrieved November 19 2020 2002 MTV Video Music Award nominees Billboard July 25 2002 Retrieved November 19 2020 2003 MuchMusic Video Awards Nominees Billboard May 30 2003 Retrieved November 14 2020 American Music Awards And the nominees are Deseret News January 10 2003 Retrieved November 19 2020 Kerrang awards 2003 The nominations BBC August 6 2003 Retrieved November 14 2020 System Of A Down Lead Kerrang Awards Nominations metalunderground com August 9 2005 Retrieved November 19 2020 2005 American Music Awards Nominees Billboard September 20 2005 Retrieved November 19 2020 MTV Music Video Awards 2005 Nominees of note Channel 24 Retrieved November 19 2020 MTV Europe awards 2005 The winners BBC November 3 2005 Retrieved November 19 2020 Nominations for MTV Europe Music Awards announced NME September 19 2006 Retrieved November 19 2020 Angels amp Airwaves Gnarls Barkley Lead Woodie Winners Billboard October 26 2006 Retrieved November 14 2020 System of a Down to receive 2015 Parajanov Vartanov Institute Award Hollywood Reporter October 20 2015 Retrieved November 14 2020 System Of A Down Parajanov com April 24 2017 Retrieved December 1 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to System of a Down Official website System of a Down discography at Discogs System of a Down at Curlie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title System of a Down amp oldid 1142605988, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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