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System of a Down

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System of a Down
File:Systempress2.gif
Background information
Years active1995 – present
MembersSerj Tankian
Daron Malakian
Shavo Odadjian
John Dolmayan

System of a Down (sometimes referred to as S.O.A.D. or System) is an alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band consists of Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards), John Dolmayan (drums), Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) and Shavo Odadjian (bass), who are known more for the outspoken social and political views found in their songs than for their distinctive dress styles and goatees. All four members are of Armenian ancestry.

History, style and influences

System of a Down uses a wide range of instruments, including baritone electric guitars, electric mandolins, sitars, 12-string classical guitars and many other East Asian instruments. Their main influences are most noticeably from earlier alternative rock bands, but they also draw influence from the heavy metal, punk rock, jazz, fusion, Armenian folk music, classic rock, blues, and industrial genres.

The band enjoyed moderate success with their first singles, "Sugar", ranked number 9 o­n the top 50 Songs that changed the world by Kerrang magazine, "War?" and "Spiders", from their debut album System of a Down. However, their big break came from their critically acclaimed second album, Toxicity, which debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, eventually achieving multi-platinum certification. The album was #1 in America on the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding their hit single "Chop Suey!", released in the late summer of 2001. System of a Down received constant airplay in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with their hits, "Chop Suey!", "Toxicity", "Aerials", from their second album, and "Innervision" from their third album, Steal This Album!.

In November 2002 their third album, which contains songs which were recorded for but not included in the first two albums, was released under the name Steal This Album!. Early recordings of most of the songs had leaked out onto the internet and were well received by the fans resulting in the subsequent release. There are five different designs of the album available. One version of the CD resembles a CD Recordable that was labeled with a felt-tip marker. 50,000 copies of each of the other four featured designs were released. The four individual band members; Serj, Shavo, Daron and John; each designed one of the special covers.

In 2004, the band recorded two brand new albums named Mezmerize and Hypnotize. Mezmerize was released in the United States and Europe on May 17 2005, and in Australia on May 22 2005, and Hypnotize was released in the United States on November 22. In early January, 2005, a new track called "Cigaro" was purposely leaked onto the internet to be praised from fans, followed by the release of the single "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs)", which worked its way up the North American singles charts. Also In January, the band played, at Big Day Out in Oceania, a song called Tentative from the upcoming Hypnotize album. The next single was Question!, with bassist Shavo Odadjian co-directing the video. Mezmerize was a successful release for the band, immediately shooting up to the top of the US charts, making it the group's second consecutive number-one debut. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide, with the album debuting at number-one in over a dozen other countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, and France. The album has also been generally well received by critics. In late September, 2005, the band filmed the first (official) single "Hypnotize" for the second disc. The single was released late September, to be broadcast on radio stations. The video was simultaneously released on MTV and the band's official website at 6am EST on November 1 2005. The entire Hypnotize album was leaked on November 10th, 2005 and when eventually released completed the well recieved "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" double album.

System of a Down also show support for their Armenian heritage. The last song on their debut album, P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers), is about the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Tankian and Dolomayan also made an appearence at a rally for the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which took place in Illinois in September 2005. Every year on April 24th System performs a special show in the LA area called the "Souls Benefit" concert. April 24th is the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Nu metal or not?

There is some disagreement over the band's genre: Are they nu metal (a term which to some people brings negative connotations) or simply heavy metal?

System of a Down have been labeled as nu metal by some fans and media since their incarnation. This can be attributed to the release of their first album, which occurred during the nu metal boom of the mid-to-late 90's. Adding to this, the band toured with Ozzfest, a festival that typically features many up-and-coming nu metal bands. In addition, their music rarely features guitar solos, a common trait of nu metal bands.

Those who do not believe the nu metal genre applies to the band argue that there is no rapping or turntables used in any of their songs; such hip-hop influences are typical, if not defining traits of nu metal.

Furthermore, the band does not consider themselves to be nu metal. Guitarist Daron Malakian has said in a Guitar World interview that he is glad that System of a Down had not slipped into the nu metal genre. During a 2005 concert, he announced, "They used to call us nü-metal, now they call us prog rock. I think they'll call us anything that's popular."

Also in a 2005 interview with the Houston Press, Daron said, "Lately, we've been doing interviews, and people have been like, 'You guys are really leading the way for the new prog movement,' and I'm like, 'What?' Because a couple of years ago, these guys were comparing us to Limp Bizkit and Korn, and now that we're still here and those bands aren't, they're talking about prog. It's just kind of aggravating that people always have to have something to compare us to, or bunch us up with. I'm not saying we're the most original band in the world, but I don't really feel that we fall into a heavy-metal category or a pure rock category. There's a lot of stuff mixed up into one."

Members

Previous members

Discography

Albums

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK Singles Chart
1998 "Sugar" - #31 #28 - System of a Down
1999 "Spiders" - #38 #25 - System of a Down
2000 "War?" - - - - System of a Down
2000 "The Metro" - - - - Dracula 2000 [Soundtrack]
2001 "Chop Suey!" #76 #7 - #17 Toxicity
2002 "Toxicity" #70 #3 #10 #25 Toxicity
2002 "Aerials" #55 #1 #1 #34 Toxicity
2003 "Innervision" - #12 #14 - Steal This Album!
2003 "Boom!" - -#17 - - Steal This Album!
2003 "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" - - - - Steal This Album!
2005 "B.Y.O.B." #27 #4 #4 - Mezmerize
2005 "Question!" - #9 #7 #41 Mezmerize
2005 "Hypnotize" #93 #12 #15 #48 Hypnotize

Music videos

Official websites

Fan websites

Other related sites
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