System of a Down
System of a Down | |
|---|---|
| File:Systempress2.gif | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1995 – present |
| Members | Serj Tankian Daron Malakian Shavo Odadjian John Dolmayan |
System of a Down (sometimes referred to as S.O.A.D. or System) is a rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1995. The band consists of Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards, guitars), John Dolmayan (drums), Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) and Shavo Odadjian (bass). The members are well known for the outspoken social and political views found in their songs. 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 West Asian instruments. Their main influences are most noticeably from earlier alternative rock bands. They also draw influence from the heavy metal, punk rock, jazz, fusion, Armenian folk music, classic rock, blues, and industrial genres.
In 1998, the band released their debut album, System of a Down. The album was produced in part by Rick Rubin. The band enjoyed moderate success, with their first single 'Sugar' becoming a radio favorite. The singles 'Spiders' and 'War?' followed. System of a Down toured extensively, opening for Slayer, 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 and Incubus providing support. In 2000, the band contributed their cover of the Black Sabbath song "Snowblind" to the Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black 2.
The band's big break came when their critically-acclaimed sophomore album Toxicity debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, eventually achieving multi-platinum certification. The album has since sold 5 million copies worldwide. 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!," causing it to be taken off the radio as it contained politically sensitive lyrics at the time: "I don't think you trust in my self-righteous suicide," for example. Regardless, the video gained constant play on MTV as did the second single, "Toxicity." Even with the controversy surrounding "Chop Suey!," for which they earned a Grammy nomination, System of a Down still received constant airplay in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with their hits, "Toxicity" and "Aerials."
In late 2001, some unreleased tracks recorded during the making of Toxicity made their way onto the Internet. The band released a statement that fans were listening to unfinished material, and soon after the band went into the studio to re-record these songs. The result was their third album, Steal This Album!, released in November 2002. The CD resembled a burnable CD that was marked with a felt-tip marker. The album is unique in that it contains no booklet. 50,000 special copies of the album with different CD designs were also released, each designed by a different member of the group. The album is a reference to Abbie Hoffman's counter-culture book titled Steal This Book. The singles "Innervision" and "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" were released as radio-only promos 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.
From 2004 to 2005, the band produced a double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize, with each being released separately. The first part, Mezmerize, was released in May, 2005, to favorable reviews by critics. It debuted at #1 in the United States, Canada, Australia and all around the world, making it their second #1 album. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide. The explosive Grammy Award-winning first single "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs)," which questions the integrity of war, worked its way up the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. The next single, "Question!," was released next with bassist Shavo Odadjian co-directing the video. Following the release of Mezmerize, the band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada with The Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip supporting.
Following the release of the "Hypnotize" single, the second part of the Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album Hypnotize was released in November 2005. Like Mezmerize, it debuted at #1 in the US, making System of a Down, along with the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and rapper DMX, the only artists to ever have two #1 studio albums in the same year. The album has had a strong critical response. Their second single off the Hypnotize album is "Lonely Day," released in February in the US.
A song about the popular video game The Legend of Zelda was released by The Rabbit Joint, mislabeled, and spread over file sharing networks. The song was mistakenly believed by many to have been recorded by System of a Down.
In February of 2006, System of a Down won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for their single "B.Y.O.B.," beating out other established artists such as Nine Inch Nails and rock veteran Robert Plant.
Is System of a Down "nu metal"?
There is some contention over the band's genre regarding whether they are nu metal, which can carry negative connotations, or 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 '90s. The band also toured with Ozzfest, a festival that typically features many up-and-coming nu metal bands. Their music features guitar solos in the intro as well as solos, a common trait of traditional metal bands.
Those who do not espouse the nu metal label argue that System of a Down uses no rapping or turntables in any of their songs. Such hip-hop influences are typical traits of nu metal.
The band does not consider itself to be nu metal. Guitarist Daron Malakian has said in a Guitar World interview that he is glad System of a Down has 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, Malakian 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
- Serj Tankian -Vocals, Keyboards, Samples & Guitar
- Daron Malakian - Guitar & Vocals
- Shavo Odadjian - Bass & Vocals
- John Dolmayan - Drums
Previous members
Discography
- System of a Down (June 30, 1998) American, Columbia, #124 US (Certified Platinum)
- Toxicity (September 4, 2001) American, Columbia, #1 US (Certified 4x Platinum), #1 Canada, #13 UK
- Steal This Album! (November 26, 2002) American, Columbia, #15 US (Certified Platinum), #56 UK
- Mezmerize (May 17, 2005) American, Columbia, #1 US (Certified Platinum), #2 UK, #1 Australia, #1 Canada
- Hypnotize (November 22, 2005) American, Columbia, #1 US (Certified Platinum), #1 Canada, #11 UK, #3 Australia
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1997 | "War?" | - | - | - | - | System of a Down |
| 1998 | "Sugar" | - | #31 | #28 | - | System of a Down |
| 1999 | "Spiders" | - | #38 | #25 | - | System of a Down |
| 2001 | "Prison Song" | - | - | #94 | Toxicity | |
| 2001 | "Chop Suey!" | #76 | #7 | #12 | #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" | - | #14 | #44 | - | Steal This Album! |
| 2005 | "Cigaro" | - | - | #38 | - | Mezmerize |
| 2005 | "B.Y.O.B." | #27 | #4 | #4 | - | Mezmerize |
| 2005 | "Question!" | - | #9 | #7 | #41 | Mezmerize |
| 2005 | "Hypnotize" | #57 | #1 | #5 | #48 | Hypnotize |
| 2006 | "Lonely Day" | - | #31 | #26 | - | Hypnotize |
- "War?" from System of a Down (1997)
- "Sugar" from System of a Down (1998) Directed by Nathan Cox
- "Spiders" from System of a Down (1999) Directed by Charlie Deaux
- "Chop Suey!" from Toxicity (2001) Directed by Marcos Siega
- "Aerials" from Toxicity (2002) Directed by Shavo Odadjian
- "Toxicity" from Toxicity (2002) Directed by Shavo Odadjian and Marcos Siega
- "Boom!" from Steal This Album! (2003) Directed by Michael Moore
- "B.Y.O.B." from Mezmerize (2005) Directed by Jake Nava
- "Question!" from Mezmerize (2005) Directed by Shavo Odadjian and Howard Greenhalgh
- "Hypnotize" from Hypnotize (2005) Directed by Shavo Odadjian and Kris Naylor
- "Lonely Day" from Hypnotize (2006) Directed by Josh Melnick and Xander Charity
Guest Music Video Appearances
- Buckethead featuring Serj Tankian "We Are One" from the Masters of Horror Soundtrack (2005) Directed by Rodney Ascher and Syd Garon