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{{For|the eponymous album from this band|System of a Down (album)}} | |||
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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians --> | |||
| name = System of a Down | |||
| image = SOADJONESBEACH.jpg | |||
| caption = System of a Down live in ] on August 5, 2012 | |||
| image_size = 250 | |||
| landscape = yes | |||
| background = group_or_band | |||
| origin = ], {{nowrap|United States}} | |||
| genre = <!--Please do not add or remove any genre from this list without consensus. DO NOT ADD NU METAL!! Consensus was reached to add it UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES! -->], ], {{nowrap|]}}, {{nowrap|]}} | |||
| alias = SOAD, System <!--Soil is NOT SOAD--DO NOT ADD SOIL--> | |||
| years_active = <!--The band has stated that they did not form until 1994/1995--> | |||
1994–2006, 2010–present | |||
| label = ], ], ] | |||
| associated_acts = <!-- Alphabetical order. The F.C.C. will remain where it is because it's part of Serj Tankian and The F.C.C.. I removed Serart because it's more of a collaboration album between Serj and Arto than a side project or band. Please discuss if you'd like. --> ], ], ]<!-- Shavo has performed as a member of this band both in the studio and live -->, ], ] and ], ]<!--DO NOT ADD THE MARS VOLTA! NO MEMBERS OF SYSTEM OF A DOWN HAVE BEEN IN THE MARS VOLTA OR VICE VERSA! Do NOT add The Mars Volta as an associated act just because The Mars Volta opened for SOAD!--> | |||
| website = {{url|http://www.systemofadown.com/}} | |||
| current_members = <!-- The current members are listed in correspondance with Misplaced Pages Infobox Guidelines. These can be found at the page: "Template:Infobox Musical Artist#current members" for additional reference.-->]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
| past_members = ]<!--DO NOT ADD DOMINGO LARANIO OR DAVE HAKOPYAN--ALTHOUGH THEY WERE MEMBERS OF SOIL NEITHER WERE MEMBERS OF SOAD--> | |||
}} | |||
'''System of a Down''', also known by the ] '''SOAD''' and often shortened to '''System''', is an American four-piece ] band from ], formed in 1994. <!-- Soil was formed in 1992/1993, SOAD was formed until circa 1994 --> The band currently consists of four ]s:<ref>{{cite news|last=McKenna|first=Dave|title=System of a Down: Some Very Heavy Metal|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051201773.html|accessdate=11 November 2013|newspaper=]|date=13 May 2005}}</ref> ] (lead vocals, keyboards), ] (vocals, guitar), ] (bass, backing vocals) and ] (drums). | |||
The band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the ]. System of a Down has been nominated for four ], and their song "]" won the ] of 2006. The group went on hiatus in August 2006 and reunited in November 2010, embarking on a ] for the following three years. System of a Down has sold over 40 million records worldwide. | |||
== History == | |||
=== Soil (1992–1994) === | |||
Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian attended ] as children, although due to their eight-year age difference they did not meet until 1992 while working on separate projects at the same recording studio.<ref>Meyers, Ben. ''System Of A Down: Right Here In Hollywood'' (2007), p. 14.</ref> They formed a band named ''Soil'' with Tankian on vocals and keyboards, Malakian on vocals and guitar, Dave Hakopyan (who later played in ]/]) 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 as rhythm guitarist. In 1994, after only one live show, and one jam session recording, Hakopyan and Laranio left the band, feeling that it was not going anywhere. | |||
=== 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".<ref name="blogs.myspace.com">{{cite web |title=OnTroniK: System of a Down Information |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=512654515&blogId=526325472 |accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> 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, ]. Odadjian switched from guitar to bass and passed on his managerial duties to ] and its founder David "Beno" Benveniste.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview With David 'Beno' Benveniste |work=lamusicblog.com |date=March 13, 2011 |url=http://lamusicblog.com/2011/03/industry-profile/interview-with-beno-of-velvet-hammer |accessdate=August 8, 2012}}</ref> The band recruited drummer ], an old school friend of Malakian's and Odadjian's who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" /> | |||
In early 1995, System played as "Soil" at the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do, a nightclub in ]. Shortly after the event, System of a Down made what is known as ''Untitled 1995 Demo Tape'', which was not commercially released but appeared on file sharing networks around the time of the band's success with '']'' 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).<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" /> Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan. | |||
The band's first official release of a professionally recorded song was on a collection called ''Hye Enk'' ("we're Armenian" in English), an ] recognition compilation, in 1997. Soon after playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the ] and ] the band caught famed producer ]'s attention who asked them to keep in touch with him. Showing great interest, the group recorded ''Demo Tape 4'' near the end of 1997. Unlike the previous demo tapes, however, ''Demo Tape 4'' was made only to be sent to ] (although it has since been leaked onto the internet). Rubin signed the group onto his ], and System of a Down began to record in Rubin's studio with engineer ], laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album. | |||
Also in 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards.<ref name="rc_awards_97">{{cite web |title=Rock City Awards 1997 |work=rockcitynews.com |url=http://www.rockcitynews.com/awards/ballot97.html |accessdate=July 25, 2007}}</ref> | |||
=== ''System of a Down'' (1998–2000) === | |||
In June 1998, System of a Down released their debut album, '']''. They enjoyed moderate success as their first singles "]" and "]" 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 ] before making their way to the second stage of ]. Following Ozzfest, they toured with ] and ] before headlining the ] with ], ], The Cat and Incubus providing support. | |||
In November 1998, System of a Down appeared on ]'s '']'' 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 ] does not introduce them as he does every other artist featured on the record. | |||
System of a Down's former drummer, Ontronik Khachaturian, briefly reunited with the band at a show at ] in 1999, filling in on vocals for an ill Tankian.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" /> In 2000, the band contributed their cover of the ] song "]" to the Black Sabbath tribute album ''].'' | |||
=== ''Toxicity'' and ''Steal This Album!'' (2001–2003) === | |||
] met Serj Tankian for the first time in 1993 before forming the band a year later.]] | |||
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. Because of the large excess number of fans the performance was cancelled by police officers just before the group took the stage. No announcement was made that the concert had been cancelled. 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=System Of A Down cancellation sparks riot |date=September 4, 2001 |publisher=Live Daily |url=http://www.soundspike.com/story2/3600/system-of-a-down-cancellation-sparks-riot/ |accessdate=July 20, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The group's big break arrived when their second album '']'' debuted at No. 1 on the American and Canadian charts, despite the events of September 11. The album has eventually achieved 3x ] certification in the ]<ref name=RIAAcert></ref> and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide. It was still on top in America during the week of the ] and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding the album's hit single "]" The song was taken off the radio as it contained politically sensitive lyrics according to the ] 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, "]". 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 "]". In May 2006, ] listed Toxicity in the No. 14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs. | |||
In 2001, the band went on tour with ] throughout the United States and Mexico. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1470460/20030310/system_of_a_down.jhtml|title=System Of A Down Bassist Sues Security Team For Humiliating Him In Front Of Fans|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|date=March 10, 2003 |publisher=MTV |accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> Despite the incident, the tour was a success and System of a Down and Slipknot went on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour with ] in 2001. | |||
In late 2001, unreleased tracks from the ''Toxicity'' sessions made their way onto the internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glendalehigh.com/malakian.html|title=The Daron Malakian Interview|author=Mike Lancaster|date=March 28, 2003 |publisher=Glendale High School Newspaper-the Explosion|accessdate=July 26, 2010}}</ref> 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, '']'', which was released in November 2002. ''Steal This Album!'' resembled a burnable CD that was marked with a felt-tip marker. 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 ]'s counter-culture 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 ] as a protest against the ]. | |||
=== ''Mezmerize'', ''Hypnotize'' and hiatus (2004–2006) === | |||
] has gained a reputation for his large vocal range along with his unusual delivery.]] | |||
Between 2004 to 2005, the group recorded the follow-up to ''Steal This Album!'', a double album, which they released as separate installments four months apart from each other, notably including album cover artwork by Malakian's father, Vartan Malakian, which was designed to connect the two separate album covers. The first album, ''],'' 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. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide. The Grammy Award-winning single "]", which questions the integrity of military recruiting in America, worked its way up the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. The next single, "]" was released with Shavo Odadjian co-directing the music video. Following the release of ''Mezmerize,'' the band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada with ] and ] supporting. | |||
The second part of the double album, ''],'' was released on September 27, 2005. Like ''],'' it debuted at No. 1 in the US, making System of a Down, along with ], ], and rappers ] and ], the only artists to ever have two studio albums debut at No. 1 in the same year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Chris |date=November 30, 2005 |title=System of a Down Make It a Double with Chart-Topping Hypnotize |work=MTV News |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1516656/20051130/system_of_a_down.jhtml |accessdate=February 18, 2009}}</ref> In February 2006, System of a Down won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for "]", beating out other established artists such as ] and ]. Their second single off the Hypnotize album, "]" was released in March in the United States. System of a Down released "]" and "]" as their next ] singles. The band headlined ] 2006 in cities where tour founder ] opted not to appear or was not playing on the main stage (with the exception of the show at Randall's Island, where Ozzy Osbourne headlined the second stage before System of a Down's performance that night). | |||
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 "]" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in the ] in 2007, but lost to "]" by ]. | |||
May 2006 saw the UK publication of a biography of the band entitled ''System of a Down: Right Here in Hollywood'' by writer ]. It was published in the US in 2007 through ]. Also in 2006, concert footage and interviews with the band concerning the importance of helping create awareness and recognition of the ] were featured in the film ''],'' directed by ]. 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 ] 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 also, 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."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Chris |date=May 3, 2006 |title=System of a Down Aren't Breaking Up—They're Going on Hiatus|work=MTV News |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1530066/20060503/system_of_a_down.jhtml |accessdate=February 2, 2009}}</ref> System of a Down's final performance before their hiatus took place on August 13, 2006 in ], 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."<ref name="soadfans_last_show">{{cite web |title= West Palm Beach, FL — August 13, 2006 Review |work=soadfans.com |date=July 13, 2006 |url=http://www.soadfans.com/Article427.htm |accessdate=July 25, 2007 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070515070110/http://www.soadfans.com/Article427.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=May 15, 2007}}</ref> | |||
During the hiatus, Malakian formed a band called ], which was joined by Dolmayan. After one '']'' the project became dormant and Dolmayan has since left the band. Dolmayan, alongside working with Scars on Broadway, formed his own band, ], as well as opened Torpedo Comics, an online comic book store. Odadjian pursued his project with ] of ], a hip-hop group named ], worked on his urSESSION website/record label, and performed as a member of funk legend ]'s backing band. Tankian opted for solo career and released his debut solo album '']'' in the autumn of 2007. He has continued releasing solo albums, recording them almost by himself, after System of Down reunited. | |||
=== Reunion and touring (2010–present) === | |||
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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Karan |first=Tim |title=System Of A Down to reunite, headline Download Festival |work=] |date=November 29, 2010 |url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/system_of_a_down_to_reunite_co-headline_download_festival_with_avenged_seve/ |accessdate=November 29, 2010}}</ref> Among the announced tour dates included UK's ], Switzerland's ], Germany's ], Sweden's ], Austria's ] and Finland's ]. ] commenced on May 10, 2011 in ], Alberta.<ref>{{cite web |author=ChartAttack Staff |title=System Of A Down Announce North American Dates With Gogol Bordello |work=] |date=March 1, 2011 |url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/2011/mar/01/system-of-a-down-announce-north-american-dates-with-gogol-bordello |accessdate=March 3, 2011}}</ref> System's first tour through Mexico and South America began on September 28, 2011 in ], ending in ], ] on October 7, 2011.<ref></ref> From late February to early March 2012, they headlined five dates at ] festival.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soundwave Festival 2012 |publisher=Soundwavefestival.com |date= |url=http://www.soundwavefestival.com/ |accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref> This was the band's first visit to ] since 2005. The band have continued playing around the world. On August 11 and 12, 2012, they played the ] and ] music festivals in Montreal and Toronto, respectively.<ref></ref> On February 4, 2013, it was announced that System of a Down would play the UK's ] in August 2013, among other festivals and venues.<ref></ref> | |||
In mid-March 2013, via their Facebook Page, the band hinted at an announcement of a show by posting pictures of famous Los Angeles Landmarks and asking fans to figure out "where all roads lead". Several days later, it was announced that System of a Down would play their only US Date in 2013 at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29, 2013. Tickets sold out hours after going on sale on March 22. | |||
On September 26, 2013, Dolmayan revealed on Twitter that he had begun work on a covers album, which "should be good practice" for a new System of a Down album "sometime in the future."<ref>{{cite web|title=System Of A Down Drummer Working On Covers Album|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/system-of-a-down-drummer-working-on-covers-album/|publisher=]|accessdate=30 September 2013}}</ref> | |||
On November 23, 2014, System of a Down announced the ] to commemorate the ]. It will mark 100 years since the event occurred. The tour is scheduled to offer a free concert in Republic Square in ], ] on April 23, 2015, their very first show in Armenia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Young |first=Alex |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/11/system-of-a-down-reunite-for-wake-up-the-souls-tour/ |title=System of a Down reunite for “Wake Up the Souls” tour |publisher=Consequenceofsound.net |date=2014-11-25 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> | |||
In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' on January 8, 2015, Tankian said that the band may consider recording a new album after they finish the ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Grow |first=Kory |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/system-of-a-down-serj-tankian-armenian-genocide-new-album-20150108?page=2 |title=Page 2 of System of a Down on Bloody History Behind New Tour |publisher=Rollingstone.com |date=2015-01-08 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> | |||
== Style and legacy == | |||
=== Lyricism === | |||
System of a Down's lyrics are often oblique<ref name="AllmusicToxicity">{{cite web|last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo |url=http://allmusic.com/album/toxicity-r547443/review |title=Toxicity - System of a Down |publisher=AllMusic |date=2001-09-04 |accessdate=2012-04-26}}</ref> or ],<ref name="AllmusicToxicity" /><ref name=popmattersmezmerize/> and have discussed topics such as ],<ref name="AllmusicToxicity" /> ]<ref name="AllmusicToxicity" /><ref name="AllmusicMezmerize">{{cite web|last=Loftus |first=Johnny |url=http://allmusic.com/album/mezmerize-r737666/review |title=Mezmerize - System of a Down |publisher=AllMusic |date=2005-05-17 |accessdate=2012-04-26}}</ref> and ].<ref name="AllmusicToxicity" /><ref name="AllmusicMezmerize" /> "Prison Song" criticizes the ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Sinclair |first=Tom |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,173181,00.html |title=System of a Down |publisher=EW.com |date=2015-01-17 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> whereas '']'' describes "Roulette" as a "scared, wounded love letter".<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070428010341/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/systemofadown/albums/album/272714/review/6067555/steal_this_album |title=Rolling Stone : System of a Down: Steal This Album : Music Reviews |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2002-11-19 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> "Boom!", among the band's most straightforward and unambiguous songs, lambasts ] and spendings on bombs and armament.<ref name=nmestealthisalbum>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/6887 |title=NME Reviews - System Of A Down : Steal this Album |publisher=Nme.com |date=2005-09-12 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> Commenting on the track "I-E-A-I-A-I-O", drummer John Dolmayan said it was inspired by an encounter he had with '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s actor ] in a liquor store in Los Angeles when he was around 12:<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hartmann|first1=Graham|title=System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Reveals Lyrical Inspiration for 'I-E-A-I-A-I-O'|url=http://loudwire.com/system-of-a-down-john-dolmayan-lyrical-inspiration-i-e-a-i-a-i-o/|website='']''|publisher=]|accessdate=2 August 2014|date=14 July 2014}}</ref> On '']'', "Cigaro" makes explicit references to phallic imagery<ref name=ewmezmerize/> and ],<ref name=popmattersmezmerize/> while "Violent Pornography" harshly views television<ref name=ewmezmerize>{{cite web|last=Sinclair |first=Tom |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1060789,00.html |title=Mezmerize |publisher=EW.com |date= |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> and degradation of women.<ref name=pitchforkmezmerize>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11839-mezmerize-hypnotize/ |title=System of a Down: Mezmerize / Hypnotize | Album Reviews |publisher=Pitchfork.com |date=2005-11-21 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> System of a Down's discontent towards the controversial ] arises in "B.Y.O.B.",<ref name=popmattersmezmerize>{{cite web|last=Begrand |first=Adrien |url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/systemofadown-mesmerize/ |title=System of a Down: Mezmerize |publisher=PopMatters.com |date= |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070428001633/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/systemofadown/albums/album/7309436/review/7313411/mezmerize |title=Rolling Stone : System of a Down: Mezmerize : Music Reviews |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2005-06-02 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> which includes a ] reference to both ] and bombs,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20147981,00.html |title=Picks and Pans Review: System of a Down |publisher=People.com |date=2005-06-27 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> containing the forthright lyric "Why don't presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?" <ref name=popmattersmezmerize/><ref name=ewmezmerize/><ref name=pitchforkmezmerize/> "Old School Hollywood" describes a celebrity baseball game.<ref name=pitchforkmezmerize/><ref name=popmattershypnotize>{{cite web|last=Begrand |first=Adrien |url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/systemofadown-hypnotize/ |title=System of a Down: Hypnotize |publisher=PopMatters.com |date= |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> On their album "Hypnotize", "Tentative" describes ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-11-21-listen-up_x.htm |title=USATODAY.com - System of a Down zooms way up with 'Hypnotize' |publisher=Usatoday30.usatoday.com |date=2005-11-21 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref><ref name=rshypnotize>{{cite web|author= |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071110014602/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/systemofadown/albums/album/7690031/review/8796404/hypnotize |title=System of a Down: Hypnotize : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2005-11-17 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> "Hypnotize" refers to the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/system-of-a-down/hypnotize.htm |title=System Of A Down - Hypnotize - Review |publisher=Stylusmagazine.com |date= |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> and "Lonely Day" describes ].<ref name=popmattershypnotize/> The album title '']'' is a play on the book '']'' by ] ].<ref name=nmestealthisalbum/><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1458163/systems-stolen-tracks-compiled-on-steal-this-album/ |title=System’s Stolen Tracks Compiled On Steal This Album |publisher=MTV.com |date=2002-10-16 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Milner |first=Greg |url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/system-down-steal-album-american-recordingscolumbia/ |title=System of a Down, 'Steal This Album!' Review |publisher=Spin.com |date=2003-06-20 |accessdate=2015-03-29}}</ref> System of a Down's firm commitment for the recognition of the ] emerges in two songs: "P.L.U.C.K." and "Holy Mountains", which rank among the band's most political records.<ref name=rshypnotize/> | |||
=== Music === | |||
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ] stated "Like many late-'90s ] bands, System of a Down struck a balance between '80s underground ] and ] like ]".<ref name="Erlewine" /> | |||
The stylistic variety and level of ]<ref>{{cite web| last= Nettleton| first = Chris| title= Review of ''System of a Down'' | publisher=] | url= http://drownedinsound.com/releases/4822/reviews/6744| accessdate =July 25, 2007}}</ref> in System of a Down's music has made it difficult to describe, but the group has, for the most part, maintained a single style throughout their body of work. This style has variously been termed ],<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web| first = Stephen Thomas | last = Erlewine| title = Biography of System of a Down| publisher=Allmusic| url = http://allmusic.com/artist/system-of-a-down-p302874/biography | accessdate =July 24, 2007}}</ref> ],<ref name="IGN">{{cite web| author=Spence D. | title=Review of ''Mesmerize'' | url=http://uk.music.ign.com/articles/622/622270p1.html | date=June 3, 2005 | publisher=IGN | accessdate=April 22, 2009 }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web| last=Christgau | first=Robert | title=Reviews of System of a Down | url=http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=system+of+a+down | accessdate=April 2, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last=Hoard | first=Christian | title=Review of ''Elect the Dead'' | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/16797401/review/16928118/elect_the_dead | date=November 1, 2007 |work=Rolling Stone | accessdate=April 22, 2009 }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Chris|title=System Of A Down Mezmerize NYC With Crushing 90-Minute Gig|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501594/system-down-mezmerize-nyc-crowd.jhtml|work=]|publisher=]|accessdate=May 10, 2012|date=May 10, 2005}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|first=Dan |last=Aquilante |title=''This Week's CDs'': ''Hypnotize'' |url=http://moreresults.factiva.com/results/index/index.aspx?ref=NYPO000020051121e1bk00037 |work=New York Post |date=November 20, 2005 |accessdate=March 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Gary |last=Friedman |title=''System of a Down leader releases first solo album'' |url=http://news.therecord.com/arts/article/261818 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 27, 2007 |accessdate=March 3, 2009 }}</ref> ],<ref name="Erlewine" /><ref>{{cite web| title=Review of ''Hypnotize'' | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/systemofadown/albums/album/7690031/review/8796404/hypnotize |work=Rollingstone.com | date=November 17, 2005 | accessdate=April 22, 2009}}</ref> ],<ref name="Erlewine" /> ],<ref name="ew_hog">{{cite news|title=For New-Prog Hogs|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=May 5, 2005|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1058166,00.html|accessdate=May 14, 2012|first=Evan|last=Serpick}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal|last=Berelian |first=Essi |isbn=1-84353-415-0 |page=349}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Sound of the Beast|last=Christe |first=Ian |year= 2004|publisher=Allison and Bubsy |isbn=0-7490-8351-4 |page=329}}</ref><ref name=Unterberger2004>{{cite journal |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1220 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009181930/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1220 |title=Top Ten Nu-Metal Bands |work=Stylus magazine |date=September 10, 2004 |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |archivedate=October 9, 2004 |accessdate=September 25, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref name="McDonnell">{{Cite news|first=Evelyn |last=McDonnell |title=''System of a Down carves a distinct path with prog-thrash sound.'' |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9562759_ITM |work=] |date=August 16, 2005 |accessdate=March 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Serpick |first=Evan |title=System of a Down — Prog-metal Radicals |work=Rolling Stone |date=December 15, 2005 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8957307/system_of_a_down |accessdate =July 24, 2007 }}</ref> ]<ref name="Sinclair">{{cite news| last=Sinclair | first=Tom | title=Review of ''Toxicity'' | url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,173181,00.html | date=September 3, 2001|work=Entertainment Weekly | accessdate=April 2, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Lynskey | first=Dorian | title=Review of ''Hypnotize'' | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/nov/18/popandrock.shopping | date=November 18, 2005 |work=The Guardian |location=UK | accessdate=April 2, 2009 }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10761508|title=System of a Down set for NZ show|first=|last=|publisher=''The New Zealand Herald''|accessdate=2012-11-02|date=October 25, 2011}}</ref> | |||
Malakian has stated that "We don't belong to any one scene"<ref name="Morse">{{cite news|first=Steve |last=Morse |title=''Pounding out a blistering attack: System of a Down lashes out at Hollywood, war, and hypocrisy'' |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/08/26/pounding_out_a_blistering_attack/ |work=The Boston Globe |date=August 26, 2005 |accessdate=April 5, 2009 }}</ref> and that "I don't like the nu-metal ] ] sound; it is not my thing, at least not yet."<ref name="Perry">{{cite book|last1=Perry |first1=Megan |title=Wired: musicians' home studios : tools & techniques of the musical mavericks |year=2004 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=0-87930-794-3 |page=79 |chapter=Daron's Guitar Tunings }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{dead link|date=July 2014}}</ref> According to Tankian, "As far as arrangement and everything, is pretty much ]. 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."<ref name="DeRogatis">{{Cite news|first=Jim|last=DeRogatis |title=''They're an Armenian band'' |url= http://www.jimdero.com/News2001/Sept14SOAD.htm |work=The Chicago Tribune |date=September 14, 2001|accessdate=April 4, 2009}}</ref> | |||
The band has used a wide range of instruments, such as ]s, ], ]s, ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref name="8notes">{{cite web| title = System of a Down biography| work=8notes.com| url = http://www.8notes.com/biographies/system_of_a_down.asp#History.2C_style_and_influences| accessdate =June 26, 2006}}</ref> According to Malakian, he would often write songs in ], which would later be changed to ] in order to be performed by the band.<ref name="Perry" /> 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."<ref name="Perry" /> | |||
=== Influences and comparison to other artists === | |||
The band's influences include ],<ref name="interview_nalbandian">{{cite web| last= Nalbandian| first= Bob| title= Interview with System of a Down| work=Shockwaves Online | url = http://www.hardradio.com/hr3.html?http://www.hardradio.com/shockwaves/system1.php3| accessdate =July 21, 2007}}</ref> ],<ref name="Morse" /><ref name="interview_nalbandian" /> ],<ref name="Candellari">{{Cite journal|first=Gianni |last=Candellari |title=''System of a Down: Rabbia armena'' |journal=Ondarock |language=Italian |url=http://www.ondarock.it/rockedintorni/systemofadown.htm }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7470955/zappas_making_zappa_film|title=Zappas Making Zappa Film |first=Greg|last=Prato|work=Rolling Stone|date= July 7, 2005 }}. Retrieved on November 13, 2008</ref> ],<ref name="interview_nalbandian" /> ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://loudwire.com/serj-tankian-says-system-of-a-down-bandmate-daron-malakian-first-turned-him-on-to-metal/ |title=Serj Tankian Says System of a Down Bandmate Daron Malakian First Turned Him on to Metal |author=Chad Childers |date=May 11, 2012 |website=] |access-date=June 11, 2015}}</ref> ]<ref name="DeRogatis"/> and ].<ref name="Candellari" /> One reviewer claimed that their music encompasses different sounds, from sounding like "] playing ]" to sometimes "tread close to Frank Zappa territory."<ref name="Sinclair" /> Malakian has stated that "I'm a fan of music. I'm not necessarily a fan of any one band."<ref>{{Cite news|title=''Many musical influences in System of a Down'' |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10FB700A80EB8CC8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work=] |date=August 3, 2005 |accessdate=April 5, 2009 }}</ref> Dolmayan stated "I don't think we sound like anybody else. I consider us System of a Down."<ref name="soad_myspace" /> 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."<ref name="soad_myspace">{{cite web| title= Official System of a Down MySpace| work=myspace.com/soad| url= http://myspace.com/soad| accessdate =July 21, 2007}}</ref> | |||
== Awards and nominations == | |||
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by System of a Down}} | |||
System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which has won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "B.Y.O.B." The band has also been nominated for several '']'' and MTV awards. | |||
;Grammy Awards | |||
{{awards table}} | |||
|- | |||
| {{grammy|2002}} || "]" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| {{grammy|2003}} || "]" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
|- | |||
| {{grammy|2006}} || "]" || ] || {{won}} | |||
|- | |||
| {{grammy|2007}} || "]" || ] || {{nom}} | |||
{{end}} | |||
'''General''' | |||
*In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards | |||
*In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "]" | |||
*In 2006, System of a Down's song "]" was No. 14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list | |||
System of a Down was honored at a ] game at the ] in Los Angeles, California, in 2006. The Trojan Marching Band, along with Dolmayan and Odadjian, performed three System of a Down songs: "]," "]," and "]." | |||
== Members == | |||
;Current members | |||
<!-- THE FOUR MEMBERS ARE LISTED HOW THEY ARE IN THE CREDITS OF THEIR STUDIO ALBUMS. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE LISTED. DO NOT ADD OR REMOVE INSTRUMENTS WITHOUT A SOURCE --> | |||
* ] – ], ] <small>(1994–present)</small> | |||
* ] – ], ] <small>(1994–present)</small> | |||
* ] – ], ]s <small>(1994–present)</small> | |||
* ] – ] <small>(1997–present)</small> | |||
;Former members | |||
<!-- DO NOT ADD SOIL MEMBERS HERE--> | |||
* ] – drums <small>(1994–1997)</small> | |||
;Occasional contributors | |||
*] – percussion, composition <small>(on ''Toxicity'': "Science" and "ATWA". ''Steal This Album!'': "Bubbles" and some live concerts in 2005)</small><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=]|others=System of a Down|year=2001|type=booklet|publisher=]|id=86059|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref> | |||
===Timeline=== | |||
{{#tag:timeline| | |||
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 | |||
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:60 top:0 right:20 | |||
Alignbars = justify | |||
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy | |||
Period = from:01/01/1994 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} | |||
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy | |||
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom | |||
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1994 | |||
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1994 | |||
Colors = | |||
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals | |||
id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars | |||
id:Keyboards value:orange legend:Keyboards | |||
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass,_backing_vocals | |||
id:Drums value:purple legend:Drums | |||
id:lines value:black legend:Studio_releases | |||
LineData = | |||
at:06/01/1998 color:black layer:back | |||
at:09/04/2001 color:black layer:back | |||
at:11/26/2002 color:black layer:back | |||
at:05/17/2005 color:black layer:back | |||
at:09/27/2005 color:black layer:back | |||
BarData = | |||
bar:Tankian text:"Serj Tankian" | |||
bar:Malakian text:"Daron Malakian" | |||
bar:Odadjian text:"Shavo Odadjian" | |||
bar:Khachaturian text:"Andy Khachaturian" | |||
bar:Dolmayan text:"John Dolmayan" | |||
PlotData= | |||
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) | |||
bar:Tankian from:01/01/1994 till:07/13/2006 color:Vocals | |||
bar:Tankian from:01/01/1994 till:07/13/2006 color:Keyboards width:2.5 | |||
bar:Tankian from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Vocals | |||
bar:Tankian from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Keyboards width:2.5 | |||
bar:Malakian from:01/01/1994 till:07/13/2006 color:Guitar | |||
bar:Malakian from:01/01/1994 till:07/13/2006 color:Vocals width:3 | |||
bar:Malakian from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Guitar | |||
bar:Malakian from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Vocals width:3 | |||
bar:Odadjian from:01/01/1994 till:07/13/2006 color:Bass | |||
bar:Odadjian from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Bass | |||
bar:Dolmayan from:06/01/1997 till:07/13/2006 color:Drums | |||
bar:Dolmayan from:11/29/2010 till:end color:Drums | |||
bar:Khachaturian from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/1997 color:Drums | |||
}} | |||
==Discography== | |||
{{Main|System of a Down discography}} | |||
;Studio albums | |||
<!-- This section is for studio albums only. All other releases (EPs, singles, etc.) are covered in the discography article and are not to be listed in this section. See http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians/Article_guidelines#Discography_section--> | |||
* '']'' (June 30, 1998) | |||
* '']'' (September 4, 2001) | |||
* '']'' (November 26, 2002) | |||
* '']'' (May 17, 2005) | |||
* '']'' (September 27, 2005) | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{Commons category|System of a Down}} | |||
*{{Official website|http://www.systemofadown.com/}} | |||
{{System of a Down}} | |||
{{Authority control|GND=320557278}} | |||
{{use mdy dates|date=June 2011}} | |||
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Revision as of 05:37, 21 June 2015
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 | |
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System of a Down live in Wantagh, New York on August 5, 2012 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | SOAD, System |
Origin | Glendale, California, United States |
Genres | Alternative metal, hard rock, progressive rock, avant-garde metal |
Years active | 1994–2006, 2010–present |
Labels | Sony Music, American, Columbia |
Members | Serj Tankian Daron Malakian Shavo Odadjian John Dolmayan |
Past members | Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian |
Website | www |
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is an American four-piece rock band from Southern California, formed in 1994. The band currently consists of four Armenian Americans: Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards), Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass, backing vocals) and John Dolmayan (drums).
The band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and their song "B.Y.O.B." won the Best Hard Rock Performance of 2006. The group went on hiatus in August 2006 and reunited in November 2010, embarking on a tour for the following three years. System of a Down has sold over 40 million records worldwide.
History
Soil (1992–1994)
Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School as children, although due to their eight-year age difference they did not meet until 1992 while working on separate projects at the same recording studio. 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 as rhythm guitarist. In 1994, after only one live show, and one jam session recording, Hakopyan and Laranio left the band, feeling that it was not going anywhere.
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". 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. 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. The band recruited drummer Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian, an old school friend of Malakian's and Odadjian's who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens.
In early 1995, System played as "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 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). Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan.
The band's first official release of a professionally recorded song was on a collection called Hye Enk ("we're Armenian" in English), an Armenian Genocide recognition compilation, in 1997. Soon after playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the Whisky-A-Go-Go and Viper Room the band caught famed producer Rick Rubin's attention who asked them to keep in touch with him. Showing great interest, the group recorded Demo Tape 4 near the end of 1997. Unlike the previous demo tapes, however, Demo Tape 4 was made only to be sent to record companies (although it has since been leaked onto the internet). Rubin signed the group onto his American/Columbia Records, and System of a Down began to record in Rubin's studio with engineer Sylvia Massy, laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album.
Also in 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards.
System of a Down (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 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 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 every 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. 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! (2001–2003)
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. Because of the large excess number of fans the performance was cancelled by police officers just before the group took the stage. No announcement was made that the concert had been cancelled. 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.
The group's big break arrived when their second album Toxicity debuted at No. 1 on the American and Canadian charts, despite the events of September 11. The album has eventually achieved 3x multi-platinum certification in the US and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide. It was still on top in America during the week of the September 11, 2001 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 No. 14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.
In 2001, the band went on tour with Slipknot throughout the United States and Mexico. 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. Despite the incident, the tour was a success and System of a Down and Slipknot went on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour with Rammstein in 2001.
In late 2001, unreleased tracks from the Toxicity sessions made their way onto the internet. 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. 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.
Mezmerize, Hypnotize and hiatus (2004–2006)
Between 2004 to 2005, the group recorded the follow-up to Steal This Album!, a double album, which they released as separate installments four months apart from each other, notably including album cover artwork by Malakian's father, Vartan Malakian, which was 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. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide. The Grammy Award-winning 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. The next single, "Question!" was released with Shavo Odadjian co-directing the music 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.
The second part of the double album, Hypnotize, was released on September 27, 2005. Like Mezmerize, it debuted at No. 1 in the US, making System of a Down, along with The Beatles, Guns N' Roses, and rappers 2Pac and DMX, the only artists to ever have two studio albums debut at No. 1 in the same year. In February 2006, System of a Down won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for "B.Y.O.B.", beating out other established artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Robert Plant. Their second single off the Hypnotize album, "Lonely Day" was released in March in the United States. System of a Down released "Kill Rock 'N Roll" and "Vicinity of Obscenity" as their next promo singles. The band headlined Ozzfest 2006 in cities where tour founder Ozzy Osbourne opted not to appear or was not playing on the main stage (with the exception of the show at Randall's Island, where Ozzy Osbourne headlined the second stage before System of a Down's performance that night).
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.
May 2006 saw the UK publication of a biography of the band entitled System of a Down: Right Here in Hollywood by writer Ben Myers. It was published in the US in 2007 through The Disinformation Company. Also 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 also, 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." System of a Down's final performance before their hiatus 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."
During the hiatus, Malakian formed a band called Scars on Broadway, which was joined by Dolmayan. After one self-titled album the project became dormant and Dolmayan has since left the band. Dolmayan, alongside working with Scars on Broadway, formed his own band, Indicator, as well as 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. Tankian opted for solo career and released his debut solo album Elect the Dead in the autumn of 2007. He has continued releasing solo albums, recording them almost by himself, after System of Down reunited.
Reunion and touring (2010–present)
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. 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. 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. From late February to early March 2012, they headlined five dates at Soundwave festival. This was the band's first visit to Australia since 2005. 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. On February 4, 2013, it was announced that System of a Down would play the UK's Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2013, among other festivals and venues.
In mid-March 2013, via their Facebook Page, the band hinted at an announcement of a show by posting pictures of famous Los Angeles Landmarks and asking fans to figure out "where all roads lead". Several days later, it was announced that System of a Down would play their only US Date in 2013 at the Hollywood Bowl on July 29, 2013. Tickets sold out hours after going on sale on March 22.
On September 26, 2013, Dolmayan revealed on Twitter that he had begun work on a covers album, which "should be good practice" for a new System of a Down album "sometime in the future."
On November 23, 2014, System of a Down announced the Wake Up The Souls Tour to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. It will mark 100 years since the event occurred. The tour is scheduled to offer a free concert in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia on April 23, 2015, their very first show in Armenia.
In an interview with Rolling Stone on January 8, 2015, Tankian said that the band may consider recording a new album after they finish the Wake Up The Souls Tour.
Style and legacy
Lyricism
System of a Down's lyrics are often oblique or dadaist, and have discussed topics such as drug abuse, politics and sexual intercourse. "Prison Song" criticizes the War on Drugs whereas Rolling Stone describes "Roulette" as a "scared, wounded love letter". "Boom!", among the band's most straightforward and unambiguous songs, lambasts globalization and spendings on bombs and armament. 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: On Mezmerize, "Cigaro" makes explicit references to phallic imagery and bureaucracy, while "Violent Pornography" harshly views television and degradation of women. System of a Down's discontent towards the controversial Iraq War arises in "B.Y.O.B.", which includes a double entendre reference to both beer and bombs, containing the forthright lyric "Why don't presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?" "Old School Hollywood" describes a celebrity baseball game. On their album "Hypnotize", "Tentative" describes war, "Hypnotize" refers to the Tiananmen Square events and "Lonely Day" describes angst. The album title Steal This Album! is a play on the book Steal This Book by left-wing political activist Abbie Hoffman. System of a Down's firm commitment for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide emerges in two songs: "P.L.U.C.K." and "Holy Mountains", which rank among the band's most political records.
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".
The stylistic variety and level of experimentation in System of a Down's music has made it difficult to describe, but the group has, for the most part, maintained a single style throughout their body of work. This style has variously been termed alternative metal, alternative rock, art rock, experimental metal, experimental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, new prog, nu metal, progressive metal, progressive rock and thrash metal.
Malakian has stated that "We don't belong to any one scene" and that "I don't like the nu-metal drop-A 7-string guitar sound; it is not my thing, at least not yet." 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." According to Tankian, "As far as arrangement and everything, 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."
The band has used a wide range of instruments, such as electric mandolins, baritone electric guitars, acoustic guitars, ouds, sitars and twelve string guitars. 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. 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."
Influences and comparison to other artists
The band's influences include Middle Eastern music, Ozzy Osbourne, Dead Kennedys, Frank Zappa, Slayer, Kiss, Mr. Bungle and Van Halen. One reviewer claimed that their music encompasses different sounds, from sounding like "Fugazi playing Rush" to sometimes "tread close to Frank Zappa territory." Malakian has stated that "I'm a fan of music. I'm not necessarily a fan of any one band." Dolmayan stated "I don't think we sound like anybody else. I consider us System of a Down." 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."
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by System of a DownSystem of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which has won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "B.Y.O.B." The band has also been nominated for several Kerrang! and MTV awards.
- Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | "Chop Suey!" | Best Metal Performance | Nominated |
2003 | "Aerials" | Best Hard Rock Performance | Nominated |
2006 | "B.Y.O.B." | Best Hard Rock Performance | Won |
2007 | "Lonely Day" | Best Hard Rock Performance | Nominated |
General
- In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards
- In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question!"
- In 2006, System of a Down's song "Toxicity" was No. 14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list
System of a Down was honored at a University of Southern California game at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, in 2006. The Trojan Marching Band, along with Dolmayan and Odadjian, performed three System of a Down songs: "Toxicity," "Sugar," and "Hypnotize."
Members
- Current members
- Serj Tankian – lead vocals, keyboards (1994–present)
- Daron Malakian – guitar, vocals (1994–present)
- Shavo Odadjian – bass, backing vocals (1994–present)
- John Dolmayan – drums (1997–present)
- Former members
- Andy Khachaturian – drums (1994–1997)
- Occasional contributors
- Arto Tunçboyacıyan – percussion, composition (on Toxicity: "Science" and "ATWA". Steal This Album!: "Bubbles" and some live concerts in 2005)
Timeline
Discography
Main article: System of a Down discography- Studio albums
- System of a Down (June 30, 1998)
- Toxicity (September 4, 2001)
- Steal This Album! (November 26, 2002)
- Mezmerize (May 17, 2005)
- Hypnotize (September 27, 2005)
References
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- Meyers, Ben. System Of A Down: Right Here In Hollywood (2007), p. 14.
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- Heavy TO and Heavy MTL Return with System of a Down, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Cancer Bats, High on Fire
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{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Sinclair, Tom. "Mezmerize". EW.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
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- Unterberger, Andrew (September 10, 2004). "Top Ten Nu-Metal Bands". Stylus magazine. Archived from the original on October 9, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
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{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ 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.
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{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help). Retrieved on November 13, 2008 - Chad Childers (May 11, 2012). "Serj Tankian Says System of a Down Bandmate Daron Malakian First Turned Him on to Metal". Loudwire. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
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{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
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Categories:
- System of a Down
- Musical groups disestablished in 2006
- Musical groups reestablished in 2010
- 1994 establishments in California
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