System of a Down Biography

System Of A Down, a Los Angeles based band, is a band that has brought a whole new sound to metal and to rock itself sense the late 90's. System is a politically motivated band, winch is how the name System Of A Down came up. System's vocalist and frontman Serj Tankian's lyrics, are known for causing you to think, ranging from love, to politics, to drugs, or personal problems. Serj has the kind of voice that completely stands out from the rest, and you can tell right away who is singing. The guitarist for System, is the mastermind behind System's very different sound. With signature guitar speed, riffs, and style, Malakian has made a sound that few will be able to mach in upcoming bands. Malakian is probably the most important member of the band. The creator of System's music and style, Malakian also sings harmony, and writes some lyrics, too. The bassist for System, Shavo Odadjian, not only plays bass, but directs videos for System. His directing debut started with System's video, Toxicity, and he did a second System video, Arials. The drummer, John Dolmayan puts a beat that somehow seems to match absolutely perfectly with Malakian guitar playing.

Originally called Soil, System then changed their name to Victems Of A Down, a name Darron thought of, then Serj suggested System Of A Down, for he thought it brought more meaning. After System's first drummer quit, John Dolmayan joined the band, and System signed to American Records in 1997. System's first album was released in 1998, where they enjoyed moderate success, with the hit single "Sugar" and a second hit single off the Scream 3 soundtrack, "Spiders".

Then System toured in Ozzfest '98, and started writing songs for a second album. Almost four years later, System came out with a second album, called Toxicity. Toxicity was a very successful album, with their first single, "Chop Suey", which made System huge all of the sudden, a second huge single "Toxicity", and a third hit single "Arials". Toxicity stormed the music world and System got constant air-time, reaching the ears of the whole country. Then in 2002, after done touring on Ozzfest once again, System released and odd and ends album, name Steal This Album!. System did plan to wait another two years before releasing this album, but somehow three songs were leaked onto the internet, and System decided to release the album earlier. Although this was trash from Toxicity there is no doubt that this album gained much respect from System fans as well, with the mini-hit, "Innervision". System Of A Down has made their mark in rock history, which will never be forgotten anytime soon, for while being a huge band, System is still too different to be a main-stream band, making them always original, and meaning they will never get old.

Steal This Album, a collection of never-before-released original tracks from the vaults of multi-platinum recording artist SYSTEM OF A DOWN.

Produced by Rick Rubin and System's guitarist Daron Malakian, and currently being mixed in Los Angeles by Andy Wallace (who mixed the Toxicity album), Steal This Album will feature 16 tracks whose roots go back as far as before the group signed their 1995 contract with American, and as recent as the 2001 Toxicity sessions. While the band had intended to release previously recorded material at some point, the leaking onto the Internet earlier this year of some of the tracks recorded for Toxicity played a part in the timing of this release.

"We don't consider any of these songs B-sides or outtakes," said System vocalist Serj Tankian. "The songs that didn't make it onto 'Toxicity' are as good as, if not better than the songs that did - they weren't originally included because they didn't fit the overall continuity of the album, and we're happy that our fans will be able to hear them in their completed form."

System of a Down's 1998 debut was initially overlooked by the mainstream hard rock audience as well as the specialized press. But heavy metal cognoscenti in both camps quickly realized that in their hands was a potentially crucial stepping stone for the future development of heavy metal. Sure enough, so challenging and groundbreaking were its contents that the album soared over most everyone's unsuspecting heads, its eventual gold sales status only achieved via Columbia Records' massive promotional muscle and nearly three years of intensive touring on the band's part. Consequently, early believers were pleasantly surprised when 2001's long-awaited follow-up, Toxicity , met with instant popular acceptance, skyrocketing up the charts toward multi-platinum success. Yet for the most part, it also managed to retain SOAD's unorthodox signature sound: so-called nu-metal uniquely infused with remarkable originality, including angular riffs, jagged rhythms, and oblique lyrics splattered all over the place. Like its predecessor, Toxicity seems utterly chaotic upon first listen, but things quickly begin falling into place thanks to a number of small refinements, not the least of which is a more generous use of melody, obviously premeditated but rarely overdone. In turn, this immediacy greatly improved the album's chances for radio airplay: A case in point is the LP's first single, "Chop Suey!," a track so potent that not even September 11 or mainstream radio's ensuing self imposed, politically correct attempt at self-censorship could tear it from the airwaves (despite its none too discreet lyrics about suicide). The song's surprising success was reminiscent of another left-field hit from a decade earlier, Faith No More 's "Epic" (hear its piano-led outro for proof). And sure enough, from the unexpected false starts of "Prison Song" to the relatively mellow conclusion of "Aerials," the band's heightened commercial sensibility continues to joust with its inherently quirky songwriting. The excellent title track, "Forest," and "Science" are among the most accessible standouts from an incredibly diverse set, the likes of which SOAD's inferior nu-metal peers could only hope to emulate. Lyrically, it's simply no contest. Whether tackling typical rock subject matter like drug abuse ("Needles") and groupies ("Psycho") or embarking on inscrutable Dadaist gems like "Jet Pilot" and "Shimmy," co-songwriters Daron Malakian and Serj Tankain sound like the bastard children of Frank Zappa and Slayer . And while sub-Rage Against the Machine political invective (unfairly attributed to their Armenian heritage) remains an integral part of the band's creative makeup (e.g., "Deer Dance," "Atwa"), Toxicity 's approach is much more cautious in this regard than that of the band's incendiary debut. In conclusion, when a band takes this many left turns, you'd expect it to start going in circles sooner rather than later, but this is not the case with System of a Down. Hands down one of 2001's top metal releases, Toxicity may well prove to be a lasting heavy metal classic to boot. [The DVD edition offers a second disc with the video for the title track, and live performances of "Prison Song," "Bounce," and "Chop Suey!"]