System of a Down (band)

System of a Down is an Armenian American band broadly categorized as heavy metal or alternative metal. The band, also known as SOAD by fans, got its start in the 1990s in Southern California. Singles “Sugar” and “Spiders” prompted interest from alternative radio, and the band gained tremendous exposure when it joined the Slayer and Ozzfest tours. The artists are known for using a variety of instruments, including many not typically associated with rock music. They have recorded using electric mandolins, sitars, and other East Asian instruments.

Many of the group’s songs reference political events, such as corruption. System of a Down has dedicated much of the band’s material and performances to raising awareness of the Armenian Genocide. The genocide began in 1915, during World War I, when the Ottoman Empire started to kill and deport Armenians, who were an ethnic minority in the Empire. By the time the killing and expulsions ended in the early 1920s, up to 1.5 million Armenians were dead. Many others were displaced and forced to permanently immigrate to other countries, such as the United States. Most countries have not formally recognized the genocide, and the government of the Republic of Türkiye (Turkey) refuses to either categorize the genocide as such or accept any responsibility. The US Congress only voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide in 2019.

Background

Five artists have been members of System of a Down: Serj Tankian, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 21, 1967; Daron Malakian, born in Los Angeles, California, on July 18, 1975; Shavarsh “Shavo” Odadjian, born in Armenia on April 22, 1974; Andy Khachaturian, born in Los Angeles on May 4, 1975; and John Dolmayan, born in Lebanon on July 15, 1973. All are of Armenian heritage. Tankian, whose grandparents fled the Armenian Genocide, moved to the United States as a child.

The band got its start in 1993 when Tankian and Malakian, who were in different bands, met in a recording studio. The two formed the band Soil, with Tankian providing vocals and keyboard and Malakian on guitar. They met Odadjian, who was a student at a private Armenian school, and persuaded him to be the band’s manager. In time, he joined as the bass player. They later added Khachaturian as the drummer. Soil performed in local clubs and was discovered at the Viper Room in Hollywood by legendary music producer Rick Rubin of American Recordings. He offered the band a record deal and later put them in touch with Dolmayan when Khachaturian left the band.

With the lineup finalized, the members decided to change the band’s name. Malakian produced a poem, “Victims of a Down,” that included a message about working to make the world better rather than doing nothing and reverting to an almost animal state. From that, they chose System of a Down. The band recorded a self-titled debut album that was released by American/Columbia Records in mid-1998. The release includes the songs “Sugar” and “Spiders,” which were in the top forty of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts. As the band gained attention, they landed spots opening for Slayer and performed on Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest tour.

The second SOAD album, Toxicity, was released in September 2001 and drew listeners and critical acclaim. The release sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide and climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 chart on the strength of singles, including “Toxicity,” “Aerials,” and “Chop Suey!” In November 2002, they released Steal This Album!, comprising songs they had recorded but not included on the first two albums.

Several members were working on other projects even before Toxicity’s release and continued to do so. The next new SOAD recordings arrived in 2005. Mezmerize was released in May as the first half of a double CD. It sold 800,000 copies in one week and landed atop the Billboard 200. Hypnotize followed in November.

System of a Down devoted considerable time to touring, beginning with a European in late 2005 and a benefit concert for Amnesty International. The group followed this by headlining a US tour, after which the band went on hiatus and the members focused on other projects. They occasionally reformed to perform, in particular working to raise awareness of events in Armenia. They recorded the singles “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” to benefit families displaced by fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus. The band would eventually reunite in June 2011 and throughout the early 2010s, SOAD played several festivals throughout the world. Still, they struggled with inter-band tensions and pressure to produce another studio album.

Overview

While the music defies simple classification, Billboard includes the band’s music on the hard rock chart. The band has recorded five Billboard Hot 100 songs and has had two top-ten hits: “Protect the Land” reached number one, and “Genocidal Humanoidz” peaked at number two on November 21, 2020. The songs were the first new material released by the band in many years. All proceeds were donated to help families displaced by the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War over the disputed region.

System of a Down has been nominated for several Grammy Awards. The first for Best Metal Performance was in 2001 for “Chop Suey!” The following year, the band was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy for “Aerials.” SOAD collected its first Grammy in 2005 for Best Hard Rock Performance of “B.Y.O.B” The group was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006 for “Lonely Day.” The enduring popularity of “Chop Suey!” became evident in December 2020 when the music video surpassed one billion views on YouTube.

System of a Down embarked on a world tour in 2015 to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide. Shows on the Wake Up the Souls tour were two hours long and featured music from the band’s five studio albums. The group performed only one show in the United States, an April 2015 show in Los Angeles timed to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the genocide. The tour included shows in London, England, and Moscow, Russia, and concluded April 23 with the band’s first concert in Armenia. The concert included three short videos shown at the beginning, end, and near the middle. These consisted of animated and archival footage to raise awareness of the genocide. The group produced a documentary of the 2015 tour and was recognized with the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, which honors the legacy of filmmakers Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov.

In 2021, newly elected President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Tankian used social media to thank him for using the term genocide, which only one former US president - Ronald Reagan - had done. Despite SOAD's ability to come together to fight for social justice issues and promote the importance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide, they failed to fix their internal struggles and continued to individually speak with frustration to the media about the problems within the band. Although SOAD did perform together in 2023 and 2024, they did not complete an additional studio album. In May 2024, Serj Tankian released his memoir Down with the System, in which he discussed his devotion to social justice issues and provided insight into the band.

Bibliography

“Armenian Genocide.” History, 26 Apr. 2021, www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/armenian-genocide. Accessed 16 May 2024.

“Awards.” Parajanov-Vartanov Institute, 2019, parajanov.com/awards. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Epstein, Dan. “System of a Down Rage, Educate at Wake Up the Souls Tour Kickoff.” Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2015, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/system-of-a-down-rage-educate-at-wake-up-the-souls-tour-kickoff-186097. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “Biography.” AllMusic, 2020, www.allmusic.com/artist/system-of-a-down-mn0000005501/biography. Accessed 5 Aug. 2021.

“Grammy Award Results for System of a Down.” Recording Academy Grammy Awards, www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/system-down/6694. Accessed 5 Aug. 2021.

Peters, Mitchell. “Serj Tankian Thanks President Biden for Recognizing Armenian Genocide: ‘This Is Extremely Important.’” Billboard, 24 Apr. 2021, www.billboard.com/articles/news/9562455/system-of-a-down-serj-tankian-president-biden-recognizes-armenian-genocide. Accessed 5 Aug. 2021.

“System of a Down Biography.” Ace Showbiz, 2021, www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/system‗of‗a‗down/biography.html. Accessed 16 May 2024.

“System of a Down's Serj Tankian on his Memoir, Why a New Album Hasn't Come Since 2005.” NPR, 14 May 2024, www.npr.org/2024/05/14/1250973443/system-of-a-downs-serj-tankian-on-his-memoir-why-a-new-album-hasnt-come-since-20. Accessed 17 May 2024.