System Of A Down
System Of A Down

In 1998, the band System Of A Down debuted on the music scene with a self-titled album. This Los Angeles-based band is composed entirely of musicians of Armenian origin, as is clearly evident from their names: Serj Tankian (Vocals and Keyboard), Daron Malakian (Guitar), Shavarsh Odadjian (Bass), and John Dolmayan (Drums).
The music offered by System Of A Down is a very original crossover in which the speed of punk, the riffs of death/trash metal from the Los Angeles scene, and the captivating melodies that echo their homeland, Armenia, coexist. The "metallic" part of System Of A Down's sound is composed of Daron's furious riffs, clearly influenced by the style of Slayer, and, in general, by his ability to transform feelings and emotions into truly ingenious guitar parts. Serj Tankian is a stunning vocalist, possessing excellent vocal technique that he adapts to the compositions with a schizophrenic and obsessive attitude, alternating it with the depth and emphasis of his warm vocal timbre. The other two members of the group are also very competent; Shavarsh excellently supports the guitarist's riffs, while still allowing for some dark-styled breaks, and John Dolmayan is a drummer endowed with exquisite technique and precision.

Having completed the introductions (useful for those few who might not know them yet), let's talk about the album: The first track, “Suite-Pee,” discusses the unnecessary deaths caused (not entirely indirectly) by various religions and has a fast and very direct pace, followed by “Know,” a highly percussive and well-balanced song that talks about the feeling of entrapment typical of our time, expressed through a sometimes truly poetic text. The third track, “Sugar,” provides a snapshot of the hypocritical part of American society; a track that is really out of control in which the singer delivers a truly psychotic performance, completely reflected in the lyrics, culminating in a chilling finale. “Suggestions” focuses on the master-slave relationship in general and has a truly adrenaline-pumping progression. At this point, we arrive at “Spiders,” the only ballad on the album: a truly poetic text with music that creates a melancholic backdrop before reaching a majestic finale where Serj's voice sounds epic. With the following track, “D-Devil,” their craziest side comes out, reflected in the lyrics as well as in the frantic and obsessive arrangements.
The seventh track, "Soil," speaks generally about the evil that people do, and instrumentally, it is very varied and enjoyable. It is followed by "War?", a track centered on the stupidity of any religious war through a ferocious first part, followed by the intervention of the keyboards that slow down the pace before the grand finale. "Mind," the ninth track, is the longest on the entire album and, as the title might suggest, represents an analysis of the human mind, moving from almost hypnotic moments to majestic outbursts of rage, from insane moments to much more reasoned ones. "Peephole" has melodies that vividly evoke the Middle East, along with a beautiful and well-interpreted text. The following track, "CUBErt," is similar to D-Devil in terms of the degree of madness it exudes. "Darts" maintains the insane attitude of the previous one, adding a good dose of schizophrenia, all supported by excellent instrumental arrangements.
The thirteenth and final track, "P.L.U.C.K.," talks about the Armenian genocide by the Turks during the First World War, a historical tragedy that many are unaware of due to the ongoing censorship by the Turkish regime in the years following the event. In this song, the group vents all the anger of its exterminated people through truly furious instrumental attacks, leaving at the end a sense of profound sadness.

In conclusion, this is truly a great album, with which System Of A Down made themselves known to the world through a sound that is certainly hard and very raw but truly varied and original, bringing emotions and political commitment hand in hand.