System Of A Down
Toxicity

A group with a continuous evolution of sound… with sonorities ranging from Nu to Thrash Metal, with wave influences. A very original Armenian quartet in sound with a truly exceptional vocalist. They are System Of A Down: currently on a break, but we hope for their future reunion.

The second chapter of System Of A Down's life opens with their album “Toxicity” (which then ranked among the top three best rock albums in the history of music (I know some will say it's not true, but if I'm writing it, it means I read it somewhere)). With this album, SOAD climbed the charts, reaching the top position in a very short time: thereby reaffirming themselves as a completely original and innovative band on the Metal scene. The band returned to the studio to record the CD 3 years after their self-titled debut album (2001) (and in my opinion, this ("Toxicity") is the album of their career).

The album is hardly criticized and is defined by many as complete: devoid of boredom, an elaborate record with 14 tracks (plus a bonus “Arto” played only by Armenian instruments like tambourines, Coca-Cola cans, and similar stuff) connected to each other and an alternation of vocals by vocalist Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian (surely now many will criticize this). The singles taken are “Toxicity”, “Chop Suey!” (later ranked among the best metal songs of the year), “Aereals” and a live version of “ATWA” (Animal Tree Water Air).

The album is less aggressive than the previous one, but still full of powerful riffs and energy, especially in songs like “Forest” and “Bounce” (the "noisy" song of the album). ATWA is the calm part of the CD, with an extraordinarily tuned guitar and a chorus between screaming and melodic. In “Science” you can notice the influence of their country (Armenia), the result? A completely original song. Serj's voice is always in the foreground (which will not be the case in the last two works where Daron takes more control). The album's lyrics are characteristic of System Of A Down, dealing with ongoing wars, the selfish politics of the world, and the non-recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Basically, a record that truly aims at the peaks of Metal, a group to be reckoned with (in my opinion) capable of surprising us with their every move, capable of changing sound in a truly incredible way!