System of a Down

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This article is about the band. For the self-titled album, see System of a Down (album).
System of a Down

System of a Down (sometimes simply referred to as SOAD or System) is an Armenian-American metal band from Glendale, California, formed in 1994.This band is also regarded as the greatest group ever in existence. System of a Down consists of Serj Tankian (lead vocals and keyboards and rhythm guitar), Daron Malakian (vocals and lead guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass), John Dolmayan (drums).

The band has released five studio albums and have sold over 20 million records worldwide [1]. They have been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which they have won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance. The group went on indefinite hiatus August 13, 2006.

History

Soil (1992–1994)

Daron Malakian met Serj Tankian in 1992, while they both shared the same rehearsal studio in different bands. They formed a jam band called Soil (Serj on vocals/keyboards and Daron on guitar; not to be confused with the Chicago band Soil) with Domingo Laranio (drums) and Dave Hakopyan (bass).[citation needed] Around this time, they also met Shavo Odadjian. After about a year, with one supposed jam session recording and one live show, Dave and Domingo left, thinking the band wasn't going anywhere (Hakopyan would later co-found the band The Apex Theory which, in 2007, changed their name to Mt. Helium).[citation needed]

In the beginning (1994–1997)

The band later broke up and Tankian and Malakian formed a new band "System of a Down," adapting the name from a poem Daron wrote entitled "Victims of the Down". [2] Shavo Odadjian thought that the word System appealed to a much broader audience than "Victims," and they wanted their albums to be stored near the band Slayer. [2] Odadjian was the band's original manager and promoter, but joined as the bassist, and managerial duties were taken over by the Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group and founder David "Beno" Benveniste.

System of a Down quickly made what is known as their early Untitled 1995 Demo Tape, which had very early recordings of "Mr. Jack" (called "PIG"), along with a song called "Flake," and an early recording of "The Metro," a cover of the Berlin song of the same name. It is rumored that there are other tapes made, which contain early recordings of "Friik," "36" (called ".36"), and "Roulette." Two other songs, "X" (called "Multiply") and "Honey" were live demos at the time and were played at very early shows.[citation needed] After this, the band recorded three public demos, which have been numbered as Demo Tape 1 to 3, as the early 1995 demo was not discovered until much later. Many of the songs featured on the demos would eventually make their way onto the band's debut album. In mid 1997, Khachaturian left the band due to a hand injury (he subsequently co-founded The Apex Theory, which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan). Soon after playing at the Whisky-A-Go-Go and Viper Room with new drummer John Dolmayan, the band caught the attention of producer Rick Rubin, who asked them to keep in touch with him. Showing great interest, they recorded yet another demo near the end of that year. This demo, however, was made only to be sent to record companies. The tape was not released to the public until years later when it was leaked onto the Internet. After Rick helped them get signed onto American/Columbia Records, System of a Down began to record in his studio. In 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band award from the Rock City Awards.[3]

Debut album (1998–2000)

File:Shavo Odadjian.jpg
Shavo Odadjian

In the summer of 1998 (June 1998), System of a Down released their debut album, System of a Down. They enjoyed moderate success with their first single "Sugar" becoming a radio favorite, followed by the single "Spiders." 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 2000, the band contributed their cover of the Black Sabbath song "Snowblind" to the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black 2.

Breakthrough and success (2001–2003)

The group's big break arrived when their second album Toxicity debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, eventually achieving multi-platinum certification. The album has since sold 7 million copies worldwide and is the only album of System of a Down that doesn't have a parental guidance sticker on the cover. It was the top album in America on the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding their hit single "Chop Suey!" causing it to be taken off the radio as it contained politically sensitive lyrics 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 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" which also earned a Grammy nomination in 2003. In May 2006, VH1 listed Toxicity in the #14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

In 2001, the band went on tour with Slipknot in the United States. After seeing the success of the tour, System and Slipknot went on a Pledge of Allegiance Tour with Rammstein, Mudvayne, and No One in 2002. In late 2001, a few unreleased tracks made their way onto the Internet. The group released a statement that the tracks were unfinished material. Soon after, the band released the final versions of the songs, which were recorded at the same time, but hadn't been used for Toxicity. The result was Steal This Album!, released in November 2002. The album did not feature a booklet, and its disc resembled a CD-R 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 and as a message to those who stole the songs and released them on 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 and Hypnotize (2004–2006)

Serj Tankian

From 2004 to 2005, the group produced a double album, with the two parts released six months apart. The first album, Mezmerize, was released on May 17, 2005, to favorable reviews by critics. It debuted at #1 in the United States, Canada, Australia and all around the world, making it System of a Down's second #1 album. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide[citation needed]. 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 November 22, 2005. Like Mezmerize, it debuted at #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 #1 in the same year.[4] 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 wasn't playing on the main stage.

System of a Down's songs were used in the 2006 film Screamers, directed by Carla Garapedian. They appeared in the movie, in an interview talking about the importance of helping create awareness and recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Screamers debuted in theaters in large city markets such as New York City, Detroit, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Fresno, Providence, and Boston. An earlier engagement started exclusively in Los Angeles on December 8, 2006. Also, Lonely Day appeared on the soundtrack for the 2006 movie Disturbia.

System of a Down was honored at the USC v. Cal game at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA in 2006. The Trojan Marching Band, along with Dolmayan and Odadjian, performed three System of a Down songs: Toxicity, Sugar, and Hypnotize. 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.

Hiatus and future of the band (2006–present)

In May 2006, the band announced they were going on hiatus. Malakian has confirmed the break will 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 a rest."[5]

During their performance in Houston, Texas, Malakian also took a moment to say, "There's been a lot of rumors about us breaking up. Well, don't listen to them. Us four right here, we will always be System of a Down!" {{citation}}: Empty citation (help) However, Malakian announced he was forming a band called Scars on Broadway, which was joined by Dolmayan. Their debut self-titled album was released on July 29, 2008. Odadjian will be working on a project with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan named AcHoZeN as well as his urSESSION website/record label. Tankian plans to keep recording as a solo artist/producer. Empty Walls is his first single off his debut solo album Elect the Dead, which was released on October 23, 2007. Dolmayan, as well working with Scars on Broadway, planned to open a comic book store online by November 2007.[6]

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."[7]

Shavo Odadjian recently told Launch Radio Networks that System of a Down is "alive and well", but just aren't working together. [8]

In an April 2008 interview with Kerrang magazine, guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan gave their takes on the band's future. When told that many people are going to wonder what the future of the band is, Malakian responded by stating that "We'll all know when the time is right." Dolmayan added, "It'll just happen." Malakian went on to say:

Yeah. It'll feel good and happy. I can respect this situation [System's hiatus] more than I can respect the situation where two people are like, 'The lead singer fucked my girlfriend!' and that kind of bullshit. Nah, man. The lead singer is a special person to me and I am to him. And that's how we ended off. Same with Shavo, same with John. And it will always be. It was a big part of my life. We were onstage together for a long time, man. We went through shit as a band and friends -- we slept in RV's together!

In an interview with Tankian about Big Day Out 2009, a show involving playing his Elect the Dead album live with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, and his upcoming second studio album. "Every few months I am honored to hear interesting rumors about whether the band is going to tour or break up permanently. I find them all to be very entertaining."

Style and influences

The stylistic variety and level of experimentation[9] in System of a Down's music has made it difficult to describe. Though they have evolved their sound with each album, System of a Down has, for the most part, maintained a single style throughout their body of work. This style has variously been termed alternative metal,[10] alternative rock,[11] art rock,[12][13] experimental rock,[14][15] hard rock,[16][17] heavy metal,[10] nu metal,[18][19] progressive metal[20][21] and progressive rock.[22][23] Malakian has stated that "We don't belong to any one scene"[24] and that "I don't like the nu-metal drop-A 7-string guitar sound; it is not my thing, at least not yet".[25] According to Tankian, "As far as arrangement and everything, [our music] 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."[26]

The band has used a wide range of instruments, including electric mandolins, baritone electric guitars, acoustic guitars, ouds, sitars and twelve string guitars.[27] 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.[25] 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."[25]

The band's influences include Middle Eastern music,[2] The Beatles,[2][24] Frank Zappa[28] and Slayer.[2] The band's musical style has often been compared to that of Zappa.[22][29] Malakian has stated that "I'm a fan of music. I'm not necessarily a fan of any one band."[30] Dolmayan stated "I dont think we sound like anybody else. I consider us System of a Down."[31] 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."[31]

Band members

Current members

1 Malakian also played some bass and keyboards on Mezmerize and Hypnotize.[32]
2 Tankian also occasionally plays rhythm guitar live, along with Daron playing lead guitar.
3 Odadjian occasionally sings backing vocals live.

Former members

4 Khachaturian filled in singing for Serj, while he was sick, for one show; this was after he had left the band.[citation needed]

Touring members

Discography

Main article: System of a Down discography


References

  1. ^ "Sysytem Of A Down - Velvethammer". velvethammer. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nalbandian, Bob. "Interview with System of a Down". Shockwaves Online. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  3. ^ "Rock City Awards 1997". rockcitynews.com. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  4. ^ Harris, Chris (November 30, 2005). "System of a Down Make It a Double with Chart-Topping Hypnotize". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  5. ^ Harris, Chris (May 3, 2006). "System of a Down Aren't Breaking Up—They're Going on Hiatus". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved February 2, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "SOAD talk about side projects". soadfans.com. 2006-07-13. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "West Palm Beach, FL — August 13, 2006 Review". soadfans.com. 2006-07-13. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "System of a Down Is 'Alive and Well'". Ultimate Guitar Archive. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Nettleton, Chris. "Review of System of a Down". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  10. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography of System of a Down". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  11. ^ Spence D. (June 3, 2005). "Review of Mesmerize". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Reviews of System of a Down". Retrieved 2009-04-02. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ Hoard, Christian (November 1, 2007). "Review of Elect the Dead". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-04-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Aquilante, Dan (November 20, 2005). "This Week's CDs: Hypnotize". New York Post. Retrieved 3 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Friedman, Gary (October 27, 2007). "System of a Down leader releases first solo album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Strauss, Neil (2003-03-26). "The Pop Life: MTV is Wary of Videos on War". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Review of Hypnotize". Rolling Stone. Nov 17, 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-22. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Friedländer, Paul (2006). Rock & Roll: A Social History. Westview Press. p. 304. ISBN 0813343062. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ McIver, Joel (2002). Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk. Omnibus. p. 14. ISBN 0711992096.
  20. ^ McDonnell, Evelyn (August 16, 2005). "System of a Down carves a distinct path with prog-thrash sound.". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Serpick, Evan (December 15, 2005). "System of a Down — Prog-metal Radicals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ a b Sinclair, Tom (September 3, 2001). "Review of Toxicity". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-04-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (November 18, 2005). "Review of Hypnotize". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-04-02. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ a b 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 5 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ a b c Perry, Megan (2004). "Daron's Guitar Tunings". Wired: musicians' home studios : tools & techniques of the musical mavericks. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 79. ISBN 0879307943.
  26. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (September 14, 2001). "They're an Armenian band". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "System of a Down biography". 8notes.com. Retrieved 2006-06-26.
  28. ^ Prato, Greg (July 7, 2005), Zappas Making Zappa Film, Rolling Stone. Retrieved on November 13, 2008
  29. ^ Strauss, Neil (May 19, 2005). "Big Top Metal". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-04-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "Many musical influences in System of a Down". Long Beach Press-Telegram. August 3, 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ a b ""Official System of a Down MySpace". myspace.com/soad. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  32. ^ Epstein, Dan (July 2008). Guitar World Interview with Daron Malakian: "A Scar Is Born". Guitar World. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

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