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{{Abhard rock]], [[experi
{{About|the band|their self-titled album|System of a Down (album)}}
⚫ | current_members = <!-- THE FOUR MEMBERS ARE LISTED HOW THEY ARE IN THE CREDITS OF THEIR STUDIO ALBUMS. PLEASE DO NOT CH1. This tour has continued through the west coast of North America as well as South America, with dates announced throughout the summer.
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name = System of a Down
| image = System of a Down, Download Festival 2005 (1).JPG
| caption = System of a Down at ] On June 12, 2005.
| landscape = yes
| background = group_or_band
| origin = Los Angeles, US
| genre = <!--Please do not add or remove any genre from this list without consensus. DO NOT ADD NU METAL!!-->], ], ], ]
| alias = Soil (1992–1994)
| years_active = 1994–2006, 2011–<!-- Do not change 2011 unless the band announces further dates -->
| label = ], ], ]
| associated_acts = <!-- Alphabetical order. The F.C.C. will remain where it is because it's part of Serj Tankian and The F.C.C.. I removed Serart because it's more of a collaboration album between Serj and Arto than a side project or band. Please discuss if you'd like. --> ], ], ]<!-- Shavo has performed as a member of this band both in the studio and live -->, ], ] and ], ]<!--DO NOT ADD THE MARS VOLTA! NO MEMBERS OF SYSTEM OF A DOWN HAVE BEEN IN THE MARS VOLTA OR VICE VERSA! Do NOT add The Mars Volta as an associated act just because The Mars Volta opened for SOAD!-->
| website = {{url|systemofadown.com}}
⚫ | current_members = <!-- THE FOUR MEMBERS ARE LISTED HOW THEY ARE IN THE CREDITS OF THEIR STUDIO ALBUMS. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE LISTED -->]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| past_members = ]
}}

'''System of a Down''', also known by the ] '''SOAD''' and often shortened to '''System''', is a ] band from ]. The band was formed in 1994<!-- Soil was formed in 1992/1993, SOAD was formed until circa 1994 -->. It consists of ] (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), ] (guitar, vocals), ] (bass, background vocals) and ] (drums). All four members are of Armenian descent, and are widely known for their outspoken views expressed in many of their songs confronting the ] of 1915 as well as the ongoing ].

The band has achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums; three of their studio albums debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four ], and won the award in 2006 for ] for the song "]" On August 13, 2006, the group went on indefinite hiatus, but announced a reunion on November 29, 2010 with several shows planned at European music festivals for the summer of 2011. This tour has continued through the west coast of North America as well as South America, with dates announced throughout the summer.


==History== ==History==
===Soil (1992–1994)===he group took its name from a poem that Malakian had written titled “Victims of the Down."<ref name="bind during their teens.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com"/>
===Soil (1992–1994)===
Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, and Shavo Odadjian all attended ] while children, although because of their eight-year age difference they did not meet until 1992 while working on separate projects at the same recording studio.<ref>Meyers, Ben. ''System Of A Down: Right Here In Hollywood'' (2007), p.&nbsp;14.</ref> They formed a band named ''Soil'' with Tankian on vocals and keyboards, Malakian on vocals and guitar, Dave Hakopyan (who later played in '']''/'']'') on bass and Domingo "Dingo" Laranio on drums. The band hired Shavo Odadjian (another Rose and Alex Pilibos alumnus) as manager, although he eventually joined Soil as rhythm guitarist. After three years, only one live show, and one jam session recording, Hakopyan and Laranio quit the band, feeling that it was not going anywhere.

===Demo tapes and signing (1994–1997)===
After Soil split up, Tankian, Odadjian, and Malakian formed a new band, System of a Down. The group took its name from a poem that Malakian had written titled “Victims of the Down."<ref name="blogs.myspace.com">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=512654515&blogId=526325472|title=OnTroniK: System of a Down Information|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> The word "victims" was changed to "system" because Odadjian believed that the alteration would appeal to a much wider audience and also because the group wanted their records to be alphabetically shelved closer to their musical heroes, ]. Odadjian switched from guitar to bass and passed on his managerial duties to ] and its founder David “Beno” Benveniste.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} The band recruited drummer ], an old school friend of Malakian's and Odadjian's who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com"/>

System of a Down quickly made what is known as ''Untitled 1995 Demo Tape'', which was not commercially released but appeared on file sharing networks around the time of the band's success with '']'' about six years later. ''Demo Tape 2'' was released in 1996. At the beginning of 1997, System of a Down recorded their final publicly released demo tape, ''Demo Tape 3''. In mid 1997, drummer Khachaturian left the band because of a hand injury (he subsequently co-founded The Apex Theory, which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan).<ref name="blogs.myspace.com"/> Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan.

The band's first official release of a professionally recorded song was on a collection called ''Hye Enk'' ("we're Armenian" in English), an Armenian Genocide recognition compilation, in 1997. Soon after playing at notable Hollywood clubs such as the ] and ] the band caught famed producer ]'s attention who asked them to keep in touch with him. Showing great interest, the group recorded ''Demo Tape 4'' near the end of 1997. Unlike the previous demo tapes, however, ''Demo Tape 4'' was made only to be sent to ] (although it has since been leaked onto the internet). Rubin signed the group onto his ], and System of a Down began to record in Rubin's studio, laying down tracks that would eventually be released on their debut album.

Also in 1997, the group won the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards.<ref name="rc_awards_97">{{cite web| title = Rock City Awards 1997 | work=rockcitynews.com | url = http://www.rockcitynews.com/awards/ballot97.html | accessdate =July 25, 2007}}</ref>

=== ''System of a Down'' (1998–2000) ===
In June 1998, System of a Down released their debut album, ''].'' They enjoyed moderate success as their first singles "]" and "]" became radio favorites and the music videos for both songs were frequently aired on MTV. After the release of the album, the band toured extensively, opening for Slayer and ] before making their way to the second stage of ]. Following Ozzfest, they toured with ] and ] before headlining the ] with ], ], The Cat and Incubus providing support.

In November 1998, System of a Down appeared on ]'s '']'' album, providing the music for the song "Will They Die 4 You?" Near the end of the song Tankian can be heard saying, "Why must we kill our own kind?" a line that would later be used in the song "Boom!" Although System of a Down is credited on the album, South Park character ] doesn't introduce them as he does for all other artist featured on the record.

System of a Down's former drummer, Ontronik Khachaturian, briefly reunited with the band at a show at ] in 1999, filling in on vocals for an ill Tankian.<ref name="blogs.myspace.com"/> In 2000, the band contributed their cover of the ] song "]" to the Black Sabbath tribute album ''].''


⚫ System of a Down quickly made whatto riot, throwing rocks at police, breaking windows, and knocking over portable toilets. The riot lasted six hours, during which six arrests were made. The band's manager, David "Beno" Benveniste, later said that the riot could have been avoided if the group had been permitted to perform or had they been allowed to make a statement at the concert regarding the cancellation. System of a Down's scheduled in-store performance the next day was cancelled to prevent a similar riot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/3600.html|title=System Of A Down cancellation sparks riot |date=September 4, 2001 |publisher=Live Daily |accessdate=July 20, 2010}}</ref>
===''Toxicity'' and ''Steal This Album!'' (2001–2003)===
⚫ On September 3, 2001, System of a Down had planned on launching their second album at a free concert in Hollywood as a "thank you" to fans. The concert, which was to be held in a parking lot, was set up to accommodate 3,500 people, however, an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 fans showed up. Because of the large excess number of fans the performance was cancelled by police officers just before the group took the stage. No announcement was made that the concert had been cancelled. Fans waited for more than an hour for the group to appear, but when a banner hanging at the back of the stage that read "System of a Down" was removed by security, the audience rushed the stage, destroying all the band's touring gear (approximately $30,000 worth of equipment) and began to riot, throwing rocks at police, breaking windows, and knocking over portable toilets. The riot lasted six hours, during which six arrests were made. The band's manager, David "Beno" Benveniste, later said that the riot could have been avoided if the group had been permitted to perform or had they been allowed to make a statement at the concert regarding the cancellation. System of a Down's scheduled in-store performance the next day was cancelled to prevent a similar riot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/3600.html|title=System Of A Down cancellation sparks riot |date=September 4, 2001 |publisher=Live Daily |accessdate=July 20, 2010}}</ref>


The group's big break arrived when their second album '']'' debuted at No.1 on the American and Canadian charts, despite the events of September 11. The album eventually achieved ] certification {{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} It was still on top in America during the week of the ] and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding the album's hit single "]" The song was 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 album's second single, "]". 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 "]". In May 2006, ] listed Toxicity in the No.14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs. The group's big break arrived when their second album '']'' debuted at No.1 on the American and Canadian charts, despite the events of September 11. The album eventually achieved ] certification {{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} It was still on top in America during the week of the ] and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding the album's hit single "]" The song was 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 album's second single, "]". 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 "]". In May 2006, ] listed Toxicity in the No.14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

Revision as of 18:00, 25 October 2011

{{Abhard rock]], [[experi | current_members = |archivedate = May 15, 2007}}</ref>

Tankian released his debut solo album Elect the Dead in the autumn of 2007 to great critical and commercial acclaim. Malakian and Dolmayan released Scars On Broadway's debut self-titled album on July 29, 2008. Dolmayan, alongside working with Scars on Broadway, formed his own band, Indicator, as well as opened Torpedo Comics, an online comic book store. Odadjian pursued his project with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, a hip-hop group named AcHoZeN, worked on his urSESSION website/record label, and performed as a member of funk legend George Clinton's backing band.

Reunion and tour (2011-)

On November 29, 2010, following several weeks of internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they would be reuniting for a string of large European festival dates in June 2011. Among the announced tour dates included UK's Download Festival, Switzerland's Greenfield Festival, Germany's Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Sweden's Metaltown, Austria's Nova Rock Festival and Finland's Provinssirock. In their reunion statement posted on their website, the band was unclear as to the extent of their reformation. It read, "We have no master plan of sorts – we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans." On March 1, 2011 the band announced they will play several shows in western North America in May and June. The reunion tour commenced on May 10, 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta. On May 4, 2011, Brazil event organiser and promoter Roberto Medina announced that System will be headlining, alongside Guns N' Roses, his Rock in Rio 2011 festival on October 2 in Rio de Janeiro.

System's first tour through Mexico and South America began on September 28, 2011 in Mexico City, ending in Santiago, Chile on October 7, 2011. From late February to early March 2012, they will headline five dates at the Soundwave festival. This will be the first visit in Australia, since 2005.

Asked in October 2011 whether System of a Down will record a new album, drummer John Dolmayan replied, "We're gonna take it day by day. For the people who are waiting for an album — I know there's a lot of people waiting for an album; I'm waiting for an album just like they are. It's gonna happen when it's right and when we can make something that tops what we've done in the past. Because we don't really wanna rest on our laurels — where what you've done in the past is what you depend on. Well, I don't wanna do that, and I know the rest of the guys don't wanna do that. Instead of resting on our laurels, we wanna throw them away and create something new and specific for this generation that they can say that's their System of a Down."

Style and influences

The stylistic variety and level of experimentation in System of a Down's music has made it difficult to describe, but 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, alternative rock, rock, art rock, experimental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, nu metal, progressive metal and progressive rock. Malakian has stated that "We don't belong to any one scene" and that "I don't like the nu-metal drop-A 7-string guitar sound; it is not my thing, at least not yet". According to Tankian, "As far as arrangement and everything, 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."

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

The band's influences include Middle Eastern music, Ozzy Osbourne, Dead Kennedys, Frank Zappa, Slayer, The Beatles, Deftones, and Van Halen. One reviewer claimed that their music encompasses different sounds, from sounding like "Fugazi playing Rush" to sometimes "tread close to Frank Zappa territory". Malakian has stated that "I'm a fan of music. I'm not necessarily a fan of any one band." Dolmayan stated "I don't think we sound like anybody else. I consider us System of a Down." 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."

Awards and nominations

System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which has won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song B.Y.O.B.. The band has also been nominated for several Kerrang! and MTV awards.

Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2002 "Chop Suey!" Best Metal Performance Nominated
2003 "Aerials" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
2006 "B.Y.O.B." Best Hard Rock Performance Won
2007 "Lonely Day" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated

General

  • In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards
  • In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question!"
  • In 2006, System of a Down's song "Toxicity" was No.14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list

Band members

First Soil line-up
(1992–1993) 		Soil's second line-up
(1993–1995)
System of a Down's first line-up
(1995–1997) 		System of a Down's standard line-up
(1997–present)
Occasional contributors
  • Arto Tunçboyacıyan – percussion, composition (on Toxicity: "Science" and "Arto". Steal This Album!: "Bubbles" and some live concerts in 2005)
  • Harry Perry – rhythm guitar (Ozzfest 2006)

Discography

Main article: System of a Down discography

References

  1. "SOAD talk about side projects". soadfans.com. July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  2. Karan, Tim (November 29, 2010). "System Of A Down to reunite, headline Download Festival". Alternative Press. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. Sciarretto, Amy (November 29, 2010). "System of a Down Reunite to Play European Tour Dates". Noisecreep. AOL Music. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  4. ChartAttack Staff (March 1, 2011). "System Of A Down Announce North American Dates With Gogol Bordello". ChartAttack. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  5. Rockinrio 2011 line up
  6. System of a Down Tours
  7. "Soundwave Festival 2012". Soundwavefestival.com. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  8. "System Of A Down Drummer On New Studio Album: 'It's Gonna Happen When It's Right'". Blabbermouth.net. October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  9. Nettleton, Chris. "Review of System of a Down". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  10. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography of System of a Down". Allmusic. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  11. Spence D. (June 3, 2005). "Review of Mesmerize". IGN. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  12. Christgau, Robert. "Reviews of System of a Down". Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  13. Hoard, Christian (November 1, 2007). "Review of Elect the Dead". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  14. Aquilante, Dan (November 20, 2005). "This Week's CDs: Hypnotize". New York Post. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  15. Friedman, Gary (October 27, 2007). "System of a Down leader releases first solo album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  16. "Review of Hypnotize". Rolling Stone. November 17, 2005. Retrieved April 22, 2009. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  17. Berelian, Essi. The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal. p. 349. ISBN 1843534150.
  18. Christe, Ian (2004). The Sound of the Beast. Allison and Bubsy. p. 329. ISBN 0749083514.
  19. McDonnell, Evelyn (August 16, 2005). "System of a Down carves a distinct path with prog-thrash sound.". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  20. Serpick, Evan (December 15, 2005). "System of a Down — Prog-metal Radicals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  21. ^ Sinclair, Tom (September 3, 2001). "Review of Toxicity". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  22. Lynskey, Dorian (November 18, 2005). "Review of Hypnotize". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  23. ^ 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 April 5, 2009.
  24. ^ Perry, Megan (2004). "Daron's Guitar Tunings". Wired: musicians' home studios : tools & techniques of the musical mavericks. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 79. ISBN 0879307943.
  25. DeRogatis, Jim (September 14, 2001). "They're an Armenian band". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  26. "System of a Down biography". 8notes.com. Retrieved June 26, 2006.
  27. ^ Nalbandian, Bob. "Interview with System of a Down". Shockwaves Online. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  28. ^ Candellari, Gianni. "System of a Down: Rabbia armena". Ondarock (in Italian).
  29. Prato, Greg (July 7, 2005). Zappas Making Zappa Film. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help). Retrieved on November 13, 2008
  30. "Many musical influences in System of a Down". Long Beach Press-Telegram. August 3, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  31. ^ ""Official System of a Down MySpace". myspace.com/soad. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  32. Toxicity (Media notes). Los Angeles, California: American Recordings. 2001. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)

External links

System of a Down
Studio albums
Singles
Tours
Related

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