History:
System of a Down got together after singer Serj Tankian and guitar player/ backing vocalist Daron Malakian formed a band called Soil, which was later revamped to create System of a Down. Shavo Odadjian, the band's bass player, was originally the band's rhythm guitar player up until he switched. The band also went through a drummer or two until they found John Dolmayan. The name itself was originally "Victim of a Down", but Shavo thought that changing their Victim to System would be better for fans to find their music since they'd be closer to their musical idols such as Slayer.
The band released a few demo tapes that got popularity as
the internet age went on. They played shows in popular clubs and bars, which eventually
garnered them the attention of Rick Rubin and with him; they were able to
record their debut self titled album, as well as getting signed to American
Records. They had decent success, but their second album "Toxicity"
gained insane amounts of success, getting them to #1 on the Billboards. Songs
that stood out were Deer Dance and Toxicity, as well as Chop Suey, due to its
release around 9/11. Despite all of this, they still received massive airplay
on MTV and VH1. Their third album "Steal This Album!", was actually
leaked on the internet prior to its release. Unfinished versions of the songs
were leaked, and the band released a statement, saying that they weren't the
final versions of the songs. They subsequently released the album once all the
tracks were finished. Their fourth album and fifth albums were double albums
that were released six months apart from each other. They were
"Mesmerize" and "Hypnotize" respectively, and they released
in the year 2004. Mesmerize yielded tracks like "BYOB" and
"Cigaro", while Hypnotize yielded "Lonely Day" and
"Vicinity of Obscenity". Both
of these albums were great in their own right, and they put themselves up there
with the Beatles and Guns N Roses for releasing two albums within the same
year. After extensive touring for each one of their albums, they announced a
hiatus which they have yet to completely come off of.
My Thoughts:
System of a Down is a pretty controversial band. They're
lyrics discuss political issues like America, the Armenian Genocide, and what
politicians are doing, as well as sexual topics, drugs, and a lot of other
controversial matters. With that being said, they are great musicians and I
love their musicianship. Serj has a one of a kind voice, Daron does great
guitar playing and has a distinctive voice for backing vocals, Shavo is monster
bass player and I love his playing style, and John hits really damn hard while
maintaining great grooves. I know of a lot of people that don't necessarily
like SOAD for things that they've done and sang about, but to me it's not as
controversial. I really like SOAD for what they sing about and how the music is
made, it's really simple at times, and really in your face at other moments. Songs
like "Deer Dance", "Lonely Day", and "Chop Suey"
exemplify that, as well as some of their older material like "Sugar",
and "Shimmy"
Fun Fact: Serj, Daron, and Shavo all went to school
together at Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, but since they were all
different ages, they never all met until later on life.
Deer Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkkOQjK71Ss
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