Glendale, CA · alt-metal · art-metal

System of a Down

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Armenian-American art-metal that never stopped sounding unhinged — lurching time signatures, Serj Tankian's operatic yelp, and hooks that shouldn't work but do.

System of a Down formed in Glendale, California, in 1994, with Serj Tankian on vocals, Daron Malakian on guitar and vocals, Shavo Odadjian on bass and John Dolmayan on drums. All four members are of Armenian descent, and the band has consistently used its platform to draw attention to the Armenian genocide and its recognition.

Tankian and Malakian first played together in an earlier band called Soil before forming System of a Down with Odadjian in 1994. The name came from a poem Malakian had written, "Victims of a Down"; the word was changed to appeal to a wider audience, and because the band wanted their records shelved near Slayer. Dolmayan replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian in 1997.

Their music combines heavy metal and alternative rock with abrupt tempo changes, Middle Eastern and Armenian melodic touches, and vocal interplay between Tankian's theatrical delivery and Malakian's higher counterpoint.

The band released five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and has sold more than twelve million records worldwide. "B.Y.O.B." won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006, while "Aerials" and "Hypnotize" both reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

System of a Down went on hiatus in 2006 and reunited in 2010. Aside from two new songs, "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz," released in 2020, the band has not put out new material since 2005's Mezmerize and Hypnotize, and has since returned largely as a live act.

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