They have outspoken social and political message in their songs, leave alone their unique dress code and goatees. Also referred as S.O.A.D, they are the band members in the System of a Down, a heavy metal band coming from Los Angeles, California. It has always remained a question whether their music can best be described as alternative metal or nu metal. The band consists of Serj Tankian on vocals/keyboards, John Dolmayan on drums, Daron Malakian on guitar/vocals and Shavo Odadjian (bass), all the four members possessing great American legacy.
System of a Down employs an assortment of instruments, which include baritone electric guitars, sitars, 12-string classical guitars, electric mandolins, and many other East Asian instruments. Different kinds of music such as earlier alternative rock bands, punk rock, fusion, Armenian folk music, jazz, classic rock, blues, and industrial genres have come to influence System of a Down’s music.
The band’s early singles, "Sugar", "Suite-Pee" and "Spiders", from their debut, self-titled album System of a Down were only a moderate success. But the real smash was their critically acclaimed second album, Toxicity. The album topped the American and Canadian charts as #1 and gradually achieved multi-platinum status. On the week of 9/11 terror attack, the album was soaring #1 in the US and the political milieu that prevailed added fuel to the controversy revolving around their 2001 hit single "Chop Suey”. The album got consistent airplay in the US from late 2001 through to 2002.
In November 2002 their third album, Steal This Album was out. The album contained songs, which were actually recorded for the first album, but could not be included in. The single, "Innervision" off their 3rd album, Steal This Album, was also a hit. Most of the songs that were earlier recorded had leaked out to fans via the Internet. This only helped the release since the songs had already become hit with the fans.
In 2004, the recording of the two brand new albums namely Mezmerize and Hypnotize was complete. The release of Mezmerize in the US and Europe occurred on May 17 2005, and in Australia, on May 22 2005. Hypnotize would also reportedly come out on November 22, in the US. In early January 2005, a new track called "Cigaro" was deliberately leaked onto the Internet to win accolades from the fans. The release of the single "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs)" was sequenced after this and it managed to work its way up the North American singles charts.
The 8th single from Mezmerize, was Question! and the bassist Shavo Odadjian co-directed the video for this. Mezmerize has been a successful chart topper in the US and turned out to be the group's second consecutive #1 debut. First week worldwide sale was estimated to be over 800,000 copies. Moreover, the album rose to # 1 position in many countries like Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, and France. Even the critics gave rave reviews to the album.
Now, whatever may be their trait, System of a Down is given the image of nu metal band by most fans and media. The reason could be the release of their first album, which coincided with the nu metal boom (mid-to-late 90's). Also, the band toured with Ozzfest, a festival that usually lines up many upcoming nu metal bands. Added to this, their music contains many characteristic features pointed out as nu metal traits; they seldom perform guitar solos, use simple guitar riffs and often sport the specific framework of nu metal bands (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, and chorus). In an interview with the Houston Press in 2005, guitarist Daron too said, “…I don't really feel that we fall into a heavy-metal category or a pure rock category. There's a lot of stuff mixed up into one."
