System of a Down began their accent to rock stardom in 1997 after signing on with American/Columbia Records. The group had been together for a few year prior working on rough demo's and piecing in the various members until resting on the final lineup.
The band composed of Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan shocked and awed captivated audiences with their Techo-Goth-Slosh styling's and chilling ranges of musical masterworks.
Their unique, energy driven, sound coupled with a plethora of musical instruments have soothed the angst of millions of fans world wide.
Their debut album,the self-titled, contain the hits "Sugar" and "Spiders" was released in 1998. This album started SOAD on the road to stardom.
With a creative vision, the members of the band played diligently on their instruments creating a mixture of tones and sounds that is truly one of a kind.
The next album in the line up for the band was Toxicity in 2001. This powerful display of Metal Power featured such works as "Chop Suey", "Jet Pilot", "Aerials", "Deer Dance", and "Toxicity". It can been seen on this album how the band evolved from their first album.
In this album the group used even more different instruments and sounds; expanding their own tastes and enriching the musical taste of their millions of fans. Toxicity went multi-platinum for the group as their eager fans screamed for more.
It was during this time that the band redefined the "Nu-Metal" genre, playing aggressively and shredding the faces off their many other metal cohorts in their wake with their powerful music.
It was also during this time that they began work on their next album Steal This Album! which was an alliteration to Abbie Hoffman's book entitled "Steal this Book"."Innervision" and "Boom" were the flagship songs on this album.
Other Songs included "F*** the System", "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" Steal This Album! also had a special edition that included different cover art; each designed by different members of the band.
In 2005, the band took a different approach to their album release.
Their dual-CD project was released in two separate parts, the first part being released in May and taking the name of Mesmerize and the second half Hypnotize being released later that year in November.
In this collection they featured the works "Radio/Video", "Violent Pornography", "Lonely Day", "Solider Side" and "Question!".
Both albums debuted at number 1 on the charts and the band enjoyed much success from them. It was also this year that the band won a Grammy for "B.Y.O.B" and took home the award for "Best Hard Rock Performance".
2006 put the band on hold as they take a hiatus from their musical career as a band. Front man Serj Tankian then begins his career as a solo musician in 2007 with the release of his album Elect the Dead.
Songs from the album include "Sky Is Over" and "Empty Walls". It is unknown at this time if and when the band will make another album or perform another tour. It’s highly doubtful however.
Serj continues to sing and make music with his solo career and has published a book of Poetry called Cool Gardens. If your a fan, it’s definitely worth checking out and contains lots of Tankian goodness.
In conclusion, System was a great band. Tankian is good as a solo artist as well. The music made while the band was together was some of the weirdest music ever, but oddly it kept you listening to it over and over again.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t weird, but it was definitely different from other bands music. That’s what made the band so unique. No other band sounds quiet like System did and they won’t, ever.If the band never gets back together, at least they will be remembered for the cool music they made.