In 1992, lead singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian formed Soil (not to be confused with the Chicago, Illinois-based band SOiL), with Domingo Lareño on drums and Dave Hacopian on bass. Around this time they met Shavo Odadjian. About a year later, with a semblance of a jam session and one live concert under their belt, Dave and Domingo left the group because... in their opinion, it has no future (Hakopian will later create the group The Apex Theory, which in 2007 will change its name to Mt. Helium). Soil subsequently broke up and Tankian and Malakian founded a new group, System of a Down. The band's name System of a Down comes from the title of a poem written by Daron Malakian called "Victims of a Down". Shavo Odadjian believed that the word System (system, device) would appeal to the public much more than Victims (victims); they also wanted their records to stand on a par with the records of the group Slayer. Odadjian was initially the manager and promoter of the group, but soon took the place of the bass guitarist, the vacancy of the drummer was filled by Andy Khachaturian (also one of the founders of The Apex Theory), who left the band in 1997 due to a hand injury and was replaced by John Dolmayan.
Both the Soil group and System Of A Down fought and are still fighting against the Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide in 1915, and promote the acceptance of the fact of genocide by the governments of the United States and Turkey.
In 1995, the musicians received a contract to release an album from the famous music producer Rick Rubin and began recording their first album, “System of a Down.” This album is being presented for the first time at a Slayer concert, with System of a Down performing as the opening act. The musicians release their next album 3 years after their debut album. Toxicity differs little in style from the first album and continues the musical philosophy of the band. Listeners like contrasting, but nevertheless harmonious-sounding transitions from fast passages to slow ones and from loud melodies to quiet ones. The band's music is based on this - and this becomes the calling card of System of a Down, which is rapidly gaining new fans both in the United States and abroad.
In 2002, the third album Steal This Album! was released, which contains songs originally written for Toxicity, but not published on it. As in previous albums, the lyrics deal with the policies of the American government, which is subject to severe criticism, as well as social problems.
In 2003, Tankian collaborated with the Armenian avant-garde folk music performer Arto Tankboyachyan, the result of which was the SerArt project and the release of a record of the same name.
In 2005, System Of A Down released the album "Mezmerize". It enjoys enormous commercial success and has been in first place in the charts in 11 countries for a long time. But Mezmerize is only part of the group's musical project, which consists of two albums. Together with the album Hypnotize, released on November 18, 2005, it forms a single whole, both musically and in terms of content. According to the musicians, they separated the two albums to give listeners time to get acquainted with the first half of their songs before releasing the second half.
System of a Down is known for not having a specific style. Their music contains elements of various musical styles - metal, heavy metal, nu metal, metalcore, punk rock, and even Armenian folk music. Another distinctive feature of the Armenian-American team is their critical texts. Their criticism is directed primarily at American politics, as well as the media. Almost all the lyrics are written by the band's guitarist Daron Malakian. System of a Down is also characterized by contrasting vocals. Lead singer Tankian's powerful voice is usually accompanied by loud, fast, and aggressive guitar riffs, while backing singer Malakian's higher-pitched, softer vocals are usually accompanied by slower, more melodic passages. In 2005, the group System of a Down made a documentary film called Screamers, telling the story of the Armenian genocide. This film is dubbed in English, and subtitles are given in Armenian.
In May 2006, the group announced a "vacation". Malakyan said that most likely the “vacation” would last several years, while Odadjian, in an interview with Guitar magazine, set a more specific time frame, at least three years. He told MTV: "We're not breaking up, we're just taking a long break to do our own thing. We've been dedicated to System of a Down for over 10 years, it's time to take a break."
And it happened! On October 31, 2009, the long-awaited performance of almost the entire group took place, with the exception of Serge. Also, it is unknown, either as part of the group, or maybe just for company, Frankie Forelli, the second guitarist of Scars On Broadway, performed with them. Serge has not yet commented on the System of a Down reunion, but we hope that in the near future the group will play with its former lineup :)
Discography
Albums
* System of a Down (LP, June 30, 1998) Platinum
* Toxicity (LP, September 4, 2001) triple platinum
* Steal This Album! (LP, November 26, 2002) Platinum
* Mezmerize (LP, May 17, 2005) Platinum
* Hypnotize (LP, November 22, 2005) Platinum
Singles
* 1999: Sugar E.P.
* 2000: Spiders
* 2001: Johnny
* 2001: Chop Suey!
* 2001: Toxicity
* 2002: Aerials
* 2005: B.Y.O.B.
* 2005: Question!
* 2005: Hypnotize
* 2006: Lonely Day
Official website of the group:
www.systemofadown.com
Russian sites:
AllSOAD.Info - All about System of a down
Tankian.ru - Serj Tankian
www.soadnews.ru - unofficial blog with the latest news
Like many metal bands of the mid-90s, SYSTEM OF A DOWN strikes a balance between underground thrash of the 80s and alternative of the early 90s, fitting into the nu-metal style. The themes of the songs are very different: from politics, social problems and drugs to love and hate. Their dark neo-gothic alt-metal appeared on the wave of popularity of such bands as KORN and DEFTONES. The musicians' work was also significantly influenced by KISS, since Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian were their ardent fans. The group was founded in Southern California in the mid-90s. Serj Tankian, who played keyboards in a local band, once met guitarist Daron Malakian in the rehearsal studio. Serge and Daron played in different bands, but since both were Armenians, they quickly found a lot in common and decided to start their own project.
The newly formed team was called “SOIL”. The manager was their old school friend Shavo Odadjian, who was working in a bank at the time and occasionally played guitar and bass in another local band. Andranik “Andy” Khachaturian took the place behind the drum kit. In 1995, there were changes in the lineup: Shavo stopped being involved in management and became the permanent bassist of the group. At the same time, creative differences arose in the team, and as a result, Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan.
At the same time, “SOIL” was renamed “SYSTEM OF A DOWN” (the name came from one of Daron’s songs, “Victims Of A Down”). From that moment on, the group's business took off. Their first concert took place at the Roxy in Hollywood. Soon SYSTEM OF A DOWN became widely known in the Los Angeles area. Word of this little-known band spread like wildfire thanks to many music magazines. The team played many concerts and always captivated the audience. Their demo with three songs circulated first among American metal fans, and then somehow found its way to Europe and even New Zealand. At the end of 1997, the group signed a contract with the American label, a subsidiary of Columbia.
The head of “American” Rick Rubin undertook to produce the team’s first studio work. As a result, in the summer of 1998, the debut album “System Of A Down” appeared on store shelves. After that, the team played as an opening act for SLAYER, and also took part in the Ozzfest festival. Subsequently, “SYSTEM OF A DOWN” appeared on numerous soundtracks, and also made joint recordings with other musicians. The debut album went gold, and by the end of 2001 the group released a second, even more ambitious full-length album, Toxicity, created under the direction of the same producer.
The disc did not defy expectations, going platinum several times and receiving numerous awards. The group easily took one of the leading places among nu metal musicians. In November 2002, the group released a selection of early and unreleased songs, compiling them into the album "Steal This Album!" The title and the design on the cover (a handwritten inscription with a marker on a white “blank” background) were not only a PR stunt - the fact is that some of the songs had been on pirated resources on the Internet for some time. The group also remained politically active, filming a video for the song “Boom!” based on street demonstrations. The theme of fighting the system is also vigorously revealed in other songs on the album. At the end of 2003, Daron Malakyan began producing and founded the “eatURmusic” label. His example was followed by Serj Tankian, who founded the Serjical Strike company.
By 2004, the guys again gathered in the studio with the same Rick Rubin. The result of the sessions was a single epic album, which the guys decided to release in two parts. The first part, "Mezmerize", was released in May 2005, and the second part, "Hypnotize", was scheduled for release in November. The long-awaited release was warmly received by fans. The album, rich in both SOAD's signature wild melodies and passionate, sometimes quite gothic lyrics, contained a unique style that some reviewers called "oriental rock".
In May 2006, the group announced a break in their work. Shavo Odadjian, in an interview with Guitar magazine, said that the vacation will last at least three years. In an interview with Chris Hariss (MTV News), Daron Malakian said that the group is not breaking up, because if this were true, then the concert at Ozzfest in 2006 would not have happened. “We're going to go on a long hiatus and do our own solo projects,” Daron continued, “We've been in SYSTEM OF A DOWN for over 10 years now, and I think it's great to leave the band for a while and come back to it later.” .
Like many other metal bands of the second half of the 90s, System Of A Down surfaced, maintaining a balance between the underground thrash of the late 80s and the alternative of the Jane's Addiction type of the early 90s. Their dark neo-gothic alt-metal conquered the hearts of many fans against the background of the popularity of “Korn” and “Deftones”, but at the same time, thanks to the Armenian roots of the creators of the project, the music of “SOAD” also had an oriental flavor. Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian began their joint activities in the group “Soil” (not. confused with the Chicago formation), and when the band broke up, they immediately organized a new metal unit with the participation of drummer Andranik “Andy” Khachaturian. Over the course of a couple of years, the team recorded several demos, after which Andy, due to a hand injury, gave way to John Dolmayan.
Meanwhile, “System Of A Down” managed to earn concert popularity, and after performing in Hollywood clubs “Whisky-A-Go-Go” and “Viper Room” they came into contact with Rick Rubin. The famous producer took the group under his wing and signed the musicians to the American Recordings label.
The success of the first album was rather modest (the songs “Sugar” and “Spiders” were heard on radio and television), but the team accompanied the release of the disc with tours with such monsters as “Slayer” and “Metallica”, as well as an appearance at “Ozzfest”. The breakthrough came three years later, when the quartet released the full-length Toxicity. Nu-metal at its core and eclectic in its infusion of various ingredients (progressive, jazz, thrash, Middle Eastern music), this program amazed critics with its innovative sound and climbed to the very top of the Billboard. The album appeared on many “Best Of” lists, its circulation brought the band triple platinum, and the title track and “Chop Suey!” hacked the hot ten. Interest in the work of "SOAD" jumped up sharply, and mp3 files of dubious quality, presented as "Toxicity II", began to circulate on the Internet.
In fact, these were various studio imperfections, but the musicians decided to complete the work on the songs and compile them into an official album. The disc was called "Steal This Album!", and its design resembled an ordinary pirated CD-R copy with a handwritten inscription on it with a marker.
Interestingly, this release also found a mass listener, collecting a platinum harvest and being in the top twenty of Billboard. In 2004, "System Of A Down" again went into the studio with Rick Rubin, and their plans turned out to be so ambitious that the prepared material was enough for a double concept album. Melodies of the East, progressive structures and modern thrash - all this was easily and beautifully intertwined in "Mesmerize/Hypnotize". It is noteworthy that if previously Tankian was the lead vocalist, now Malakyan has seriously supplanted him at the microphone. The release was spaced out, and both parts were released six months apart, but both “Mesmerize” and “Hypnotize” reached their highest chart positions. Although SOAD were at the peak of their fame, after headlining Ozzfest, the team went on a long vacation.
The musicians spent the end of the 2000s working on other projects, but in 2010 the classic line-up returned to the stage. Despite the fact that since then the band's concerts have been held relatively regularly, fans waited in vain for fresh material, and only at the end of 2016 John hinted that perhaps their aspirations would come true.
Last update 08/13/17 -Literal translation
system down
Translation
Release system
Also:
System of a Down (SOAD) is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian under the name Soil, and in 1995 adopted their current name. All members of the group are of Armenian origin. Between 1998 and 2005, the group released five studio albums, each of which went platinum (the most successful was the multi-platinum Toxicity, with a total circulation of over 12 million copies). In 2006, members of System of a Down decided to temporarily suspend their joint activities and pursue solo projects. On November 29, 2010, the band announced they would reunite and embark on a European tour in 2011. Initially, the group was supposed to be called “Victims of the Down” - after a poem written by Daron Malakian. During a joint discussion among the participants, it was decided to replace the word “victims” with the more general “system”. The reason for the change was also Shavo Odadjian's desire to position the group closer to Slayer on the shelves of record stores.
Alternative metal band from Glendale, PC. California, USA, founded in 1995. All five studio albums released by the group went platinum. All members of the group have Armenian roots.
In 1993, lead singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian formed the band Soil (not to be confused with the Chicago, Illinois band SOiL), with Domingo Lareño on drums and Dave Hacopian on bass. Around this time they met Shavo Odadjian. About a year later, with a semblance of a jam session and one live concert under their belt, Dave and Domingo left the group because... in their opinion, it has no future (Hakopian will later create the group The Apex Theory, which in 2007 will change its name to Mt. Helium). Soil subsequently disbanded and Tankian and Malakian founded a new group, System of a Down. The band's name System of a Down comes from the title of a poem written by Daron Malakian called "Victims of a Down". Shavo Odadjian believed that the word System (system, device) would appeal to the public much more than Victims (victims); they also wanted their records to stand on a par with the records of the group Slayer. Odadjian was initially the manager and promoter of the group, but soon took the place of the bass guitarist, the vacancy of the drummer was filled by Andy Khachaturian (also one of the founders of The Apex Theory), who left the band in 1997 due to a hand injury and was replaced by John Dolmoyan.
Both the Soil group and System Of A Down fought and are still fighting against the Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide in 1915, and promote the acceptance of the fact of genocide by the governments of the United States and Turkey.
In 1997, the musicians received a contract to release an album from the famous music producer Rick Rubin and began recording their first album, “System of a Down.” This album is being presented for the first time at a Slayer concert, with System of a Down performing as the opening act. The musicians release their next album 3 years after their debut album. Toxicity differs little in style from the first album and continues the musical philosophy of the band. Listeners like contrasting, but nevertheless harmonious-sounding transitions from fast passages to slow ones and from loud melodies to quiet ones. The band's music is based on this - and this becomes the calling card of System of a Down, which is rapidly gaining new fans both in the United States and abroad.
In 2002, the third album, Steal This Album!, was released, which contains songs originally written for Toxicity, but not published on it. As in previous albums, the lyrics deal with the policies of the American government, which is subject to severe criticism, as well as social problems.
In 2003, Tankian collaborated with the Armenian avant-garde folk music performer Arto Tankboyachyan, the result of which was the SerArt project and the release of a record of the same name.
In 2005, System Of A Down released the album "Mezmerize". It enjoys enormous commercial success and has been in first place in the charts in 11 countries for a long time. But Mezmerize is only part of the group's musical project, which consists of two albums. Together with the album Hypnotize, released on November 18, 2005, it forms a single whole, both musically and in terms of content. According to the musicians, they separated the two albums to give listeners time to get acquainted with the first half of their songs before releasing the second half.
System of a Down is known for not having a specific style. Their music contains elements of various musical styles - metal, heavy metal, nu metal, metalcore, punk rock, and even Armenian folk music. Another distinctive feature of the Armenian-American team is their critical texts. Their criticism is directed primarily at American politics, as well as the media. Almost all the lyrics are written by the band's guitarist Daron Malakian. System of a Down is also characterized by contrasting vocals. Lead singer Tankian's powerful voice is usually accompanied by loud, fast, and aggressive guitar riffs, while backing singer Malakian's higher-pitched, softer vocals are usually accompanied by slower, more melodic passages. In 2005, the group System of a Down made a documentary film called Screamers, telling the story of the Armenian genocide. This film is dubbed in English, and subtitles are given in Armenian.
In May 2006, the group announced a "hiatus". Malakyan said that most likely the “vacation” would last several years, while Odadjian, in an interview with Guitar magazine, set a more specific time frame, at least three years. He told MTV: “We're not breaking up, we're just taking a long break to do our own thing. We've dedicated more than 10 years to System of a Down, and it's time to take a break."
And it happened! On October 31, 2009, the long-awaited performance of almost the entire group took place, with the exception of Serge. Also, it is unknown, either as part of the group, or maybe just for company, Frankie Forelli, the second guitarist of Scars On Broadway, performed with them. Serge has not yet commented on the System of a Down reunion, but we hope that in the near future the group will play with its former lineup :)
Finally! In November 2010, the American band System of a Down officially announced the end of their sabbatical, which they had been on for the past five years. In the summer of 2011, the musicians will go on a European tour, during which they will play at major festivals.
So far, 10 performances have been confirmed on the band’s official website, including at the Rock am Ring, Greenfield, Download, Novarock, Metaltown and others festivals. All of them will take place in June from the second to the 19th. In particular, System of a Down has concerts planned in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria, Sweden and Finland. And on June 21, 2011 System of a Down will give a concert at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. Hurray, gentlemen!
Discography
* System of a Down (LP, June 30, 1998) - Platinum
* Toxicity (LP, September 4, 2001) - triple platinum
* Steal This Album! (LP, November 26, 2002) - Platinum
* Mezmerize (LP, May 17, 2005) - Platinum
* Hypnotize (LP, November 22, 2005) - Platinum
* 1999: Sugar E.P.
* 2000: Spiders
* 2001: Johnny
* 2001: Chop Suey!
* 2001: Toxicity
* 2002: Aerials
* 2005: B.Y.O.B.
* 2005: Question!
* 2005: Hypnotize
* 2006: Lonely Day
www.systemofadown.com.
Russian sites:
AllSOAD.Info - All about System of a down
Tankian.ru - Serj Tankian
www.soadnews.ru - unofficial blog with the latest news