System of a Down

System of a Down is an Armenian-American alternative metal band from Glendale, United States, active since 1995. The group’s lineup since 1997 consists of Serj Tankian on lead vocals and keyboards, Daron Malakian on guitar and vocals, Shavo Odadjian on bass, and John Dolmayan on drums. Earlier members include original drummer Andy Khachaturian, and the verified membership list also includes Ontronik Khachaturian.

Formation and early years

Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian attend the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School as children and meet in 1992 while working at the same recording studio. Before System of a Down, they form a band called Soil with Dave Hakopyan on bass and Domingo “Dingo” Laranio on drums. Shavo Odadjian first acts as manager, then becomes a guitarist in the group. After one live performance and a recording session, Hakopyan and Laranio leave in 1994. Tankian, Odadjian, and Malakian then form System of a Down. The name comes from a poem by Malakian titled “Victims of a Down”, with Odadjian suggesting the change from “Victims” to “System”. Odadjian switches from guitar to bass, and the band brings in drummer Andy Khachaturian, who has previously played with Malakian in another group.

In 1995, the band performs as Soil at the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do in Los Angeles and records the Untitled 1995 Demo Tape. Further demo tapes follow in 1996 and 1997. Khachaturian leaves in mid-1997 after a hand injury and is replaced by John Dolmayan. Khachaturian later co-founds The Apex Theory with former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan. The band’s first officially released recording appears on the 1997 Armenian genocide recognition compilation Hay Enk.

Recordings and commercial success

After performances at venues including the Whisky a Go Go and the Viper Room, the band attracts producer Rick Rubin, who signs them to American/Columbia Records. The band marks the signing with a performance at the Roxy Theatre in September 1997 and receives the Best Signed Band Award from the Rock City Awards in the same year.

The debut album, System of a Down, is released in 1998. Singles including “Sugar” and “Spiders” receive radio play and MTV video rotation. The band tours widely in support of the album, including appearances on Ozzfest and tours with Slayer, Fear Factory, Incubus, Mr. Bungle, Clutch, Puya, and others. In 1998, the band also contributes “Will They Die 4 You?” to the South Park album Chef Aid.

Toxicity follows in 2001 and debuts at number one in the United States and Canada. It later receives multi-platinum certification in the United States. Its lead single, “Chop Suey!”, draws significant attention after the September 11 attacks because of concerns about its lyrics, though the song and video continue to receive radio and MTV exposure. “Toxicity” and “Aerials” also become commercially successful. A planned free Hollywood concert to promote the album is cancelled by local authorities because of overcrowding concerns, leading to a riot in which equipment is damaged and several arrests are made.

System of a Down tours with Slipknot and Rammstein on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour in 2001. During that tour, Shavo Odadjian is allegedly assaulted backstage by security personnel after a performance in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and later files a lawsuit against the security company involved. Unreleased recordings from the Toxicity sessions circulate online in late 2001 under the fan title Toxicity II, and the band later issues final versions of many of those tracks on Steal This Album! in 2002. The title refers to Abbie Hoffman’s book Steal This Book. Michael Moore directs the video for “Boom!”.

The band records a double album in 2004 and releases it as Mezmerize and Hypnotize in 2005. Both albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making the band one of the few acts to place two studio albums at number one in the same calendar year. Vartan Malakian, Daron Malakian’s father, creates the artwork for both records. “B.Y.O.B.” wins the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006, and “Lonely Day” receives a Grammy nomination in 2007. Other singles from the two albums include “Question!”, “Hypnotize”, “Lonely Day”, “Vicinity of Obscenity”, and “Kill Rock ’N Roll”. During this period, Daron Malakian takes a larger role in songwriting and vocals than on earlier releases.

The band receives four Grammy Award nominations in total. It sells more than 12 million records worldwide. “Aerials” and “Hypnotize” reach number one on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. The band’s music uses politically oriented lyrics dealing with war, the prison system, and drug policy.

Hiatus, side projects and reunion

The band enters hiatus in 2006. Its final performance before the break takes place in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 13 August 2006. During the hiatus, the members work on separate projects: Daron Malakian forms Scars on Broadway with John Dolmayan; Serj Tankian releases the solo album Elect the Dead in 2007; Shavo Odadjian works on the hip-hop project AcHoZeN with RZA and collaborates with George Clinton; and Dolmayan launches the comic book business Torpedo Comics and later forms These Grey Men. In 2020, Dolmayan releases the album These Grey Men, which features cover versions of songs by Radiohead, David Bowie, Madonna, AFI and Talking Heads, with guest appearances by Serj Tankian, Tom Morello and M. Shadows.

System of a Down reunites in 2010 and begins festival performances in 2011, including Download Festival, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and Nova Rock Festival. The reunion tour starts in Edmonton, Alberta, in May 2011, followed by touring in Mexico, South America, Australia, Europe and North America. In 2015, the band launches the Wake Up the Souls Tour to mark the centenary of the Armenian genocide, including its first concert in Armenia, in Republic Square in Yerevan on 23 April 2015.

Later activity

In 2006, members appear in the documentary Screamers, which focuses on awareness and recognition of the Armenian genocide. The biography System of a Down: Right Here in Hollywood by Ben Myers is also published that year. Although interviews between 2016 and 2020 discuss the possibility of a new studio album, no full-length record is completed in that period. The band releases “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” in 2020 in response to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and says that proceeds support humanitarian efforts related to Armenia and Artsakh.

The band continues to perform live, headlining Sick New World in Las Vegas in 2023 and appearing at the festival again in 2024. It also co-headlines a concert with Deftones at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in 2024. In 2025, the band announces the Wake Up! tour, with performances across Latin America, the United States, Canada and Europe.

Members and labels

System of a Down’s members are Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan, with earlier members including Andy Khachaturian and Ontronik Khachaturian. The band releases material on SYSTEMA and DDevil Music. Its genres include alternative metal, alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal and nu metal.