SYSTEM OF A DOWN

Artist facts:

2009-07-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tankian, as a student, had a 4.0 grade-point-average. He hated school.

Malakian would like to see Charles Manson released from prison, because he supports Manson's views on the environment.
The band is very opposed to "oppression and aggression." They often take a political stance in their songs.

Tankian has his own record label called Serjical Strike. In April 2006 he signed the band Fair To Midland, which gets their name from an old Texas play on the term "fair to middling."

Tankian and Dolmayan were both born in Lebanon. Odadjian was born in Armenia, and Malakian was born in California. They are all of Armenian descent and their families were effected by the Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915 at the beginning of World War I when the Turkish military began deporting and killing about 1.5 million Armenians.
The band has no piercings or tattoos.

Dolmayan's dad played the saxophone and Tankian's dad was also a musician.
Serj worked as a shoe salesman before joining the band, and also ran a successful software company.
As a child, Malakian went to Alex Pilibo's Armenian school and has said he still has nightmares from things he endured there. He went to Roosevelt Middle School and Glendale High School, where he frequently cut class. Malakian now lives in Los Angeles and likes to collect candles, Persian rugs, instruments, and skulls.

Before Malakian joined the band, Shavo was the guitarist.
Malakian's father painted all the artwork that was used on their Hypnotize album.
When Dolmayan was a child aged 5, he was lying in his bed when he heard a noise and got scared. He left his room asked his parents if he could sleep with them for the night. A few minutes later, a bullet came through John's bedroom window and hit the bed where Little John would've been sleeping. Soon afterwards, John's father decided that they had to move out of Lebanon.
Tankian published a book of poetry called Cool Gardens. He says the thought of cool gardens relaxes him.
In the fall of 2007 Serj Tankian released his debut solo album Elect The Dead.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

2009-07-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

System of a Down (also referred to as SOAD or System) is a 4 piece, Grammy-award winning hard rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California.

All four members are of Armenian descent,

grandsons of Armenian Genocide survivors,

and are widely known for their outspoken

views found in many of their songs.

System of a Down has achieved

commercial success over five albums, with

singles such as "Chop Suey!" and "B.Y.O.B.".

Members:

Serj Tankian - vocal

Daron Malakian - guitar

Shavo Odadjian - bass

John Dolmayan - drums

PRISON SONG

2009-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is about how America has too many people in prison and it throws out some facts (the percentage of Americans in the prison system has doubled since 1985; nearly 2,000,000 Americans are incarcerated). The chorus describes America's need to build more prisons, yet it none-too-discretely blames the government for the problem.

SONG LYRIC:-

Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Following the rights movement
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids
Following the rights movement
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kidsI buy my crack,
I smack my bitch
Right here in hollywood
(nearly 2 million americans areIncarcerated in the prison system Prison system of the us)
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison(for you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system(for you and me to live in)
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You dont even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You dont even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich
I buy my crack, I smack my bitchRight here in hollywood
The percentage of americans in the prison system
Prison system, has doubled since 1985
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison(for you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
For you and i, for you and i, for you and i.
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
For you and me
Oh baby, you and me.
All research and successful drug policy show
That treatment should be increased
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimun sentences
All research and successful drug policy show
That treatment should be increased
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimun sentences
Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world
Drugs are now your global policy now you police the globe
I buy my crack, I smack my bitchRight here in hollywood
Drug money is used to rig elections
And train brutal corporate sponsored dictators
Around the world
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison(for you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system(for you and me to live in)
For you and i, for you and i, for you and i
For you and i
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
Theyre trying to build a prison
For you and me
Oh baby, you and me

Biography

2009-07-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) is an American alternative metal band, formed in 1994 in Glendale, California, United States. The band consists of Serj Tankian (vocals), Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass, vocals) and John Dolmayan (drums). Their sound is influenced by Slayer, Eric Burdon, Sepultura amongst others.

All four members are of Armenian descent, and are widely known for their outspoken left-wing views expressed in many of their songs confronting the Armenian Genocide of 1915 by the Ottoman Empire and the ongoing War on Terror by the US government. Depression, dark memories, love, insecurity, revenge, ego, personal identity, sex, corruption of government, war, social norms and corruption in/of society,corruption in/of Hollywood, death and afterlife, drugs (use, addiction, drug dealing, war on drugs), U.S. Prison System, censorship, mind control, commercialism and corporatism are common topics in SOAD’s music.

System of a Down has achieved commercial success with five albums, and many singles such as their breakout hit “Chop Suey!”, “Toxicity”, “Aerials”, “B.Y.O.B.”, “Question!”, “Hypnotize”, and “Lonely Day”,. Their works have earned them one Grammy Award amongst three nominations.

System of a Down went on hiatus in 2006, with Serj Tankian pursuing a solo career and Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan forming Scars on Broadway.

System of a Down is a part of the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization formed by band member Serj Tankian (along with Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine), dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.

Soil (1993–1995)
The roots of System of a Down lie in the band SOiL (not to be confused with the current band SOiL), a group from Los Angeles that included Serj Tankian on vocals/keyboard, and Daron Malakian on vocals/guitar, as well as Dave Hakopyan (Bassist for Mt. Helium) on bass and Domingo Laranio (Local Hawaii Drummer) on drums. Shavo Odadjian joined SOiL near their end as a guitarist. After three years, only one live show, and one jam session recording, the band split up.

In the beginning (1995–1997)
After Soil split up, Serj and Daron formed a new band, System of a Down, based on a poem that Daron wrote. The poem’s title was “Victims of the Down”, but Shavo Odadjian, who was originally the band’s manager and promoter, didn’t like the word and thought the word “System” sounded better. Ever since Shavo joined as bassist, managerial duties have been undertaken by the Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group and founder David “Beno” Benveniste. The band then found a drummer, Andy Khachaturian. System of a Down quickly made what is known as their early Untitled 1995 Demo Tape, which had very early recordings of “Mr. Jack” (called “PIG”), along with songs called “Flake”, “Toast” and an early recording of “The Metro”, a cover of the Berlin song of the same name. It is rumored that there are other tapes made, which contain early recordings of “Friik”, “36” (called “.36”), and “Roulette”. Two other songs, “X” (called “Multiply”) and “Honey” were live demos at the time and were played at very early shows. After this, the band recorded Demo Tape 1, which had early versions of “Sugar”, “Suite-Pee”, and “P.L.U.C.K.”, as well as “Dam.” Demo Tape 2 was released in 1996 and had a rough demo of the song “Soil” as well as the most known unreleased tracks such as “Honey” and “Temper.” At the beginning of 1997, SOAD recorded their final publicly-released demo tape, Demo Tape 3, which had rough versions of “Peephole”, “War?”, and “Know.” In mid 1997, Ontronik Khachaturian left the band due to a hand injury. Soon after playing at the Whisky-A-Go-Go and Viper Room with new drummer John Dolmayan, producer Rick Rubin caught the band’s attention and told them to keep in touch with him. Showing great interest, they recorded Demo Tape 4 near the end of that year. This demo, however, was made only to be sent to record companies. The tape was not released to the public until years later when it was leaked onto the Internet. After Rick helped them get signed onto American/Columbia Records, SOAD began to record in his studio. In 1997 SOAD won the Best Signed Band award from the Rock City Awards. Prior to 1998, SOAD’s live shows were called “The Dark Red Experience”.

Debut album (1998–2000)
In the summer of 1998, System of a Down released their debut album, System of a Down. They enjoyed moderate success with their first single “Sugar” becoming a radio favorite, followed by the single “Spiders”. After the release of the album, System of a Down toured extensively, opening for Slayer before making their way to the second stage of Ozzfest. Following Ozzfest, they toured with Fear Factory and Incubus before headlining the Sno-Core tour with Puya, Mr. Bungle, The Cat and Incubus providing support. System was scheduled to play the 1999 Family Values Tour, but were kicked off by Fred Durst over his inability to sign the band Taproot. Fred Durst has since admitted that he was a “complete wanker” in relation to this “oversight”[citation needed]. The band have yet to comment on Durst’s involvement or commentary. In 2000, the group contributed their cover of the Black Sabbath song “Snowblind” to the Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black 2.

Toxicity, Steal This Album! (2001–2003)
The group’s big break arrived when their second album Toxicity debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, eventually achieving multi-platinum certification. The album has since sold 6 million copies worldwide. It was still on top in America on the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the political environment caused by the attacks added to the controversy surrounding their hit single “Chop Suey!” causing it to be taken off the radio as it contained politically sensitive lyrics at the time such as “(I don’t think you) trust in my self-righteous suicide.” Regardless, the video gained constant play on MTV as did the second single, “Toxicity”. Even with the controversy surrounding “Chop Suey!” which earned a Grammy nomination, System of a Down still received constant airplay in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with “Toxicity ” and “Aerials”. In May 2006, VH1 listed Toxicity in the #14 slot in the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

In 2001, the band went on tour with Slipknot in the United States and Mexico. After seeing the success of the tour, System and Slipknot went on a Pledge of Allegiance Tour with Rammstein in 2002. In late 2001, a few unreleased tracks made their way onto the Internet. The group released a statement that the tracks were unfinished material. Soon after, the band released the final versions of the songs, which were recorded at the same time, but hadn’t been used for Toxicity. The result was Steal This Album!, released in November 2002. Steal This Album! resembled a burnable CD that was marked with a felt-tip marker. 50,000 special copies of the album with different CD designs were also released, each designed by a different member of the band. The name of the album is a reference to Abbie Hoffman’s counter-culture book, Steal This Book and as a message to those who stole the songs and released them on the Internet. “Steal This Album was the lowest rated album that we had ever made” Dolmayan said in an interview[citation needed]. The song “Innervision” was released as a promo single and received constant airplay on alternative radio. A video for “Boom!” was filmed with director Michael Moore as a protest against the War in Iraq.

Mezmerize / Hypnotize (2004–2005)
From 2004 to 2005, the group produced a double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize with the two parts released six months apart. The first album, Mezmerize, was released on May 17, 2005, to favorable reviews by critics. It debuted at #1 in the United States, Canada, Australia and all around the world, making it System of a Down’s second #1 album. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000 copies worldwide[citation needed]. The Grammy Award-winning single “B.Y.O.B.”, which questions the integrity of war, worked its way up the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. The next single, “Question!” was released with Shavo Odadjian co-directing the music video. Following the release of Mezmerize, the band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada with The Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip supporting.

The second part of the double album, Hypnotize, was released on November 22, 2005. Like Mezmerize, it debuted at #1 in the US, making System of a Down, along with the Beatles, Guns ‘N Roses, and rappers 2Pac and DMX, the only artists to ever have two studio albums debut at #1 in the same year.

In February 2006, the band won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for “B.Y.O.B.”, beating out other established artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Robert Plant. Their second single off the Hypnotize album, “Lonely Day” was released in March in the United States. System of a Down released “Kill Rock ‘N Roll” and “Vicinity of Obscenity” as their next promo singles. The band headlined Ozzfest 2006 in cities where tour founder Ozzy Osbourne opted not to appear or wasn’t playing on the main stage. These shows turned out to be the bands last performances together to date.

Hiatus and Future (2006–present)
In May 2006, the band announced they were going on hiatus. Daron Malakian has confirmed the break will probably last a few years, but it was Shavo who in an interview with Guitar magazine said it will last at least 3 years, but insists that the band would not be splitting up. He told MTV, “We’re not breaking up. If that was the case, we wouldn’t be doing this Ozzfest. We’re going to take a very long break after Ozzfest and do our own things. We’ve done System for over ten years, and I think it’s healthy to take a rest.”

During their performance in Houston, Texas, Malakian also took a moment to say, “There’s been a lot of rumors about us breaking up. Well, don’t listen to them. Us four right here, we will always be System of a Down!”[citation needed] However, Malakian announced he was forming a band called Scars on Broadway, which has since been joined by Dolmayan, and will work on its debut album during autumn. Odadjian will be working on a project with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan named Achozen as well as his UrSession website/record label. Tankian plans to keep recording as a solo artist/producer with his first single being Empty Walls off his first album Elect the Dead which was released on October 23, 2007, while Dolmayan, on top of Scars on Broadway, plans to open a comic book store online, which should be up online in November 2007.

System of a Down’s final performance before their hiatus took place on August 13, 2006 in West Palm Beach, Florida, as part of the 2006 Ozzfest Festival. “Tonight will be the last show we play for a long time together”, Malakian told the crowd during Sunday’s last performance. “We’ll be back. We just don’t know when.” It was stated by Sharon Osbourne that System of a Down was paid “about $325,000 a show.”

System of a Down’s songs were used in the 2006 film “Screamers” by Carla Garapedian. “Screamers” debuted in theaters in large city markets such as New York City, Detroit, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Fresno, Providence, and Boston. An earlier engagement started exclusively in Los Angeles on [December 8], 2006.

System of a Down was honored at the USC v. Cal game at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA in 2006. The Spirit of Troy also known as the Trojan Marching Band performed three System of a Down songs. The marching band was honored to play “Toxicity”, “Sugar”, and Hypnotize” along with John Dolmayan and Shavo Odadjian.

Tankian recently said that he has wanted to work on his “solo record for years”. As for the future of the band, he said that he does not know whether System of a Down is over or not. He also stated that “maybe in a few years” the band would “want to make another album. It’s impossible to tell right now. It’ll be later down the line; then we’ll be able to tell what might happen.”

Bassist Shavo Odadjian was recently revealed to be directing the first video for the comeback of the hardcore punk band, Bad Brains.

For the 2007 Grammys, System of a Down was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance for “Lonely Day”, but lost to Wolfmother and their song “Woman”.

Shavo Odadjian recently told Launch Radio Networks that System of a Down is “alive and well”.
“We’re just not working together right now. We kind of like split up at first, but you know, we’re brothers, man, we’ll take bullets for each other. So it’s like, you kind of miss each other after a while and you, one guy makes the first move, then another starts making phone calls…this is a juggernaut, man. System of a Down is my lifeline. It’ll never go away. We could not make a record for 10 years — that’s not gonna happen, but I’m just saying we could — and we’ll come back strong.”

Future and possible Reunion
When asked in February 2008 if a reunion was planned any time in the future, Daron Malakian had admitted that System of a Down may never get back together again. He had this to say: “There’s no talk of System doing anything. We’re not planning on doing anything. If anyone’s holding their breath for a System record, they’re going to turn blue and pass out. It’s a long ways away, if it ever even happens. We don’t even talk about it - none of us. This (Scars on Broadway) is my band right now.”

On September 14, 2007 an American TV interview video with Shavo Odadjian was posted online, and subsequently embedded on the MySpace profile of his current working band, Achozen. He commented on System of a Down’s status and future, saying: “We’re taking a break. It got to a point where we we’re kinda…not implode but like, y’know, I saw something and [inaudible]… Thirteen years of non stop y’know, so- and we all have things we wanna do… Everyone and their mother wants to say that we are breaking up, that we broke up. It’s like, everyone talks to me ‘Oh you guys broke up’ no we didn’t break up, why d’ya want us to brea- you want us to break up, we’ll break up!”

In a September 13, 2007 interview, frontman Serj Tankian offered his take on the band’s future by saying: “It’s very simple. System of a Down, we’ve been a band for 11 years, or 12 years. We’ve put out five records, we’re all friends. We’re still friends. And we decided to take time to pursue our own artistic and personal goals. And unlike a company like Nabisco that puts out crackers every year, or cookies every year, we’re artists, we’re friends. So we don’t have to necessarily do things the same way every year. So we took time to do our own things and we left the door open. We’re all friends. If we ever want to get together and speak to the world as System of a Down, then we will. If not, then we’ll…the door is open.”

When asked if there could be a possible reunion one day, he responded by saying: “It’s very possible”.

In an April 2008 interview with Kerrang magazine, guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan (who have recently formed a side project known as Scars on Broadway) gave their takes on the bands future. When told that many people are going to wonder what the future of the band is, Malakian responded by stating that: “We’ll all know when the time is right”. Dolmayan added: “It’ll just happen”. Malakian went on to say: “Yeah. It’ll feel good and happen. I can respect this situation (System’s hiatus) more than I can respect the situation where two people are like, ‘The lead singer fucked my girlfriend!’ and that kind of bullshit. Nah, man. The lead singer is a special person to me and I am to him. And that’s how we ended off. Same with Shavo, same with John. And it will always be. It was a big part of my life. We were onstage together for a long time, man. We went through shit as a band and friends — we slept in RVs together!”

Album Preview:

2009-01-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

Band Pulls No Punches With The Pummeling MezmerizeFirst half of band's forthcoming double album takes listeners on chaotic, hard-riffing ride.
At 37 minutes, Mezmerize, the first half of the forthcoming double album from heavy mental quartet System of a Down, is the band's most punctual outing. But somehow, the group manages to cram in what feels like three albums' worth of chaotic riffing, thunderous double-bass-drum blasts, operatic crooning, growling death roars and blazing accordion — yes, accordion — into the LP's 11 songs.
Perhaps System's tightest and most intense material to date, Mezmerize — which comes out on May 17 — is loaded with breakneck, Slayeresque riffs and a complex sense of melody that's reminiscent of Faith No More. Fans will probably be jazzed to hear that the album recalls the band's 1998 self-titled debut more often than the less frenzied Toxicity — anyone concerned that songs like the lighter "Aerials" and Toxicity's title track signaled a weakening of the group's sound, fear not.
Mezmerize starts deceptively with an acoustic intro, but then lunges forward at bullet-train speed with the furiously paced first single, "B.Y.O.B." Perhaps the most political song on the album, its lyrics pose the question, "Why don't presidents fight the war?/ Why do they always send the poor?"
The band keeps the intensity on full through the following seven songs.
"Revenga" features guitarist Daron Malakian's intricate instrumental work and a deft balance between frontman Serj Tankian's more soothing vocal persona and his trademark rapid-fire rantings. Malakian's piercingly high vocals are actually featured more prominently throughout Mezmerize than any of the band's previous efforts: The guitarist and Tankian trade off lead vocal duties at various points in almost every track, and practically every chorus is dual-harmonized.
"It's the first time that [Malakian] is actually singing lead as well as harmony in most cases," Tankian said. "I love those harmonies; I love those pushing vocals going against each other. Our tonality is just so different that when you put them together, it's like one. If you balance it right, it's like one voice."
Then comes the spastic aural assault of "Cigaro," followed by "Radio/ Video," which boasts a playful, almost circuslike tempo early, and then kicks into high gear with bombastic bass licks and abrasive guitar work. Tankian spouts seemingly free-associated lyrics ("Gonorrhea, gorgonzola") on the hyper "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song," and it burns rubber with complex riffage and bass lines before stopping on a dime.
The disc finally eases down for its two closers, the digitally manipulated, synth-heavy "Old School Hollywood," and the anthemic "Lost in Hollywood." According to Malakian, the lyrics to the former were inspired by an uncomfortable experience he had playing in a celebrity baseball game.
"I went there just being a guy, not taking it so seriously," he said. "I just wanted to get a shot at hitting the ball in Dodger Stadium, because I am a sports fan. But everyone else there was wearing [serious sports equipment] and they were all in uniform and there was a coach on the team. And I was really uncomfortable that day, to be honest: It was just a strange vibe to be on the same team with people that you grew up watching on television. like Tony Danza. So I just went home and wrote a song — that's just what happens to me when I go through some kind of traumatic experience."
So far, details have yet to surface regarding Hypnotize, which is expected to come out in the fall, although it was revealed that the albums will be interactive — but not in a way you might expect. Bassist Shavo Odadjian described the halves of the double LP's packaging as one part "male," one part "female," and fans will be able to connect the cardboard packaging of both discs with an extra panel flap. With this extra bit of cardboard, which will be part of Hypnotize's packaging, you'll be able to slide the two together, interlocking them?