System of a Down Biography
The following biography
is from
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Free Encyclopedia.”
System of a Down is an alternative metal band from
Glendale, California, USA consisting of Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards), John
Dolmayan (drums), Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) and Shavo Odadjian (bass), and
known for their distinctive dress styles and goatees. All four members are of
Armenian ancestry, and some of their songs are said to be about Armenian-related
issues (such as the Armenian Genocide). A common dispute amongst fans is their
genre.
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History, style and
Influences
System of a Down uses a wide range of instruments,
including baritone electric guitars, electric mandolins, sitars, 12-string
classical guitars and many other East Asian instruments. Their main influences
are noticeably earlier alternative rock bands like KoЯn,
but they also draw on punk rock, jazz, fusion, Armenian folk music, classic
rock, blues, rap, and industrial.
The band enjoyed moderate success with their first
singles, "Sugar", "Suite-Pee" and "Spiders", from their debut album System of a
Down. However, their big break came from their critically acclaimed second
album, Toxicity , which debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts,
eventually going multi-platinum. The album was #1 in America on the week of the
September 11, 2001 attacks. Their first big hit was the controversial "Chop Suey!",
released in the late summer of 2001. System of a Down received constant airplay
in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with their hits, "Chop Suey!",
"Toxicity", "Aerials", off their second album, Toxicity , and "Innervision" off
their third album, Steal This Album!.
Their third album, containing songs from the
Toxicity recording sessions that didn't feel right for Toxicity were released as
Steal This Album!. Early recordings of most of the songs had leaked out onto the
internet and were well received by the fans resulting in the subsequent release.
There are five different designs of the album available. One version of the CD
resembles a CD Recordable that was labeled with a felt-tip marker, and the other
four featured designs by individual band members: Serj, Shavo, Daron and John.
In 2004, the band recorded two brand new albums for
release in 2005 that are being released approximately 4 to 6 months apart from
each other. They are Mezmerize and Hypnotize. Mezmerize was released in the
United States and Europe on May 17 2005, and was released in Australia on May 22
2005, while Hypnotize will be released approximately four to six months after.
The dates and order of release for these two albums were somewhat controversial
among fans in early 2005, as some believed that the release was supposed to be
in the opposite order and the first one was supposed to be released in April. In
early January, 2005, a new track called "Cigaro" was purposely leaked onto the
internet to be praised from fans, followed by the release of the single "B.Y.O.B.
(Bring Your Own Bombs)", which is working its way up the North American singles
charts. The band has also announced that song 8, 'Question' will be the second
single from the album, with bassist Shavo Odadjian directing the video.
Mezmerize immediately shot up to the top of the US charts, making it the group's
second consecutive number-one debut. First week sales rocketed to over 800,000
copies worldwide, with the album debuting at #1 in over a dozen other countries,
including Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, and France. Initial critic reviews
have been overwhelmingly favorable.
Members
Serj Tankian - Vocalist & Keyboardist
Daron Malakian - Guitar & Vocals
Shavo Odadjian - Bass
John Dolmayan - Drums
Previous members
Andy Khachaturian - Drums
Discography
Albums
System of a Down (30 June 1998) #124 US
Toxicity (4 September 2001) #1 US, #13 UK
Steal This Album! (26 November 2002) #15 US, #56 UK
Mezmerize (17 May 2005) #1 US, #2 UK
Hypnotize (27 September 2005)
Singles
"Sugar" from System of a Down (1998)
"Spiders" from System of a Down (1999)
"War?" from System of a Down (2000)
"Chop Suey!" from Toxicity (2001) #76 US, #17 UK
"Toxicity" from Toxicity (2002) #70 US, #25 UK
"Aerials" from Toxicity (2002) #55 US, #34 UK
"Boom!" from Steal This Album! (2003)
"B.Y.O.B." from Mezmerize (2005) #27 UK
"Question!" from Mezmerize (2005) #15 UK
Music videos
"Sugar" from System of a Down (1998)
"Spiders" from System of a Down (1999)
"War?" from System of a Down (2000)
"Metro" from "Dracula 2000 Soundtrack" (circa 2000)
"Chop Suey!" from Toxicity (2001)
"Aerials" from Toxicity (2002)
"Toxicity" from Toxicity (2002)
"Boom!" from Steal This Album! (2003)
"B.Y.O.B." from Mezmerize (2005)
"Question!" from Mezmerize (2005)
*
* * *
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_of_a_down
Date Article Copied:
August 7, 2005
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