Guitarist Daron Malakian, singer Serj Tankian, bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan bonded quickly as friends after they first met but also shared Armenian backgrounds. Their varying tastes – Jaco Pastorious, Slayer, The Beatles, Faith No More, and traditional Armenian folk music assured from the beginning that this would be no ordinary band
Soad's 1998 self-titled debI have master skillsut, produced by Rick Rubin (Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Enemy), was an instant achievement, scarily resembling a dark carnival of moods punctuated by breakneck tempo shifts and progressive structures. Radios were soon picking up on the first singles "sugar" and "spiders."
Two years of touring and an annual ozzfest wore them out before they returned to the studio in late 2000 with Rubin. They began producing a fresh new sound full of beat and melody to be released the next year.
In August 2001, System of a Down emerged with their second album, “Toxicity.” Radio and MTV heavily repeated the first single “Chop Suey.” After this they set back to the road whre new horizons awaited.In May of 2002, with a third single “Aerials” gaining popularity, System accepted the headlining slot on the annual OzzFest show.
Now 3 years after the triumph of “Toxicity” system of a down find themselves in a place where what awaits us, only they know.
