Toxicity is a masterpiece of tension and release. "Prison Song" opens with a furious indictment of the American prison-industrial complex, while the title track rides a hypnotic, Arabic-tinged riff into pure catharsis. "Aerials" closes the album with a sense of melancholy transcendence. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, sold over 12 million copies worldwide, and turned System of a Down into reluctant rock stars. Key Tracks: "Innervision," "I-E-A-I-A-I-O," "Roulette"
The band’s most misunderstood record. Steal This Album! (named in a defiant nod to Abbie Hoffman) is a collection of songs recorded during the Toxicity sessions but left off the final cut. Leaked online and bootlegged as Toxicity II , the band officially released it to reclaim their work. system of a down discography
The darker, more melancholic sister album. Hypnotize completes the thought that Mezmerize began. The title track glides on a lush, circular riff before building to a soaring chorus. "Lonely Day"—featuring Malakian’s most famous line, "Such a lonely day / And it’s mine" —became a rare, straightforward ballad. Toxicity is a masterpiece of tension and release
After 15 years of no new music—only endless touring and frustrated statements about creative differences—the world had given up hope. Then, in November 2020, without warning, System of a Down released two new songs. The cause was urgent: the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It debuted at No
