System of a Down - Toxicity
American Recordings
Politically Charged Nu Metal
14 songs (44:07)
Release year: 2001
System of a Down, American Recordings
Reviewed by Jay

Quick to hate on what doesn’t strictly conform to metal, most people hate System of a Down. With good reason however. Little melody, detuning to hell, screaming instead of singing. It’s enough to drive a real metalhead mad. But do we really hate it because it is bad or because it is popular? While this philosophical metal question is valid, it is better left for an editorial. In the mean time, I have mixed feelings as a reviewer when tackling this album. For one, the music isn’t up to par with other bands on this site. As a counterpoint, their message is a good one for mass audiences to hear. It’s clear, unambiguous, and brings to light many political issues in mainstream American politics. The great Drug War, Terrorism and personal freedom, the lack of representation, and our prison problem are a smattering of their topics.

Prison Song” highlights our nation’s prison problem. The simplistic riff provides a platform for Serj Tankian to vent his anger. To get noticed you have to play music that is somewhat gauche to be noticed. The music has that quality to it. System know how to draw attention to themselves. With “Chop Suey!” we hear Serj say “Rolling suicide” at the very beginning of the song. This is a reference to the original title of the song. However, radio stations said they would not play a single called “Suicide” so the name was changed. The song is a masterwork even to those who aren’t fans, I would hope. It has meaning and depth in its words about suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death of teenagers in the United States. This suggests that there are problems in society that we have to fix if that many young people are finding life to be unbearable. It’s gotten so bad that a recent teen who jumped in front of a train had a note apologizing for the delays in transit. System has their finger on the pulse of what is wrong in our country socially and politically and try to bring this to light. I don’t think that their message could be conveyed through over-the-top power metal or blistering brutal core. They need to have the nu edge to be noticed. It might sound silly, but if the choice is between faceless, non-descript, bubblegum pop music and System’s words, I would rather people listen to System.

In “ATWA,” somber melodies are played with the characteristic wail of Serj and guitarist Daron’s vocals. It is one of the more powerful listening experiences on the album. Rick Rubin does it again in providing the band with their wall of sound that fits so well. The pain in their voice is different from metal anger. It’s the pain of struggle and it fits well. The ode to fatherless children in “Forest” addresses another problem in society. System does pick it’s battles wisely. “Science” rails on belief in technology and advocates spirituality. While it is a noble try, this song just falls short. The title track is a tribute and criticism of the city of Los Angeles. This is one of the more powerful tracks as well in terms of lyrics and the melodic overtones that are projected. I was really impressed that a nu metal band could put so much soul into the music whereas most bands are about rage and not making their songs musical. The same goes for “Deer Dance” in which is written about the rioting around the last Democratic National Convention. Police indiscriminately attacked protesters who they thought were out of line.

If you’re listening to Angra all the time, there is no way I can convince you to like this. If Dimmu Borgir or Moonsorrow rule your life, you’ll never like System. However, if you want something that is contemporary and political, you should try it out. While it doesn’t fit the narrow definition of real metal, it does belong on this site.

Killing Songs :
Chop Suey!, ATWA, Deer Dance, Prison Song
Jay quoted 73 / 100
Aleksie quoted 74 / 100
Other albums by System of a Down that we have reviewed:
System of a Down - System Of A Down reviewed by Goat and quoted 87 / 100
System of a Down - Hypnotize reviewed by Aleksie and quoted 80 / 100
System of a Down - Mezmerize reviewed by Aleksie and quoted 85 / 100
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