System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed by vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian, and drummer John Dolmayan in the mid-1990s. They have released five studio albums, nineteen singles (including promotional releases), and thirteen music videos. By the end of 1997, the group had signed to American Recordings, then distributed as Columbia Records. The following year, they released their eponymous debut album, which peaked at number 124 on the United States' Billboard 200 and number 103 on the United Kingdom's UK Albums Chart; it was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by Music Canada (MC). Their eponymous debut album produced a single for the song "Sugar", which reached the top 30 on the Billboard mainstream rock songs and alternative songs charts. Their follow-up album, Toxicity (2001), topped the US and Canadian charts, and also reached the top 10 in Australia, Finland, and New Zealand. The album was certified seven-times platinum in its home country, and triple platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), as well as double platinum by Music Canada. Toxicity produced singles for the title track, "Chop Suey!", and "Aerials". The last of these peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts.

Steal This Album! (2002) failed to repeat the same success as its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in only the US and Australia. Three years later, the group produced a double album, with the two sections released six months apart. The first, entitled Mezmerize, was released in early 2005; it peaked at number one in nine countries, and certified triple platinum in Canada, platinum in the US and Australia. This album's first single, "B.Y.O.B.", peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Question!", reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Later that year, the group released the second part, Hypnotize. Like its predecessor, the album peaked at number one in the US, Canadian, Finnish, and New Zealand charts. System of a Down is the first band since The Beatles to release two chart-topping albums in the US in the same year. Hypnotize was certified platinum in US, and gold in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland. It produced two singles, the title track and "Lonely Day", which reached No. 4 and No. 16 on the Finnish chart, respectively. In 2006, the group went on a hiatus, and since then, all members had begun work on side projects. A reunion was announced on November 29, 2010.System Of A Down On November 6, 2020, System of a Down released their first songs in 15 years, "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Both songs also received a music video and marked the band's first single in 14 years, since "Lonely Day".

Albums Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales CertificationsUSAUSCANFINGERIRLNLDNZSWIUKPeaks in the UK: All except noted: "Sugar": System of a Down Released: June 30, 1998 Label: American Formats: CD, CS, DI, LP 113 48 — — — — 68 — — —UK: 649,144 RIAA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum MC: Gold RMNZ: GoldToxicity Released: September 4, 2001 Label: American Formats: CD, CS, LP, DI 1 6 1 8 23 17 17 7 31 13US: 3,000,000 UK: 782,722 RIAA: 7× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWI: Gold MC: 2× Platinum NVPI: Gold RMNZ: 3× PlatinumSteal This Album! Released: November 26, 2002 Label: American, Columbia Formats: CD, LP, DI 15 11 13 25 14 47 41 26 25 56US: 1,000,000 FIN: 15,886 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold IFPI FIN: Gold RMNZ: GoldMezmerize Released: May 17, 2005 Label: American, Columbia Formats: CD, LP, DI 1 1 1 2 1 2 5 1 1 2FIN: 33,068 RIAA: 2× Platinum ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: 3× Gold IFPI FIN: Platinum IFPI SWI: Gold IRMA: Platinum MC: 3× Platinum RMNZ: 2× PlatinumHypnotize Released: November 22, 2005 Label: American, Columbia Formats: CD, LP, DI 1 3 1 1 4 10 15 1 4 11FIN: 31,990 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold BVMI: Platinum IFPI FIN: Platinum IFPI SWI: Gold IRMA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Demo albums TitleAlbum detailsUntitled Demo Tape Released: 1995 Label: Not on label Format: CassetteDemo Tape 1Released: 1995 Label: System Management/System Inc. Format: CassetteDemo Tape 2 Released: 1996 Label: SYSTEMA Format: CassetteDemo Tape 3Released: 1996 (Re-released 1997) Label: Velvet Hammer Format: CassetteDemo Tape 4Released: 1997 Label: Universal Format: Cassette

Singles + List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name Song Year Peak chart positions Certifications AlbumUSUSAlt.USMain.RockAUSFINGERIRLNLDSWIUK"Sugar" 1998 — 31 28 — — — — — — 136RIAA: Platinum BPI: Silver RMNZ: GoldSystem of a Down"Spiders" 1999 — 38 25 — — — — — — —RMNZ: Gold"Chop Suey!" 2001 76 7 12 14 21 — 46 25 — 17 RIAA: Diamond ARIA: Gold BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Platinum RMNZ: 5× PlatinumToxicity"Toxicity"2002 70 3 10 39 — — 47 75 90 25 RIAA: 6× Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Gold RMNZ: 3× Platinum "Aerials" 55 1 1 36 — — 35 — — 34 RIAA: 4× Platinum BPI: Gold RMNZ: 2× Platinum"B.Y.O.B."2005 27 4 4 42 — — — — — 26 RIAA: 3× Platinum BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold RMNZ: 2× PlatinumMezmerize"Question!" — 9 7 — — — 47 — — 41 RIAA: Gold "Hypnotize" 57 1 5 — — 4 47 31 — 48 RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: GoldHypnotize "Lonely Day" 2006 — 10 10 37 — 16 — — 72 — RIAA: Platinum BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold RMNZ: 2× Platinum "Protect the Land"2020 — — 24 — — — — — — — rowspan="2" "Genocidal Humanoidz" — — — — — — — — — —"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Promotional singles Song Year Peak chart positionsCertifications Album USBub. USAct. Rock USAlt. USHerit. Rock USMain.Rock"Prison Song" / "X"2001 — — — — — RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: GoldToxicity "Johnny" — — — — — "Chop Suey!" single "Innervision" 2002 7 10 12 35 14Steal This Album!"Boom!" 2003 — — — — —"Cigaro"2005 — 30 29 — 34Mezmerize "Violent Pornography" — — — — — RIAA: Gold RMNZ: Gold"Kill Rock 'n Roll"2006 — 37 — — 38Hypnotize "Vicinity of Obscenity" — — — — —"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Other charting and certified songs Song Year Peak chart positionsCertifications Album POL"Needles"2001—RIAA: GoldToxicity"Deer Dance"—RIAA: Gold"Forest"—RIAA: Gold"ATWA"—RIAA: Gold RMNZ: Gold"Psycho"—RIAA: Gold"Lost in Hollywood" 2005 7Mezmerize"Radio/Video"—RMNZ: Gold"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Music videos Title Year Director(s) "Sugar" 1998 Nathan "Karma" Cox "War?" "Spiders" 1999 Charlie Deaux "Chop Suey!" 2001 Marcos Siega "Toxicity" 2002 Shavo Odadjian and Marcos Siega "Aerials" Shavo Odadjian and David Slade "Boom!" 2003 Michael Moore "B.Y.O.B." 2005 Jake Nava "Question!" Shavo Odadjian and Howard Greenhalgh "Hypnotize" Shavo Odadjian "Lonely Day" 2006 Josh Melnick and Xander Charity "Protect the Land" 2020 Shavo Odadjian and Ara Soudjian "Genocidal Humanoidz" 2021 Shavo Odadjian and Adam Mason

Other works Limited Edition Tour CD (2000): Limited edition EP given out at live shows. Includes three studio tracks and three live tracks. More Toxicity (2001): Limited edition French EP. Contains four live tracks and bonus track "Johnny". Toxicity II (2002): Unofficial bootleg/fan leak of songs from the Toxicity sessions. Most songs would later end up remade and re-recorded for Steal This Album!. Storaged Melodies (2002): Unofficial bootleg compiling works for OST and collective works. Hypnotize Value Added (2005): Best Buy exclusive EP. Only available from Best Buy stores before the album Hypnotize was released. Retailed for $1.99 and contained a coupon for $1.99 off the price of the album when it was released on November 22, 2005. System Of A Down (2011): The box set that was released on June 10, 2011 via American Recordings. Contains all five of their studio albums.

Other appearances Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1998) – "Will They Die 4 You?" (with Mase, Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim) Strangeland (1998) – "Marmalade" Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) – "Mind" Dracula 2000 (2000) – "The Metro" (Berlin cover) Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) – "Störagéd" Loud Rocks (2000) – "Shame" (Wu-Tang Clan Cover) MTV The Return of the Rock (2000) – "Suite-Pee" Nativity in Black, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Black Sabbath (2000) – "Snowblind" (Black Sabbath Cover) Scream 3 (2000) – "Spiders" Not Another Teen Movie (2001) – "The Metro" (Berlin cover) The Scorpion King (2002) – "Streamline" Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (2002) – "Shimmy" Ozzfest 2002 Live Album (2002) – "Needles" ATV Offroad Fury 2 (2002) – "Science" Pledge of Allegiance Tour: Live Concert Recording (2002) – "Chop Suey!", "Bounce", and "Toxicity" Disturbia (2007) – "Lonely Day" Rock Band 2 (2008) – "Chop Suey!" Guitar Hero World Tour (2008) – "B.Y.O.B" Guitar Hero: Metallica (2008) – "Toxicity" Rocksmith 2014 (2014) – "Hypnotize" Rock Band 4 (2015) – "Spiders" The Secret Life of Pets (2016) – "Bounce" Sing 2 (2021) - "Chop Suey" Fortnite Festival (2024) - "Toxicity"

Notes

References General

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External links

Official website [ System of a Down] at AllMusic System of a Down at Discogs