System of Down is a successful American rock band combining nu-metal, experimental rock, and alternative metal, who origins lie in Soil, a heavy metal group formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993 and non-related to the popular hard rock band SOiL of Chicago.
In 1995, Soil's former members Serj Tankian (vocals and keyboards) and Daron Malakian (vocals and guitar) invited Shavo Odadjian (bass) and Andy Ontronik Khachaturian (drums) to start a new project named "System of a Down" after a poem written by Daron Malakian.
From 1995 to 1997, the band recorded three untitled Demo tapes, including covers and unreleased songs such as "Flake", "Mr. Jack", and "Toast". In mid-1997, SOAD introduced a new drummer, John Dolmayan, and began to play in the music circuit of the Viper Room and the Whisky-A-Go-Go.
During this stage, the band met producer Rick Rubin, who recorded the band's fourth demo tape, helping them to be signed by American Recordings, a local Columbia Records subsidiary label.
Later that year, System of a Down won the Best Signed Band award from the Rock City Awards. Summer of 1998 brought SOAD's debut album simply entitled "System of a Down" which enjoyed moderate success with their first singles "Spiders" and "Sugar".
The achievement of commercial success would come with their following album "Toxicity", released on September 4, 2001, which ironically climbed the American and Canadian charts on the week of 9/11 of America's terrorist attacks. "Toxicity" became a multi-platinum recording and System of a Down earned one Grammy Award and received other nominations for this album.
System of Down albums, "Steal This Album!", "Mesmerize" and "Hypnotize" also gained recognition among political organizations fighting for social justice. SOAD's Serj Tankian co-founded with award-winning vocalist Tom Morello the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization bringing together musicians and fans into a common goal of equal rights for all people.
In recent years, System of a Down has been devoted to public performances at music festivals and radio shows supporting Axis of Justice. In 2004, this organization released "Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1", a live DVD album featuring SOAD, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Audioslave, and other musicians aimed to raise funds for a number of social causes.
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