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System Of A Down: Toxicity
Reviewer: christopher kellam c | See all reviews by christopher kellam c
Section: Reviews | Category: Music | Topic: Music
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 Toxicity by System Of A Down (2001)
Released in 2001, "Toxicity" by System Of A Down is definitely a welcomed ensemble of brilliant sounding music and very appealing lyrical content. Produced by the band, along with Rick Rubin, toxicity shows that SOAD is a band that knows what they are doing. And with a new album comes blatant, non-subtle lyrics, written by lead singer Serj Tankian, that deal with issues of ; politics, religion, drugs, sex, love, and loss. This album no doubt brings out the talent bestowed in these four men.
Daron Malakian, guitar and backing vocals on this record, is by far one of the best musicians out there, and best guitar players as well, his use of octaves and keys as well as some tricky harmonics work, and arguably some of the best sounding guitar riffs that I've heard from anyone in a long, long time, has earned him the place as one of today's leading guitar players. The drumming and percussion of John Dolmayan is so tight, and impressive. The drums on the title track "toxicity" show his talent for timing and rhythm. And my favorite to talk about, because we share an instrument, bassist Shavo Odadjian is the most impressive bass player i have heard from in a long while, and his use of melody and harmony in his lines is extremely inspiring. And last but not least, lead singer Serj Tankian has vocal range that you won't believe, and is such a talented, and sincere songwriter, its hard not to love their music.
track one: prison song
analysis: this song is about our government putting so many harsh punishments and consequences on minor drug offenders, being potheads themselves, they write about the over crowding of our jails, and the unfair punishments of non-violent drug offenders.
track two:needles
analysis: this song is about addiction, and the pain and anguish one goes through when facing strong addiction. in the song he says, " but i cannot grow till you eat the last of me, oh when will i be free? but you, a parasite, slither up to me in your life of tragedy." and there is a section that is the guitar player singing, not Serj, and it actually sounds really good, his vocal style isn't like Serj's, its more higher key, and is used to harmonize in many of the songs.
track three: deer dance
analysis: this track is about the politics of our country, and the police violence, and the plastic existence of our authority. it talks about the over-looked, poor society of America, and the and the youth against these types of foes.
track four: jet pilot
analysis: okay, this song, lyrically, is about basically a male horse and a female horse, and their biggest regret is that he can't survey the land from the sky. now i am not sure if there is message in there, if so I cant find it, or they just got stoned and thought it would be funny to write about horses.
track five: x
analysis; this song is more of a musical song than lyrical, it uses the same sets of lyrics throughout the song, but it is talking about the immigrants of our country.
track six: chop suey
analysis: this is the single that almost everyone has heard, and because its so often played, it takes some of the magic out, but the first time i heard this song it really struck a chord, and is very well arranged, it goes from hard to even harder to soft to harder to soft to really fast and hard and then when you think its over, another chorus, this time with the harmonizing vocal from Daron, which sounds really good. also, this song features Serj on piano/keyboards, that places a whole new sound to the song.
track seven: bounce
analysis: from the first listen one might write this off as a nonsense song, it talks entirely of pogo sticks and whatnot, but it is actually a song about having sex, cleverly disguised as pogo-ing.
track eight: forest
analysis: definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, a song about love and faithfulness to a person. its such a good track, the vocals on it are so emotional and really bring out the intensity of his emotions.
track nine: atwa
analysis: this song deals with pain felt by his love for someone that doesn't care about him, and is a testament to all the pain and guilt they have created, this is also one of my favorites.
track ten: science
analysis: this is a song about the bands, especially Serj's, deep religious presence. saying "science has failed our world. science has failed our mother earth" and talks of the "spirit" that moves through all things. he is making a strong statement that spirituality is the key to life, not science.
track eleven: shimmy
analysis: this song, like jet pilot, is just another one of those playful songs. it talks about how he has a wife and a house and a family, but all he wants to do is "shimmy shimmy shimmy till the break of dawn" so there you go, take it for what you will.
track twelve: toxicity
analysis; this, the title track, is musically a genius of a song, the guitar is based around the drumming, which makes for a unique sound. and lyrically talks about the falling of our culture and the disorder of our world.
track thirteen: psycho
analysis: this track is about psycho, cocaine using, crazy groupies. it talks a little about the drugs, such as cocaine, and about the demoralization of female concert go-ers that "ho" themselves out to be close to the band and the music.
track fourteen: arials
analysis: this is the last song, and just a kick-ass, trippy, thought provoking song. Lyrically it deals with the contradictions and hypocrisies of our society and culture. and is another of my favorites for the album.
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Visitor Comments about System Of A Down: Toxicity
Posted by Benn on 2008-02-01 13:56:24
My Score: 
Comment: Awesome album... one of the best I''ve heard in a while by far.
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Posted by hasancan on 2007-02-24 18:14:10
My Score:
Comment: look i am a turk ok. and i dont hate Armenians. when alot of people say the turkish goverment should have wiped out the armenians i get really ticked off!. i am a turk and i dont hate armenians i got a couple armenian friends. people who cuss at turks and people who say turks suck or armenians suck is just going to cause more people to get angery and and maybe to start a war. i wish that turks and armenians can be friends. I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS BULL SHIT. SOAD IS COOL BUT IF THEY HATE TURKS THEY SHOULD NOT HATE THE PEOPLE THAT DO LIKE ARMENIANS WISH TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. WE TURKS ARIENT BAD WE JUST DID WHAT WE HAD TO DO. IT IS NOT OUR FAULT ITS THE GOVERMENTS. OUR SOILDERS DID WHAT THEY HAD TO DO. WHEN YOU HAVE AN ORDER YOU FOLLOW SO DONT HATE THE TURKS HATE THE PEOPLE WHO TOLD US WHAT TO DO. !!
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Posted by XiaQ on 2006-03-17 03:36:14
My Score:
Comment: Can anyone help me? I need to know exactly what Spiders is about. Thanks
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Posted by hawaiiansnake on 2006-02-23 03:54:31
My Score:
Comment: Ok, for one thing, GOOD GODDESS PEOPLE, why can''t you all grow up. Ok, not all of you, there are a lot of people who posted things that actually made sense and were worth being said. But there are also a lot of people just talking shit. To the people who say that Serj can''t sing, I would love to hear you sing the same things he does. I can sing, and I try to follow along, and my throat hurts after that, sometimes I just can''t do it. It is also hard to scream along with them(if that makes any sense).Then again, I''m a chick, so that right there makes it harder. Anyways if you guys hate System SSSSSOOOOOOOOOO much, then why are you on here? No one is forcing you to listen to their music. When you hear one of their songs come on, turn it off, or change the station, or leave the place. But don''t take out your frustrations with daily life on us. And, if you simply want to say that Daron isn''t the greatest guitar player, then you can do so without saying that he sucks, or is horrible, or that what he plays is ridiculously easy, because not all of it is. All of the name calling and the racist comments ("sandniggers"? and "Killing Armenians is fun"?) are just childish. Go see a shrink and deal with your problems, or, just continue to live life as you are, but stop displaying your stupidity for all the world to see.
Now, I personally love System of a Down. Their music is wonderful, and the vocals, just their style (constantly changing though it is) lifts up my soul. Their music has an intensity to it that is awe-inspiring. They are quickly becoming one of my all time favorite bands.
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Posted by terracottapie on 2006-02-21 05:08:47
My Score:
Comment: what an angry page, quite right, very out of place for hippyland. And Aerials is hard? I remember telling people how great it was for being so simplistic yet brilliant, its certainly very easy on the gat.
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Posted by xxthe_goddess_of_fukxx on 2006-01-07 11:49:57
My Score:
Comment: ***********BTW**************
excuse my typos.....and I''d like to say that name calling doesn''t really get your point across....everyones got their opinion, but if you don''t like something, why talk about it....often?.....Sometimes people get through their day just because they know they''ve made (tried to make) a fool of someone else....It''s music...quite easy to turn off if you don''t like it...Lets grow up kids.
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Posted by xxthe_goddess_of_fukxx on 2006-01-07 11:45:00
My Score:
Comment: x isnt about charles manson ....idiots....just listen to it..wtf does x have anything to do with charles manson?
we dont need to multipy (we don''t need to created more people)
we don''t need to nullify (we con''t need to make a value your consequence to something)
as being said fairly sarcastic, but I see it referring to charles manson to be a far stretch from the few lyrics in the song....which include die and ask our people what its like...It sound like a genocide song to me.....not an ode to manson....please people listen and think, don''t just get online and say you know something because you read rumors......
xxthe_goddess_of_fukxx@yahoo.com
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Posted by Yuki on 2006-01-03 03:49:44
My Score:
Comment: Man, this is like a war...*laugh* Mr. Marxlenintrotskyzapat...one question for you....if you hate SOAD so much, why do you spend so much time on a message board about them? Please don''t come after me with a machete! *laugh* I''m only curious!
Personally, I love SOAD. I practically grew up with them, cause my brother used to play their songs for me back when I was eleven, when Toxicity came out. It wasn''t until recently that I really got into them.
And for those of you who think Daron Malakian is a crappy musician, I got news for you: I know a thing or two about music, and his songs are IMPOSSIBLE to transcribe. I''m working on "Aerials" for my orchestra to play, and it''s pretty difficult. The time and key signatures are like WHAM. Very advanced. Of course, this is a string arrangement, so perhaps it''s easier on the guitar?
And Serj''s vocals? I think everyone who says they''re bad are just being negative for negative''s sake. I think they''re fantastic. Daron''s as well. They sound SO GOOD together. Compared to the blatant horse waste that''s on the radio now *coughGoodCharlottecoughcough* SOAD is a genius band.
The music is beautiful and the lyrics are really impressive, because they range from serious to funny (come on; how can you NOT laugh at "chinese tricks and rooms with ghosts of hooker girly dudes"?) Mr. MarxLeninTrotskyZapat, maybe you should listen to their songs again with a more open mind?
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Posted by Selcuk on 2005-12-30 22:13:19
My Score:
Comment: I think system of a down members have to be more respectful about the turks.turks didnt kill the armenians.plz don''t try to change the history. i like the songz of system of a down but they should think before they talk. i dont want anything more.
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Posted by Ak on 2005-11-30 12:13:42
My Score: 
Comment: System of a down has some of the most creative, well organized lyrics i''ve ever seen. That accompanied by their musical mastery produces a very impressive effect.
I''ve actually seen SOAD classified as "Schizo-Metal" on a lyrical site, which is kind of sad. The group seems to be fighting an up-hill battle to open the eyes of many listeners to both spirituality and the world surrounding. The newer albums, definitely worth checking out by the way, are alot more in-your-face than Toxicity and a few of the older ones. I personally believe this change to be a new attitude: singing as a release, versus singing to reach out to the average joe.
If you don''t "get" what a system of a down song is about, chances are you''re not listening carefully. I haven''t heard a song yet by them that hasn''t been impressively deep.
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Posted by Linet on 2005-11-14 10:29:18
My Score:
Comment: all u soad haters can go fukurselfs n suck cocks yall jus hatin cuz they better dan all those gay devil metal stupid shittt...their songs put sense in ur heads stupid dumfuks soad kiks asss!!!!! n is the best band group alive n i can assure u with all these fukin fans FUCK ALL U HATERS N GO SUCK DICK
..N OH YEAH ARMENIAN PRIDE BITCHES!...we big now
SYSTEM OF A DOWN<333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
FUCK U HATERZ
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Posted by santa on 2005-11-04 02:51:24
My Score:
Comment: yo...this is supposed to be a hippy website, right?...this whole thing seems out of place to me...
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Posted by me on 2005-10-17 23:21:44
My Score: 
Comment: this band is a fucking nu-metal massacre,theyre fucking clown shoes.
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Posted by Geebus_khep on 2005-10-17 14:14:18
My Score:
Comment: system of a down is the best damn band i have ever listened to, i used to be a full satanic freak that listened to cradle of filth and metallica and such, but when i heard a few songs from SOAD i was instantly hooked, since i became an SOAD fan i havent listened to any of my satanic crap, SOAD are my gods, satan can kiss my ass.
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Posted by GHz LiL BaNDiT on 2005-10-10 07:21:18
My Score:
Comment: anyone got shit against armenians my aim sn is GHz LiL bAnDiT got shit suck my dick big bad armenian pride bitchez 187 on turkz and u bitch made mother fuckerin haters get at me motha fuckaz
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Posted by Ahmed on 2005-10-05 20:23:57
My Score:
Comment: you know what, to all those people who bashed S.O.A.D. Screw you, cuz their music rocks. I like it most cuz of Serj''s vocals, the music is jus so freakin harmonious and melodious. I mean.. Aerials, Radio/Video... these songs are amazong.. and toxicity. ohh my god, amazing stuff. I was a avid listener of rock, rap, etc. no heavy metal. couldnt stand the noise. But ever since i heard BYOB.. i heard their other songs and now i cant get enough of it.
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Posted by Omnidog on 2005-08-02 21:39:05
My Score:
Comment: It took me a long time (six months) to get into SOAD, but once I did it was like a disease. This music has affected and infected almost every aspect of my music. This album kicks fucking ass and to all those that are racist? Fuck off and die!
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Posted by raceist shitbags on 2005-07-31 12:19:35
My Score:
Comment: most of u r racists shitbags cause u go on about liking R.A.T.M and then in the same paragraph u say stuff like ''the turks should of kill all the Armenians'' which R.A.T.M would proberly never even ignolage ur existansts at you letalone listen to ur point of view.
go fuck ur selves u racist shitbags then everone else will put on some remote island and leave u there to die.
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Posted by Juno on 2005-07-28 21:21:23
My Score:
Comment: The album is just wonderful to me - and I don''t really like hard core! Malakian''s eastern melodies are fascinating, and I don''t give a damn if he is a great guitarist or not. Many great guitarists write nonsense just to show us how skilful they are. I prefer to listen to SOAD. Tankian is a great tenor, a very expressive singer - his soul is in his singing, a quite rich soul I would say, and I like his lyrics as well. I think that this Zapata person is of Turkish descent and the real reason for bashing SOAD is that they work on the recognition of Armenian genocide by the Turks. Don''t let these people fool you. Read "the Blight of Asia" by George Horton, the US ambassador to Turkey, and you''ll see how the Turks exterminated the Armenians and Greeks.
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Posted by Shim Sham on 2005-06-26 05:58:56
My Score:
Comment: The music is ok, the unintelligible singing is kinda cool too, then I read some of the lyrics...
Why is it that bands who sing about how bad our government is and milk the fans for cash (just like the government!) are so readily accepted? Whoops, I forgot I''m on hippy(tee-hee).com
The joke''s on you in the end.
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Posted by jedidaiah on 2005-06-20 22:23:56
My Score:
Comment: im a fan of both SOAD and RATM and u cant compear them cause there to different so u should stop argueing about it and jus enjoy the fuking music, and 4 any1 here hu likes audio slave there O.K but RATM and SOAD rok so fucking more. for any1 out there hu dosnt like either of them then they can go shove the migdit dick in a barrel of acid and sould be scaped alived, so REMEMBER they both are good and jus enjoy the fuking music
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Posted by Trenton on 2005-06-16 06:35:01
My Score:
Comment: DieMarxLeninTrotskyZapat, your a racist piece of shit who needs to shut the fuck up and stop posting shit. "Im an athiest so I know!" fucking dickhead. Its a good cd and im sure DieMarxLeninTrotskyZapat is gonna bash me in another post but I honestly dont give 2 fucks.
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Posted by Mike on 2005-06-06 10:19:25
My Score:
Comment: Just because Daron doesn''t play eighties metal solos in his songs doesn''t mean that he can''t. I enjoy good guitar solos immensely although it is not a prerequisite for good music. System would sound strange as with that in it anyway.
Your also a retard, Kurk Hamlet??
hahahaha
Kirk Hammet
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Posted by Killer of blackroses on 2005-06-02 22:01:47
My Score:
Comment: No, fuck you, pal. I''d love to see all of Syndrome''s fans collected on a small island and killed by nuclear weapons.
Long live Slayer!!
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Posted by Turkish Racist Bastard on 2005-06-02 21:59:47
My Score:
Comment: I just laugh at the stupid shitbags like DieMarxLeninTrotskyZapat and the anonymous guy a couple of posts below me. Daron is an absolutely shitty guitarist, he has done nothing creative or original. He just does the typical Slipknot powerchords mixed with a bunch of "weird" tunes than ANYONE could have created. Solos are the main course for any guitarist, if you can''t solo, you suck, end of story.
Guitarrists like Tom Morello, Kerry King, Kurk Hamlet, and Yngwee Malmsteen wouldn''t wipe their asses with Daron No-talent Malakian.
The Turks made a mistake by not killing all the Armenians, that way there would be no Syndrome of a Clown.
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Posted by blackroses on 2005-06-02 14:56:31
My Score:
Comment: aerials may have no meaning at all but hey, who really cares i am just glad that they are there to stand up and speak for us all. there songs are not overplayed or underplayed, they are the perfect band and whoever thinks differently...
FUCK YOU!!!
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Posted by Dan Maciejowski on 2005-06-02 01:18:03
My Score:
Comment: You are all obviously retarded. Not every single song that RATM and SOAD write are about politics. Please don''t try to tell me Aerials is about anything. Daron says in three different concert recordings..."And once again this song has NO meaning at all" and then proceeds to fuck up trying to play Aerials...but hey even the best fuck up!
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Posted by DIE MarxLeninTrotskyZapat on 2005-05-31 16:40:25
My Score:
Comment: FUCK YOU MarxLeninTrotskyZapata! your a fucking JACKASS! take your FUCKING retarded ideas and shove them up your ASS! i hope you FUCKING die and a painful death! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!
DIE YOU ASSHOLE AND GO TO HELL!!!
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Posted by on 2005-05-31 16:29:53
My Score:
Comment: i am glad somebody is finally not afraid to speak up and say whats right. SOAD rocks, thats it. i am from overseas myself. daron and serj''s voices are awesome. FUCK ANYBODY WHO DISSAGREES!!!!!
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Posted by Mike on 2005-05-12 05:44:46
My Score:
Comment: I''ve read quite a lot about the song ATWA on the internet and such. I was pretty freaked out after watching the manson family movie (which is the grossest piece of cinematography I have ever seen) and thinking that Daron embraces that fuckmuppet Charles Manson and his ideals.
What I have gathered is that the song is about Charles Manson and an organisation of his (Air Trees Water Animals). The song comments on how the good things Manson was into and stood for have been rightly overshadowed by all the killings and crazyness and such. I would still like to know why out of all the environmentalists in the world Daron chose Charles Manson to admire though. Strange.
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Posted by dertli4u on 2005-05-05 14:49:53
My Score:
Comment: i cant understand,why you mix musik and politics.dont be stupid. be a good musiker..but you must learn history if you want to talk about armenien problem..
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Posted by Cross4ctm on 2005-05-02 03:33:19
My Score:
Comment: Oh ya, one more thing, is ATWA about Charles Manson''s Ideas? I''ll take feedback from ANYONE!
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Posted by Cross4ctm on 2005-05-02 03:23:46
My Score:
Comment: Honestly, how come you people can''t just settle this. SOAD and RATM are EQUAL! RATM is against terrorists in Mexico, SOAD is against terrorism in the Middle East! DUH! PLus, most people like SOAD because they are unique! I like them because they are easy to play and Catchy! I LIKE THEM because of that. I am 14 years old, have been playing guitar for 1 1/2 months and can play every song on toxicity! Oh, and you people are racist against any race should go straight to hell!
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Posted by Killing Amenians is Fun on 2005-04-17 04:11:51
My Score:
Comment: Rage Against the Machine kicks SOAD in their pussy Armenian asses. Daron Malakian can''t play guitar for shit. Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morello single-handedly kick SOAD in their talentless asses. Daron can only play about two or three chords and can''t solo (his backup singing in horrible), Tom Morello can play all six and can do mind-blowing shit to his guitars.
Serj Tankian pathetically rips off Mike Patton with his awful voice and Trent Renzor with his shitty lyrics. Zach de la Rocha is no Roger Waters, but he kicks Serj Tankian in his pansy-ass in both aspects.
Spicy Meatball, go fuck your dog in the ass and just try to kick my ass, I''ll blast you right in your fucking face with my SKS. As far as I''m concerned you can grab your shitty SOAD albums and cram them right up your ass you slimy British shitbag brainless SOAD fag fucker. As for moonKid, what the fuck is so great about your beloved UK? Cram it fag. As for Ajakoda (or whatever the fuck your name is) Rage only used three chord progressions? Bullshit!! You''re obviously def and haven''t heard real music. Go cram it mofo.
You know what would have been great? If the Turkish government completely wiped out the Armenians.
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Posted by RobertAjakoda on 2005-04-08 01:12:59
My Score:
Comment: Ok, for one "good luck speaking your second hand language (yes you did steal it from Britain and bastardise it with your moron-friendly spelling changes)." LOL ..haha that was quite funny, I thought.
Ok, anyway. About the review I''m pretty sure that you got the meanings right, at least to my understandings of them.
I wouldn''t say that soad is the BEST band ever, but they certainly arent the worst. I mean real guitar talent is John Petrucci from Dream Theater.. now thats one of the best guitarist in the world! But Daron certainly doesnt suck! He is good. And a real musician (especially compared to crappy pop bands like good charolette).
The lyrics on this album are really ... well ..I guess I should say that I agree with them.
But one question, but religious beliefs of SOAD do you think like are like pro-God or pro-satan? ... I don''t know if satan was the mother nature spoke about in Science.
But yes I defiantely think that religion comes before science.
and about rage againsts the machine.... kifgaisebgiaerbgia wowo! I haven''t heard much of them but what i have heard is ...well ..crap ...talk about using 3 chord progressions.
and I know. I''m a guitar player, and like Dream Theater who has like 20 parts within a song is defiantely harder to play than 3. I''m just saying that if you can play anything you can play soad songs. But whether or not that is a bad thing is up to you to decide. Just becasue its not the hardest thing ive ever played doesnt make it or the song bad!
But I personally don''t prefer the screaming ..like in The Prison Song. But its not like it ruins the song.. the Prison Song is a verrryy good song. Especially lyrically.
But rapping is ... well unless its done cooly.. like in Bob Dylan''s Subterranian Homesick Blues, its ..annoying and dumb.
awachachach wachacha ch ..it just sounds like crap
And yes. In some songs you can''t hear what Serj is saying, but that''s what the booklet with the lyrics in it are for.
System of a down is not a bad band, not my favorite and not the most talentedest band, but they are still good.
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Posted by mooKid on 2005-04-05 22:10:25
My Score:
Comment: SOAD are one of the few bands of modern day with any kind of ''depth''.
Ignore the morons that post all the shit.. (they are morons by the way) If they hate the band so much why waste their time talking about them?
I think music has alot to do with personal taste, negative discussion about SOAD should not be attempted here really can it?... I know you''re american and it''s difficult not to be retarded and over opinionated - and if you must can you please not be quite so irritating, thanks. Go sort your filthy hole of a country out so these fuckers don''t anything to make incredibly detailed music about :)
good luck speaking your second hand language (yes you did steal it from Britain and bastardise it with your moron-friendly spelling changes).
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Posted by Spicy Meatball on 2005-04-02 03:58:00
My Score:
Comment: LookOutMarxLeninTrotskyZapata you crap-munching dickface cause Daron Malakian and SOAD kick your shitty RATM right up the arse,and when I find out where you live I m gonna kick you right up the arse too
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Posted by Spicy Meatball on 2005-04-02 03:44:59
My Score:
Comment: System rule.Go to hell MarxLeninTrotskyZapata
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Posted by scart69 on 2005-03-31 02:56:26
My Score:
Comment: SOAD & RATM are/we''re(ratm) both great bands, working on the same side and all this puberty based shit dribbling about petty "who''s better" crap would most likely have any members of these bands look at that sort of crap ranting and not give the author the fucking time of day.
stop being pathetic, get out and put your energy into real shit instead of verbal masturbation
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Posted by tony on 2005-02-19 08:19:30
My Score:
Comment: soad is one of the best bands couse ebriting alse is crap.
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Posted by i love S.O.A.D. on 2005-02-14 21:40:41
My Score:
Comment: you''re all wrong !!! system of a down is a great band !!! i like their music verry much and if you dont understand what they''re singing about its very sad couse its worth it!!! i like these guys and they''re fucking great so mind about what you say !!! there the best group i have ever known!!!
bye now !!!
XXX
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Posted by MarxLeninTrotskyZapata on 2005-02-07 22:45:50
My Score:
Comment: If you heard the awesome guitar solos of Tom Morello, Kerry King, Eddie Van Halen, and Jimmy Page, you have no reason to think Daron is a great guitarist. I do play guitar, I just don''t plan on having a career in music, and I can kick Daron''s weak Armenian ass with my pinky alone. Serj CAN''T sing, I can''t stress that much more. As for Zach, I hate him along with the rest of Rage because if he didn''t leave, the other three wouldn''t have become corporate whores for Sony.
Once again, go fuck yourself Mike!!
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Posted by Mike on 2005-02-07 01:38:59
My Score:
Comment: I thought you rednecks were into George Bush and his corporate buddies.
If anyone can create what daron has done why isn’t the whole world a bunch of rockers? You sound like you play guitar why aren’t you rippin up the charts? And what is zach doin now? If he so great why did he go under when he set out on his solo career?
You obviously don’t know fuck all about singin man, even for someone who hates the band you should be able to recognise that Serj can sing.
But fuck it this is never going to come to any resolution cause you hate system (cause your mate told you too), and I like system. A clash of strong bias opinions aint gonna yeild shit.
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Posted by MarxLeninTrotskyZapata on 2005-02-03 01:25:30
My Score:
Comment: Mike, you''re a fuckwad dipshit fag-fucker with no good taste in music. ANYONE can create what Daron has done, his guitaring sucks ass, accept it shithead. I know of Axis of Justice and I hate them because they do NOTHING constructive against corporate America. Serj a great singer? Bullshit!! He sounds like a goat raping a frog. Zach kicks this theocrat sandnigger''s ass in the vocal department.
Next time, improve your taste in music you shit-eating guy-fucking mallrat piece-of-shit!!
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Posted by Mike on 2005-01-28 02:40:43
My Score:
Comment: Who fucking cares whether system do drugs or not?
Does it make them cool or somethin?
And MarxLeninTrotskyZapata what are you on about you redneck asshole? You were saying that Rage are so awesome because they are more politically active than system or some shit, Tankian and Morello setup Axis of Justice together you meatball.
Yes Tom Morello is an awesome guitarist, his innovative use of effects is second to none and he also cranks some mean riffs, but Daron Malakian is an awesome guitarist also. He does use rather a few power chords but they are called for and are part of what makes Malakian great, his ability to make brilliance out of simplicity.
How the fuck can you even try to compare the vocals of Serj and Zack? Zack is a rapper and Serj is a singer. Besides Serj has an amazing voice which is unique and unparalleled in contemporary music.
Open your mind you one tracked piece of shitscum.
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Posted by LookOutMalakian on 2004-12-10 14:36:36
My Score:
Comment: God for the first person who posted, you know absolutely fuck all about system, you don''t know what they''re talking about, and to say Daron and Serj are talentless is a fucking bloody minded statement, you remind me of a groupie the way you are so fucking single minded,
to put it bluntly - you''re a fucking cunt! you should be in alot of pain after than cuntish statement.
Daron malakian is one of the best musicians of all time in my opinion, he writes the bass/drums/guitar/lyrics for the band most of the time, he IS the heart and soul of system and he''s got it down to a tee, he''s a fucking great guitarist, so is Tom from RATM but no way expresses himself with the same emotions which Daron does,
bottom line... darons guitar skills can be quite limited, but HES ONE OF THE BEST FUCKING MUSICIANS IN THE WORLD
and i dont think any of you know what system are on about i think you''re all fucking retards, the first person who stated doesn''t know what any of the songs are about what so ever... ok i cant be arsed to write a report so i will put it to you blunty...
suite-pee - religion
toxicity - polution
needles - addiction
psycho - groupie whores
ATWA - AIR. TREES. WATER. ANIMALS.... (charles manson)
sugar - HIV/AIDS or suicide
chop suey - this is a play on words chop sueycide... is about suicide.
prison song - well done, its questioning the injustice in America
deer dance - questions police brutality
war? - this is about jarusilum being invaded (the ? states - is there a need for this!?)
there just a few, if i was going to type them all in full description i could be here for months, maybe even years, i would write a book on it if i had the time... ok anyway moving on.
who said system are anti drugs?
THEY ARNT FUCKING ANTI DRUGS YOU FAGET THEY ARE FULLTIME JUNKIES, ESPECIALLY DARON!!
has it ever occured to you that some of the songs involving drugs could be about self experiences?
oh no wait a minute, they dont smoke pot. YOU FUCKING MORON.
why did they write prison song i wonder?
I dont think any of you have a clue what system are trying to get at, and let me guess? you only started listening to them when they released chop suey?
fucking idiots, all go fuck your self
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Posted by MarxLeninTrotskyZapata on 2004-08-21 02:59:34
My Score:
Comment: I abosutely loathe this stupid band!! I used to like these guys because I thought they were politically active in the world (I''m interested in politics). I listed to their music and I couldn''t understand what the hell they were singing about. One day, my friend who hates SOAD told me why he didn''t like them and I gave his opinion some thought. I concluded that he was right, this band has no talent, no good lyrics, and a terrible singer. What''s especially sad about this band is that they favor religion over science, what a f*cking joke!! Why don''t they just march with the Southern Baptists in Mississippi and denounce evolution while they''re at it!! Believe in whatever you want, but don''t let religious beliefs of any kind cloud scientific facts. I''m an athiest so I''m right!! Serj Tankian keeps screaming like a 2 year old, Daron Malakian strums his guitar as if he were beating a chicken, and the rest aren''t worth my time. Serj and Daron are absolutely pathetic in their talents because they have none.
SOAD are a pathetic joke compared to Rage Against the Machine (my favorite band). RATM has the important things that SOAD doesn''t. They have lots of instrumental talent (especially the guitarist), they''re straightfoward with their deviant politics (SOAD hides it and waters it down), Zach de la Rocha''s rapping is more understandable and enjoyable than Serj Tankian''s meaningless and annoying screaming, even Tim Commerford''s backup singing is better than Serj''s screaming!! Tom Morello''s guitaring completely blows away Daron Malakian''s inferior guitaring (just listen to Killing in the Name and Chop Suey then compare them), Tim Commerford''s bass playing is more noticeable and better than Shavo Odadjian''s, and Brad Wilk''s drumming is better than John Dolmayan''s.
RATM had a strong impact on the world of music and politics unlike SOAD. They made political rock more common, weakened radio censorship, and were the soundtrack of Zapatista rebels in southern Mexico and the Sendero Luminoso militia in Peru. Because of RATM''s involvement in politics, Mexico became a democracy, the Zapatistas reclaimed Chiapas in 2002, and the Sendero Luminoso overthrew the fascist government in the late 90''s. How is this? They gave most of their profits to groups like these to get their points across and to show they don''t care about profit.
SOAD had no political impact on the world and keeps all of their profits for themselves. They''re hypocrites. They preach that America=greed but they''re laughing their way towards the bank. Hell, I think that''s what their music is; them laughing their way towards the bank. Also, why do they give such a sh*t about the Armenian genocide? Get over it!! I''m 1/8 Armenian and I could care less about that genocide. Also, I heard that Armenians have poor hygene and are mean to anyone non-Armenian (especially the Turks). I can see that SOAD has gotten more critical acclaim and cult praise than RATM. God people are f*cking stupid!! Face it SOAD fans, RATM was, is, and always will be better than that SOAD sh*t. If you motherf*ckers can''t handle the truth, suicide is your answer!!
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Posted by SOAD fan on 2004-06-07 03:31:10
My Score:
Comment: hello again. ok, shimmy means work, and X isn''t about CHarles Manson, ATWA is(which is really weird) most of the other stuff is pretty bang-on...I think i''m not sure that Forest is about the genocide and like telling other armenians about it(an armenian freidnt old me that so i''m not quite sure) Um ya...I''m not sure if SOAD are potheads cuz their supposed to be anti-drug(ex., Chop Suey, Needles) but they might do it sometimes or whatever, I dunno..Point is this album is awesome and we all have our own interpertations.
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Posted by SOAD fan. on 2004-05-09 18:10:34
My Score:
Comment: the only thing is that shimmy does have kinda a meaning, and i also didn''t know this until a insane soad fan/friend of mine told me and apparently it''s about the public school system and stuff (but i actually thought it meant shimmy as in the dance, which is funner, so hey.)
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Posted by Ken on 2003-12-15 22:29:37
My Score:
Comment: The review on shimmy is all wrong. Try looking in the dictionary for those big words, and maybe you can find the somewhat ''hidden'' message.
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Posted by latvis on 2002-12-13 03:48:58
My Score:
Comment: yes, its a good album, but somehow all songs are a bit similar to each other and has the same rythm
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Posted by Kelly on 2002-09-11 16:16:50
My Score:
Comment: Hey Chris! This may be a blast from the past. Are you Karen''s older brother? Did you go to Del Campo in Cali? kellybeach@yahoo.com
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Posted by Dread locked Rasta on 2002-08-28 20:26:58
My Score:
Comment: I think the review was good but, he/she didn''t see the poetry of "jet pilot" Personally for me it relates to a "mushroom" experience. But that is what poets and poetry does, it speaks to different people differently. I will agree with one of the comments posted, there are some parts that are "important" words, but serve no meaning in the song. But that is only in the single ''chop suey''. But as for the other songs I give the album an ''A'' because there are some very important points stressed about the drug war. I think the band really needs to do some acoustic stuff, they appear to be able to harmonize very well. I think it would go over well and shock many people. Think about it, one of the biggest heavy metal acts produces an acoustic ballad? I would buy for sure!
peace
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Posted by Aerial fan on 2002-07-14 22:54:44
My Score:
Comment: I agree whit your opinion but you forgot "Atro" the hidden track... My favourites are Aerials of course, Forest and psycho.
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Posted by Me-B-You on 2002-06-01 11:35:44
My Score:
Comment: thanks for doing the porper justice to one of the best albums of the ''00''s
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Posted by im gone on 2002-02-03 16:45:28
My Score:
Comment: lol
the band is a joke in my opinion... but thats just me ;I
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Posted by Judy Blue Eyes on 2002-02-02 15:47:02
My Score:
Comment: I think that the person that did this review analysed the songs well, and I''m glad that he/she enjoyed Toxicity. It is one of my favourite CD''s so I was happy to see that other people enjoyed it as much as I did.
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Posted by Josephine420 on 2002-01-29 13:26:43
My Score:
Comment: I really don''t have an opinion of the review, but i will say that system is a great band. I didn''t even know them, then i saw them on the pledge of alligence tour (with slipknot), and i had a blast. Now i know all of their songs. I think everyone pulls something different from anothers lyrics, take what you will from systems. I think they kick ass.
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Posted by Youso Wrong on 2002-01-28 15:00:39
My Score:
Comment: You are completely biased in your judgement of the album, look at it from an objective standpoint next time. All you do is compliment, why not make some critques? All of their music is hollow, like Chop Suey for example, self-righteous suicide, angels deserve to die. The rest is filler in between important sounding, but meaningless, words.
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Posted by Anonymous on 2002-01-16 20:12:08
My Score:
Comment: The CD gets an 11, like, billion, but this review gets a 9 only because that one song that it says is about the US government pushing people around, IU believe is actually about government oppression in Armenia, since the entire band is Armenian-American. But System of a Down is so awesome, they are so amazing. I first heard their self-entitled CD about a year ago and fell in love with it. The only thing it was really missing was a purpose a fight, a deeper meaning (which may be there, but it''s not nearly as apparent as as in Toxicity) which Toxicity completely embodies. Anyone who agrees with me at all has got to check out their website (www.systemofadown.com). I just found it the other day. Their so awesome.
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Posted by Anonymous on 2002-01-15 09:07:23
My Score:
Comment: IT IS THE BEST
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