When singer Serj Tankian met up with guitarist Daron Malakian at a recording studio in L.A., the two discovered that beyond their love of dark, soaring rock n' roll, they had a shared Armenian heritage. They started out as Soil, but after tacking on bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan, they rechristened themselves System of a Down and set out to take over the rock world. The band cut its collective teeth touring with Slayer and on Ozzfest, finally blowing up with their sophomore effort, Toxicity, which went triple-platinum in 2001. Musically, System of a Down has always been ridiculously ambitious - by combining chugging guitars and shimmery soundscapes with hyperintelligent, overtly political lyrics, they have created a sound that is unique and important without being strident. Most recently, System of a Down went into the studio with wizard producer Rick Rubin. The end result was a massive double-album that System released in two stages, a la Kill Bill. Mezmerize came out in May of 2005, while part two, Hypnotize, dropped six months later. System of a Down went on hiatus in May, 2006.
System of a Down has always put its money where its music is, advocating for recognition of Armenian genocide, and even hiring Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael More to helm the music video for "Boom!" Serj Tankian and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello teamed up to form the non-profit social justice organization Axis of Justice. And even though the group is highly political, it's also had enormous commercial success. Releasing Mezmerize and Hypnotize in the same year landed the band on a very exclusive list, whose only other members are the Beatles and DMX - acts that have released two No. 1 albums in a single calendar year. With any luck, the members of System will come to their senses and come back together. Hell, any band Esquire names Best Agitators (a recognition the group earned in 2005) should give it another shot.
