'''System of a Down''' (also referred to as '''System''' or '''S.O.A.D.''') is a band from Hollywood (California), formed in 1995.
Their name was inspired by a poem written by band member Daron Malakian entitled "Victims of a Down" (commonly mistaken for what is written on the back of their first album). Fellow band member Serj Tankian felt that "System" was a much stronger word.
All four members are of Armenian descent and are widely known for their outspoken social and political views found in many of their songs. System of a Down is a part of the ''Axis of Justice'', a non-profit organization formed by Tankian and Tom Morello that is dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.
History
In the beginning (1995-1996)
System of a Down came to be after a band from L.A called Soil (which featured Serj and Daron) broke up. Serj and Daron formed a new band straight away, and they already knew Shavo Odadjian from when their previous band shared a recording studio with Shavo’s previous band. Shavo was originally the band's manager and promoter. Later Shavo quickly accepted the offer to join the band as the permanent bassist. Since then managerial duties have been undertaken by highly successful Velvet Hammer Music and streetwise founder David "Beno" Beneviste. One of their first releases was ‘Sugar,’ which has become one of their most famous songs to date, and they have played it at almost every live performance. They found a drummer, Andy Khachaturian, who joined the band. They then released three demo tapes which made decent sucess.
Debut album (1997-2000)
thumb|left|System of a Down’s self-titled debut album
After the third demo was released Andy left the band and John Dolmayan was hired to replace him. The band signed on to Rick Rubin's label and in the summer of 1998, System of a Down released their debut album, '' 'System of a Down' ''. They enjoyed moderate success with their first single '' 'Sugar' '' becoming a radio favorite, followed by the singles '' 'Spiders' '' and '' 'War?' ''.
After the release of the album, System of a Down toured extensively, opening for Slayer before making their way to the second stage of Ozzfest. Following Ozzfest, they toured with Fear Factory and Incubus before headlining the Sno-Core tour with Puya, Mr. Bungle and Incubus providing support. In 2000, the group contributed their cover of the Black Sabbath song '' 'Snowblind' '' to the Sabbath tribute album ''Nativity in Black 2''.
Mainstream success: ''Toxicity/Steal This Album!'' (2001-2003)
The rock group's
