System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. It currently consists of members Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and John Dolmayan (drums), who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian in 1997.
Serj Tankian is an Armenian singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band System of a Down, which was formed in 1994.
John Dolmayan is an Armenian-Lebanese-American drummer and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of System of a Down. Dolmayan is also the drummer for the band Indicator and former drummer for Scars on Broadway. Dolmayan ranked number 33 on Loudwire list of Top 200 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time.
Daron Vartan Malakian is an Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter and second vocalist of metal band System of a Down, and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter of Scars on Broadway. Malakian is known for his distinctive playing and is ranked 14th in Loudwire's list of Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time and number 11 in MusicRadar's poll, The 20 Greatest Metal Guitarists Ever. He is placed 30th in Guitar World's list of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
Hypnotize is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released on November 22, 2005, six months after the release of its companion album Mezmerize. Mezmerize and Hypnotize both debuted at number #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making the band one of the few to achieve this with two albums in the same year. Hypnotize was the last album System of a Down released before going on a four-year hiatus in 2006, and the band didn't release new music for more than a decade, until late 2020 when they unexpectedly released two new songs.
Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on May 17, 2005, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Upon its release, the album received widespread acclaim from critics.
"Toxicity" is a single by Armenian-American alternative metal band System of a Down, released in 2002. It was originally released on the album of the same name. The writing credit for the song is Malakian/Odadjian/Tankian/Dolmayan. It is known for its dynamic chorus, aggressive vocals, and prominent drum beat. The song is predominately in triple meter, alternating between 6
4, 12
8 and 4
4 time. The guitar during the verse plays in 6
4 using a 2+2+2 phrasing while the heavy part makes use of a hemiola with the guitar switching to a 3+3+3+3 pattern while the drums remain in compound duple meter until the bridge. The song was ranked number 14 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs, and was called a nu metal classic by Stylus Magazine.
Enter the Chicken is the fourteenth studio album by musician Buckethead. The album was released on October 25, 2005 by Serj Tankian's label Serjical Strike. It has eleven songs, two of which are less than twenty seconds long. It contains appearances from such artists as Saul Williams, Maximum Bob, Efrem Schulz and Serj Tankian.
Arto Tunçboyacıyan is a United States-based avant-garde folk and jazz multi-instrumentalist and singer of Armenian descent. He fronts his own group called the Armenian Navy Band, and is also a member of the instrumental quartet Night Ark.
Elect the Dead is the debut album by rock musician Serj Tankian, lead singer and founding member of Armenian-American metal quartet System of a Down. It was released on October 22, 2007. Alongside Tankian appears Armenian-American coloratura Ani Maldjian, drummers John Dolmayan from System of a Down and Bryan "Brain" Mantia of Primus and Guns N' Roses' Dan Monti on guitars, as well as a string section featuring Antonio Pontarelli.
"Empty Walls" is a song by musician Serj Tankian. It is Tankian's debut solo single and the opening track off of his first solo album, Elect the Dead. The song has been described as a "traditionally pummeling rocker".
The following is the discography of Serj Tankian, an Armenian-American singer and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasionally rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down.
Imperfect Harmonies is the second studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records.
Glaring Through Oblivion is a 2011 book of poetry written by Serj Tankian, the Armenian-American lead singer of the band System of a Down. It is his second book of poetry, after Cool Gardens (2002). Glaring Through Oblivion was published by HarperCollins Publishers and printed in China, and released on March 22, 2011.
Harakiri is the third studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on July 10, 2012, as a follow-up to his 2010 album Imperfect Harmonies.
Orca Symphony No. 1 is the fourth studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album takes the form of a classical symphony. A professionally sampled studio version was released on November 30, 2012, while the live recorded version was released on June 25, 2013 through Serjical Strike Records.
"The Charade" is a song by musician Serj Tankian. The single was released prior to Elect the Dead Symphony, although the rock version was found only in the album's DVD closing credits. The orchestral version featured on the album's CD is included in the single as a B-side on some versions.
"Figure It Out" is a song by the rock musician Serj Tankian. The song was released as the lead single from his third solo album Harakiri.
"Protect the Land" is a song recorded by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released as a double A-side single with "Genocidal Humanoidz" on November 6, 2020, through American Recordings and Columbia Records, to raise awareness and funds for Armenia and the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh amid the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. It is the band's first release in 15 years since their fifth studio album Hypnotize (2005), and their first single in 14 years since "Lonely Day" (2006). The two singles have raised over $600,000 that was donated to the Armenia Fund to help those who have been affected by the war.
D. S. Bradford is an American musical artist, animator, and visual artist best known for his contribution to augmented reality art and his collaborative work with System of a Down. As a musician, Bradford released two albums and composed music for Saga of Lucimia, an independent video game released by Stormhaven Studios. As a journalist, Bradford worked for The Next Web, and contributed to news outlets in the areas of music and technology.
