ALBUM WORSHIP // System Of A Down - Toxicity

If you're into metal and you don't know who System Of A Down are, where have you been? Like honestly, a genuine question, what have you been doing with your life to not know about them at all? Arguably one of the most important metal bands of the last 20 years, they've released nothing but gold ever since their debut self titled album way back in 1998. Gaining an army of fans on their journey to the very top of the game, they're currently in a hiatus period, occasionally reforming for one off shows at festivals and rare tours. The desire for them to release new material is shared by many, and nobody is really sure whether or not it's actually on it's way or not. Whilst thinking about the possibility of new material, however, I delved into their undeniably strong back catalogue and rediscovered Toxicity. I say rediscovered, it never really went away. That album is arguably their best, and contains a large chunk of their best known and most loved material. You can also say, arguably, that this is the album that made them the band they are today. It was their second album, and it is solid proof that not every band struggles with that stereotypical "difficult second album".

There isn't a bad song on this record. Not one. It's just hard hitter, after hard hitter, after hard hitter. Prison Song right from the off is what I would now refer to as "dumb". I remember the first time I heard it, not being able to predict those opening stabs and being blown away when the riff exploded into my eardrums. Deer Dance is my personal favourite on the record, and favourite System song of all time. That opening riff, man. Seriously. Doesn't matter how old I am. I could be 90 and dependent a zimmerframe. I would launch that zimmer at the nearest unsuspecting person and open that pit up. The softer section in the middle too, and how it builds back into the riff. Perfection. The big opening sludge of X and the ensuing blast beats are impossible to stay still to. This song sits on both ends of the spectrum, featuring frantic paced guitars and drums as well as stripped back and calmer sections. They're masters of the rise and fall, constantly displaying use of dynamics and clever control of the atmosphere in songs. Just before the halfway point of the album, we're presented with Chop Suey. I don't mean that every time you spin this record a Chinese Takeaway turns up at your door with a meal (although I would enjoy that), I just mean that the track Chop Suey is next up. And if you haven't heard it, you're either a corpse or you're deaf. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS SONG. Even Captain Kale who only listens to underground experimental post-indie (fictional person, possibly fictional genre) knows what this song is. And it's because it's an anthem, without doubt. The verses are just giant hooks. The chorus is a giant hook. The riffs are simple yet powerful, kind of like hooks. The outro is an enormous and unforgettable hook. It's essentially a heavy pop song, and it's possibly their most well known and successful song. Quite rightly so, too.

Bounce starts immediately after, and the first time I heard it I laughed because of how much Serj Tankian says "Pogo". I've literally never heard references to pogo sticks so many times in one song. And the song is infectiously bouncy too, which is probably part of the reason the song got it's name. Science is one of their most well known tracks of this record, and has been covered by numerous bands of varying sizes. Most notably, Periphery have covered it. They've taken songs and completely made them their own before, but this was a straight up cover which signifies to me that they saw no improvements to make. That riff in the chorus, the little ascending and descending pattern at the end of the phrase, is just so catchy. They're so good at making every aspect of a song memorable. Shimmy is the reason I discovered who this band were. It was featured on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, and I remember un-ticking all the other songs on the soundtrack so that just this track would repeat. Despite the vocal instructions I continued to be late for school a lot, but probably because I spent a lot of my early guitaring years trying to learn this infectious track and it's riffs by ear. Toxicity is another mammoth of a track, and is probably the second most well known off this record underneath Chop Suey. Another straight up verse/chorus structure, laden with memorable vocal melodies and simple but enormous guitars, it begins as a relatively slow track until it hits the middle 8 and erupts into a powerhouse of a riff. That riff is reintroduced towards the end of the track, and leaves you both speechless and breathless. The album closer Aerials is popular, too, and is the most musically calm and beautiful track on the record. One of the less heavy tracks on the album, but one of the hardest hitting and anthemic. It's just perfect. The entire album is, in fact. Perfect.

When I first listened in my teens, I didn't really pay much attention to the lyrical content. I obviously listened to the lyrics and learnt them so I could yell them back to the band as part of a crowd, but I never really read into their message or significance until I grew up. The political content and strong messages throughout add a whole other viewpoint to it, and it adds to how impressive it is. No one quite writes lyrics or delivers vocals quite like Serj Tankian. He's truly one of a kind. To say that he puts on a display doesn't really do it justice. He croons, wails and screams his way through the entire album with such character and grace that you wouldn't think this was their second album. And with the music added to the mix? Collectively, Toxicity is flawless. They displayed an insane ability to write catchy and memorable songs that were both commercially sellable and crushingly heavy in perfect balance. It set the bar REALLY high for everyone around at the time and for a horde of bands that followed. An insane number of bands cite this band and this particular album as an influence, myself included. It was an enormous success upon it's release, and is now essential listening for anyone that loves metal.

If you are yet to discover this album, it's never too late. It never stops being good. It never stops being relevant. An absolute classic. A masterpiece.