The Relevance and Power of System of a Down’s “Toxicity”, 20 Years Later

The iconic nu-metal album turned 20 years old on September 4th, 2021, and the themes coursing through it are more relevant today than ever before.

I remember the first time I listened to “System of a Down”. I was 12 years old, it was the summer of 2001, and I was shooting hoops as music played in the background with a few kids in the neighborhood I grew up in. Then, the track “Chop Suey” came on, and my childhood friends started hyping it up as incredible. The first time I heard this song, and Serj Tankian’s voice especially, I had no clue who they were, what ethnicity he was, or how music could sound this scattered but still be so incredible.

After that night, I looked more into them. I remember my friend down the street playing the first track off the album, “Prison Song”, in his basement when we were hanging out one day. After hearing that as well, I was convinced I needed to buy the album. I asked my dad if he could swing by Best Buy on the way home from work one day and get it for me, and the rest was history.

20 years later, it’s still my favorite album of all-time. Sure, the nostalgic tie to it probably influences my decision a little bit here, but make no mistake, it’s a truly great and monumental record regardless.

The themes of the album span the prison system (“Prison Song”), the drug epidemic (“Needles”), police brutality (“Deer Dance”), population control (“X”), suicide (“Chop Suey”), pedophilia (“Forest”), and much more. The versatility thematically is matched in lockstep by the shifts in tempo in both the instruments, and Tankian’s unmatchable voice. It’s jagged, unpredictable, and a full-on adrenaline rush.

What’s perhaps most impressive about this record is how the themes and messages it conveyed when it was produced in 2001, have never been more relevant than in 2021. The topic of police brutality has emerged as a major issue over the last half decade. The drug epidemic and suicide have both sadly skyrocketed since the start of covid in result of the initial lockdowns and social distancing measures. And since the tragic discovery of Jeffrey Epstein’s massive pedophile ring, it’s clear we still don’t know just how many people (global elites, another topic the band loves to stick their middle fingers at), had ties to him. The prophetic nature of the album is eerie to listen to considering these are problems the band saw as bad at the time and only getting worse – and they couldn’t be more right.

The fearless nature in which the record’s material is delivered is in your face and thrilling. From Tankian’s insane vocal shifts, to guitarist Daron Malakian and bassist Shavo Odadjian’s unpredictable chord swings, to drummer John Dolmayan’s unreal pacing (highlighted especially in the album’s title track, “Toxicity”), this is a band that clearly isn’t afraid to take risks.

And somehow, they all work.

The most notable track off the record is “Chop Suey”. Perhaps because of the timing of its release. Due to the band being Armenian and their Middle-Eastern appearance, as well as the album being released a week before 9/11, and the song containing lyrics (“self-righteous suicide”), Clear Channel Radio limited playing it for a time due to overemotional paranoia that the song was somehow talking about suicide bombing terrorists. When in reality, the song is actually about Tankian’s close friend who took his life, because of his controlling father’s “God-like” approach in his son’s life (the song “Soil”, off the band’s 1998 debut and self-titled record talks about this as well). The beginning of the song is quick-hitting and relentless, the middle finds more rhythmic cohesion, and the finale reaches epic status as the opening of the song morphs into an operatic masterpiece of a conclusion.

While the band would go on to release three more intense records (“Steal This Album”, released in 2002, and “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize”, both released in 2005), none of them match the speed, aggression, and bravery seen on “Toxicity”.

It’s never been a more powerful and important listen than right now, and it remains an album that serves as a cautionary tale for global problems that unfortunately continue to deepen and expand over time.