System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) is an American rock band, from Glendale, California, formed in 1994[1] . System of a Down consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals), Daron Malakian (vocals and guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass), and John Dolmayan (drums), the band has released five albums since 1998. A staple on mainstream rock radio, their works have earned them four Grammy Award nominations, of which they won one.
System of a Down are noted for the left-wing political views expressed in their songs, tackling several subjects including the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Armenian Genocide, Iraqi Civil war, Capitalism, minority rights, War on Drugs, anti-religious sentiment, and censorship. The band is a part of the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization co-founded by Tankian and fellow musician Tom Morello, dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.
In 2006, the group went on 'permanent' hiatus, and all four members are currently working on various side projects.Daron Malakian met Serj Tankian in 1992, while they both shared the same rehearsal studio in different bands. They formed a jam band called Soil (Serj on vocals/keyboards and Daron on guitar[2] ; not to be confused with SOiL) with Domingo Laranio (drums) and Dave Hakopyan (bass). Around this time, they also met Shavo Odadjian. After about a year, with one supposed jam session recording and one live show, Dave and Domingo left, thinking the band wasn't going anywhere (Hakopyan would later co-found the band The Apex Theory which, in 2007, changed their name to Mt. Helium). [2]
[edit] In the beginning (1994 1997)
The band later broke up and Tankian and Malakian formed a new band "System of a Down," adapting the name from a poem Daron wrote entitled "Victims of the Down". [3] Shavo Odadjian thought that the word System appealed to a much broader audience than "Victims," and they...