From the
Official System of a Down Website
"Our heritage, our politics are really important, but our musical vibe together is
the thing. Our live performances speak for themselves." -- System Of A Down
The Agenda
System Of A Down formed organically, the members' shared diverse musical and personal
experiences created an explosive musical mine field of such volatile, incendiary ferocity
that Rick Rubin elected to sign and produce the group as the first new act on American
Recordings under a recent pact with Columbia Records. The intensity of metal, the social
commentary of rap and a plethora of influences -- ranging from the band's Armenian
heritage to jazz to Middle Eastern melodies to the nightly news -- has made System Of A
Down a top draw in their home burg of Los Angeles. The band's agenda has always been clear
and uncontrived: "Our goal has been to stay open to whatever currents guide us
through our lives -- musically, thematically, in every way, to be ourselves,"
explains SOAD's soft-spoken, but big-voiced, singer Serj Tankian. " Our songs and
themes range from political to social to daily angst to love to hate to dope."
However, the band emphasizes, "we do music because we love it, and our agenda is not
just political. We'd like to touch every sense of our audience: visual, auditory, taste,
touch...." "We don't just concentrate on an aggressive emotion, though we have
that. Anger becomes more angry when you're quiet at first. That's key to our
dynamics," Serj explains. "We have the openness to go anywhere. It goes without
saying we're a heavy band, but we can also do a love song." In other words, in the
musical milieu of System Of A Down, all are welcome. "If you're into surprises, being
taken for a ride, I think you'll like the music, no matter what type of music you're used
to listening to," Serj believes. "We have a lot of people who like our sound who
have never been into heavy music. We have cross-genre types of music lovers."
Critical Mass
Even before System Of A Down were signed to American Recordings, local, national and
international press got in on the ground floor, hearing a new musical revolution in the
air.
"This debut will be one of, if not THE most important heavy rock records of the
year." Hits
"The band's songs are fueled with rebellion and protest. And its diverse music which
blends metal, rap, hardcore, jazz and Middle-Eastern melodies expresses the need to stir
up the great American melting pot and unite against prejudice and injustice." Tower
Pulse
"Their leonine muscularity and machine-like tightness rocks way hard." Bam
"A must-see act.... His singing was intense, roaring with raw guttural tones one
minute and pulsing into cross-fire rap the next." Music Connection
"Making a big splash in local clubs...." Los Angeles Times
"THE next big agit-politicos." Kerrang! (England)
Goin' American
"We had a show at the Viper Room [in Hollywood] and Guy Oseary [from Maverick
Records] brought his friend, [producer/American Recordings head] Rick Rubin. "I saw
him from the stage," says Shavo, "and he seemed pretty much into it. Later, he
told us he was blown away, which blew US away, being '80s kids who loved all the rap stuff
he came out with. My 'License To Ill' record from the Beastie Boys....I wore it out... and
Public Enemy... everything Rick's done is really incredible." System Of A Down signed
to American Recordings in September 1997. Their first two major tours are also coups: SOAD
hits the road with labelmates Slayer before embarking on the Ozzfest tour in the summer of
'98.
On The Record
A lucky 13 songs populate System Of A Down's self-titled debut, produced by Rick Rubin,
engineered by Sylvia Massey (Tool) and mixed by Barkmarket vocalist/mixer Dave Sardi.
Befitting the band's singularity, the recording process was as experimental and varied as
the group's music. Tracking at the famous Sound City studios in late 1997, Serj then did
his vocals at Rubin's home. "We set up a tent in the middle of his recording room,
with nice antique stuff lying around. Sylvia Massey was a big part of the vibe, she
brought in colored oil lamps, crazy stuff. It was an adventure." While Rubin was a
hands-on producer, the songs remained as the band wrote them, with some minor arrangement
changes: "Rubin likes us for who we are, and that's why we work well together."
While the System sound is often complex and multi-textured, it's completely reproducible
live. On System Of A Down, Rubin personally played a bit of piano and added a few samples
and to the mix. "But," the band members explain, "we didn't want to burden
the album. We wanted it to be live-sounding, but with touches to make it full and
complete-sounding." The bottom line? "Although we worked with a great number of
upper-echelon people, we had the once-in-a-lifetime chance for a heavy band to do exactly
what the fuck we wanted to on our own album. We're very happy and proud of that."
The Players
Serj is both a college graduate running his own successful business and a muckraking,
politically aware musician/visual artist, whose on-stage rants and manic energy captivate
crowds. Shavo, an endearing yet aggressive KISS fanatic, did wire transfers at a bank to
earn his keep, while Daron, who possesses a quirky, otherworldly stage presence and a
fierce playing style, "used to be a brain surgeon," cracks Shavo. Pre-System,
John, whose powerful drumming keeps heads banging, once sold comics and Japanese
animation. "Not just between us, but within each of us, we listen to varying genres
of music," says Serj by way of explaining the musical contributions of each of the
group's members. In the System Of A Down mix, the aggro-metal side comes from the
influence of Daron and Shavo, but walk into any System show or listen to any track on
System Of A Down and you'll find that Middle Eastern, rap, goth, jazz, and Armenian music
are visible and viable musical influences. With the raw rock authority of early Van Halen
and the on-the-edge punk power and political and social acumen of the Dead Kennedys,
System Of A Down have quickly carved out a niche of their own.
The Name Game
The most-asked question. "It came from a poem our guitarist, Daron, had written,
called 'Victims of a Down,'" explains Serj. "He brought it to us, and 'System'
was chosen as a better, stronger word, and it makes it into a 'whole,' instead of the
people in particular, it's the society." Ultimately, Serj advises people to
"Take your own meaning out of our name. It means different things to different
people. That's the beauty of it. It's like putting art up on a wall, and going, 'what do
you think of it?' It's many different things, on a personal, a political level. We leave
it open to interpretation."
Of Historical Significance
In the Los Angeles musical netherworld of 1993, two bands found themselves rehearsing at
the same studio. Daron played in one, Serj in the other. Soon, the kindred musical spirits
joined forces in a musical entity called Soil. Their then-bass player knew Shavo, who'd
been playing both guitar and bass. "I'd had been in bands," recalls Shavo,
"but I really liked their band, so I'd hang out with them, and got to know each
member pretty well. I knew of Serj and Daron because I went to a private Armenian school
in Hollywood where you at least 'know of' everyone in the school." Eight or nine
songs later, Soil got a gig.... and they asked Shavo to manage the band. "I was amped
to do it 'cause I liked them so much, and them inside, as people, too," he recalls.
Soon, though, member shifts resulted in Shavo joining on bass. By 1995, it was a new
beginning: System Of A Down was born, with new songs, a hardcore work ethic that matched
their hard 'n' heavy sound, and finally, a new permanent drummer in John Dolmayan.
What Are Words For
Much attention is paid to System Of A Down's provocative, insightful lyrics.
"P.L.U.C.K.," for instance, stands for "Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly
Killers." "It's a revolutionary song having to do with the Armenian genocide,
the injustice," explains Serj, the main lyricist. "Generally, I write words by
themselves, and sometimes I'll cut and paste them into a song we're working on."
"Soil" is a particularly poignant cut about a friend who committed suicide,
while "Darts" allows Serj to espouse some of his rather untraditional beliefs.
"To be able to understand our world and our life as it is, you have to have your eyes
open to more than one type of philosophy that's being fed to you," he offers. On
another tip, "D-Devil" is a mesmerizing merging of four of Serj's poems, dealing
with issues as diverse as "cloning and plagiarism and as beautiful as a little bunny
rabbit." The raging aggro "War" is another fan favorite, while
"Cuebert" is about "clichéd people...people who don't care to take an
extra step in their lives. It's partially a condemnation and partially a dare to
them."
Politics, Heritage And Much Ado About Something
"Politically, there's a lot of things I talk about at our shows.... about mind
control, or non-lethal weapons being used by the CIA and the intelligence community in the
West," begins Serj. "We're ready to speak about things openly." And yes,
many of those "things" revolve around the American-born band members Armenian
heritage. Cher may be the most famous vocalist of Armenian descent thus far, but System
note that their heritage is simply one part of the band's entire makeup. "It's as
much of an influence as anything else is as far as what we listen to. Sometimes less,
depending," Serj says, while Shavo clarifies: "We're using a basic four-piece
structure, no authentic Armenian instruments. There are vibes we enter within a song....we
don't always know when we're doing it, but it might be very Middle Eastern or
Mediterranean." The bottom line? "We play heavy music, and Armenian music
generally isn't heavy music. It's dramatic, like our music. The Armenian people had a
genocide, just like the Jewish people had the Holocaust. Those who look the other way,
such as Turkey, who committed it, that injustice itself has been a driving point of my
life," admits Serj. "Because of that, I've been able to look at other injustices
in the world. I know that injustice exists and it's always hidden, so it opens your eyes.
It's been a motivation factor. Since we do something different musically, people need to
name it something. Some say it's Armenian rock. But that's unfair to us. It's a part of
who we are, but it's not what we do. If we're playing in another country, I don't think
we'd be called 'Armenian rock.'"
Live
The lights are lowered, and as one, the crowd surges forward, pressed against the front of
the stage. As Shavo and John lock into heavy, primal sync, Serj, eyes closed and face
turned heavenward, sways to the beat as Daron's guitar roars into life. The audience is
not still for a moment as System Of A Down pummel them aurally and emotionally, the
shifting dynamics of "Suitepee" wringing the cares of the day from their souls.
As Serj spews the words to "Sugar" -- "I play Russian roulette...a man's
sport, day after day, with a bullet called life" -- the audience roars along. The
slow, spooky invocation that is "Spiders" lulls the room into a musical swoon,
which is quickly dissipated as Serj dives into a manic jig, ranting like a wild man on the
barely-controlled chaos that is "D-Devil." Growling the promise of "we will
fight the heathens" in perennial crowd favorite "War?" the steamy room
turns into a frenzy of the moshing faithful, once again, irresistibly held in thrall under
the inescapable spell cast by System Of A Down.
