System Of A Down: Every Album Ranked Worst To Best
Can you feel the Toxicity?
At the dawn of the '00s, there weren't too many people looking to push the rock landscape all that often. I mean, the biggest type of rock trend going on at the time were from the likes of the Strokes, who were mining the same type of ramshackled garage rock that was made famous all the way back in the '70s. In an era when everything seemed pretty set in stone, System of a Down came up and blew the doors off the rock scene.
Compared to the other nu metal acts like Slipknot and Korn from around the same time, the partnership between Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian made for some of the most exciting rock music of the start of the century. Being equal parts funny and deadly serious, every one of their records took you on a journey that made you question where your allegiances really are throughout your life. Then again, some albums tend to be better ambassadors than others.
Outside of the one-off singles and EPs that have been made over the years, this is a look at some of the greatest music that System have ever made and where they stack up in the grand scheme of amazing rock music. Other bands may have been whining, but this is where you use your music to change the world around you.
5. Steal This Album!
You couldn't ask for a better position to be in if you were System circa 2002. Despite people wanting to ban you from stations, your last album created an entirely new lane in rock music and set you on the path to being one of the greatest modern metal acts. And then all it takes is for a few sneaky people on the Internet to leak your album early.
That's not to disparage what's on Steal This Album! though. Making the best of a bad situation, the cheeky title comes from the leaks, and is made up of what is known as a collection of both B-sides along with original material that the band were planning for the next album they were going to release. The fact that any of these songs were considered B-sides in the first place though is a crime, with songs like Boom and F*** the System holding up as some of the most scathing songs of their career.
Outside of the political stuff, we also have some tongue in cheek moments like Chic n Stu and songs about how you perceive everyone around you like Innervision. Compared to the rest of the albums on this list, Steal This Album! is a great bridge record that connects both sides of their career perfectly.