10 Best Guitarists Of The 2000s

System of a Down were a spellbinding band to sprout from the nu-metal scene. Rather than talk about their rough childhoods over detuned guitars, System brought out scathing condemnations of the political climate in the 21st century. While Serj Tankian rightfully gets praise for the band's direction, guitarist Daron Malakian took System's material and turned it into something otherworldly.

Malakian's way of writing riff was a humongous departure from the traditional metal of the times. His guitar parts would feature everything from Eastern music to atonal runs that always fit the mood in each song. In addition, the speed at which Malakian would play would pour gasoline on the sonic fire, making for impeccable studio recordings on albums like Toxicity and Mezmerize. Malakian also ended up constructing most of the arrangements to System's songs which took the listener on a concentrated journey within the span of 3 minutes.

Malakian's style is almost reminiscent of an abstract painter. The art of taking these elements that sound like they should be a disaster and creating something profound is something that suits Malakian perfectly. It may sound fairly chaotic, but a closer look will show the ingenious method behind the madness.