10 Best Self-Titled Music Albums In Metal History

In metal, we come across several chance origin stories, but few can match System of a Down's. Even though all current members except one were born outside the USA, System of a Down were formed in California in 1994 by Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian. Tankian was born in Lebanon despite being Armenian, and all four of his grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. With that in mind, it’s unsurprising to see the politically charged angst and aggression in some of SOAD’s tunes.

SOAD’s lucky origins are emphasised when you realise Tankian and Malakian attended the same school, but due to the age gap they never interacted with one another. It was only years later that they came into full contact and laid the foundations for what would become one of the biggest bands of the nu-metal movement.

After releasing a string of demo tapes from 1995-1997, SOAD released their self-titled debut record in 1998. Although the album wasn’t a strong chart performer, it was received warmly by the few critics who chanced it. It peaked at #113 in the US billboard charts, paling in comparison to 2001’s ‘Toxicity’, which flew all the way to the top. ‘Sugar’ and ‘Spiders’ were released as singles in 1998 and 1999 respectively, with ‘Spiders’ peaking at #25 in the Mainstream Rock Charts (Billboard). In hindsight though, the critics have actually been proven right for once, as ‘System of a Down’ is an acclaimed and highly sought after album for many metal fans.