10 Most Controversial Metal Albums Of The 21st Century

By the time System of a Down arrived on the scene, a metal band with something to say wasn't really anything new. Bands like Rage Against the Machine had already taken their militant stand in the '90s, and even Black Sabbath were known to indulge in some unflattering war pastiches in their day. Toxicity may be an excellent slice of metal today, but the controversy has less to do with "what it is" and more to do with "when it was."

Make no mistake, Toxicity pulls absolutely no punches, with tracks like "Prison Song" and "Chop Suey!" being bold indoctrinations of the corrupt society present in American culture. However, the album's release date a week before 9/11 ended up killing the album's chances of registering with the public on a primal level. Instead of having something pointed and aggressive to spit back at American authority, the thought of having a single on the radio with the line "I cry when angels deserve to die" seemed a bit too grim with the stench of the burning buildings still in the air.

Though it may have not been the most opportune timeframe, Toxicity still holds up as a savage record, whose messages have become no less pertinent as the years have gone on. Either System were way ahead of the curve when it came to social unrest, or we still have a lot of work to do.