Origin:	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres:	Nu-Metal

Last update/review:	January 17, 2017

System Of A Down

The interestingly-named System Of A Down seemingly came out of nowhere in 1998, signing to American Records and winning a major tour support slot with Slayer, prompting an en masse response of "Who?" from Slayer fans. Of the many nu-metal bands that emerged during the heyday of the genre, System Of A Down are generally a bit heavier, certainly more socially/politically aware (the quartet are all of Armenian descent), and clearly more eclectic and diverse in their songwriting, evidenced by songs such as "Peephole", their first big hit and still a BNR favorite. Their debut album was a pleasant surprise in 1998, and they haven't looked back since, with their next two albums (Toxicity and the humorously-titled Steal This Album!) steadily building up the band's popularity, and both of two their 2005 albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize debuting at #1 on the US charts. A year later they announced what turned out to be a four-year hiatus, the members scattering to various projects both musical and not. By 2010 they'd come back together and have played some live festivals and limited tours, and in recent times have hinted at a new album if and when the time is right.