HomeSystem of a DownToxicity
Toxicity
Metal · 2001 · 13 tracks

Toxicity

A high-velocity collision of operatic melody, Armenian folk, and political fury. Manic, eccentric, and rhythmically complex metal that defined an era.

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Critical and commercial peak

A dizzying, hyper-kinetic masterpiece of alternative metal, this second album refines raw aggression into a weapon of high-art precision. The band trades the basement-show chaos of their debut for a massive, multi-layered sonic architecture where lush vocal harmonies and intricate Greek and Armenian folk scales seamlessly collide with thrash-metal tempos. It is an anxious, defiant document of its exact cultural moment, balancing absurdist humor with fierce, articulate indictments of mass incarceration and state control.

Toxicity · vs · System of a Down
Harmonies+1.6σ

The vocals lean notably further into harmonies than the rest of the catalogue.

Tracklist · 13 Tracks
01
Prison Song
3:21
02
Needles
3:14
03
Deer Dance
2:55
04
Jet Pilot
2:06
05
X
1:59
06
Chop Suey!
3:30
07
Bounce
1:54
08
Forest
4:00
09
ATWA
2:56
10
Science
2:43
11
Shimmy
1:51
13
Psycho
3:46
14
Aerials / Arto
6:11
Moments Worth Waiting For
06Chop Suey!The sudden transition from frantic, staccato verses to the soaring, melodic chorus of 'Chop Suey!' defines the album's dramatic dynamic shifts.
01Prison SongOn 'Prison Song', a heavy, down-tuned guitar riff is abruptly punctuated by spoken-word statistics detailing the rise of the US prison population.
14Aerials / ArtoThe closing track 'Aerials / Arto' incorporates traditional folk instrumentation, shifting from heavy progressive rock into a meditative, acoustic-driven soundscape.
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