System Of A Down released Toxicity on 4 September 2001. Rick Rubin produced with Daron Malakian, with Serj Tankian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan completing the band. The songs change direction constantly, but they're remarkably easy to remember.
All Those Changes In Chop Suey!
Chop Suey! jumps from acoustic guitar to frantic verses, a huge chorus and the closing vocal round. Those changes are what make it so recognisable. Prison Song, Deer Dance and Aerials find their own ways to bring protest, satire and melody together.
The Armenian Hymn At The End
The 25th-anniversary edition corrects the title of the hidden closing piece to Der Voghormia. It's an Armenian spiritual hymn used in remembrance, including remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. That heritage is also there in the album's scales, rhythms and vocals.
Toxicity reached number one with all its politics, strange turns and absurd humour intact. Twenty-five years later, that still feels worth celebrating. It's hard to imagine anyone else making this record.
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