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#1: Prison Song: About politics, prisons, police corruption, and just about everything wrong with the legal system. For obvious reasons (once you have listened to it) this is the funniest on the cd. 10/10

#2: Needles: Very bouncy, and sounds very strange, even for SOAD. Good song. 8/10

#3: Deer Dance: Follows the same subject matter as Prison Song, but in a more serious fashion, and with riot topics thrown in the mix. Great song. 9/10

#4: Jet Pilot: A very fast and short hit, and this one sounds like nothing but noise........ Not so great. 6/10

#5: X: Kind of like Jet Pilot, only shorter. 6/10

#6: Chop Suey!: The year's weirdest single, and really cool.
10/10

#7: Bounce: Funny song, confusing, and cool. 10/10

#8: Forest: A great song, heavy, and the best on the cd. 10/10

#9: ATWA: Doesn't make much sense, but it's ok. 7/10

#10: Science: Good song, not much special about it. 8/10

#11: Shimmy: The same style as Jet Pilot and X. 7/10

#12: Toxicity: Cool song, about city life and the poison
of it. 10/10

#13: Psycho: Bouncy song about cocaine crazed groupies. 9/10

#14: Aerials: Much longer than a typical system song, and
really cool. 9/10

This is a good cd, and modern rock/metal fans will find it very enjoyable. Classic rock fans, on the other hand, probably won't. Altogether, it's a good cd, recommended to modern rock fans.


One of the BEST albums I have EVER heard, No Joke...   September 14, 2001
 44 out of 50 found this review helpful

I really doubted the SOAD could top their incredible self-titled debut, but they have...and FAR surpassed expectations. This album is such an amazing accomplishment of modern metal that I find myself almost speechless. Serj Tankian is this generation's Jello Biafra. His lyrics are pointed, political, and biting. He does not flich when giving his opinions, whether it be on the state of modern collegiate education (Shimmy) or the overcrowded penitentiary system of the USA (Prison Song). As a whole work, Toxicity succeeds on EVERY level, the music is raw and hits you like a blast of adrenaline. The best thing about Toxicity is that it plays as a WHOLE album, something that is extremely rare in today's watered down metal climate. Every track on this cd is strong, it is UNRELENTING and BRUTAL. Some of my very favorites are Jet Pilot, Prison Song, Forest, Aerials, and Toxicity. The song Toxicity anchors the album and is the absolute best thing that SOAD has done so far. Bringing in Rick Rubin was a great decision because the strengths of SOAD have been maximized(Tankian's ranting, fast and numerous tempo changes, and Dean's heavy riffing) and the weaknesses simply no longer exist. The track placement on Toxicity is to be commended as well and much credit should go to Rubin. I never thought I would say this but this album smokes TOOL's LATERALUS by miles (and I'm a huge TOOL fan). Toxicity will hit you like a scud missile quick and deadly, but the remains will be with you for a lifetime. HiGhLy ReComMeNdEd.


One of the best hard rock albums of 2001   March 6, 2002
 36 out of 46 found this review helpful

I'm not too impressed right now with the current state of hard rock. 95% of today's hard rock acts sucks because lyrically and musically they are cliched and contrived. This whole nu metal genre reminds me of when hair metal ruled the airwaves back in the early to late '80s. Then out of the sea of contrived and cliched rock bands that one rare band will stand apart from its peers with an album that shakes the foundations of hard rock. That band is System of a Down with it's latest album "Toxicity".

I wasn't immediately impressed with System of a Down when I first heard its first single "Chop Suey". It was all noise and no substance to me but when I heard "Toxicity", the gorgeous middle eastern melodies changed my attitude. I bought "Toxicity" through a record club so I could get more bang for my buck as opposed to paying close to $20 for one cd. I was greatly impressed with what I heard on "Toxicity". I completely hear what many critics heard and why they listed that album as one of the best releases of 2001.

The lyrics may lean on the left side of politics which I don't think is bad. It sure beats listening to the same ol' BS of "life sucks" from bands like Papa Roach and Slipknot. That old line is so cliched and contrived, not to mention lacks any imagination in songwriting. Musically, this album packs a real punch. Like I said before, I loved the middle eastern melodies that the band incorporated in the band's music. That and their politically-charged lyrics are what set this band apart from their peers like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. The title track and "Chop Suey" are just two of my favorite songs on this album. "Prison Song" kicked major butt as does "Pyscho". I wish hard rock bands would follow System of a Down's suit, not the ways of Limp Bizkit, Nickelback, and Puddle of Mudd.


What an awesome CD!   September 19, 2001
 18 out of 22 found this review helpful

What a great CD! Lemme give you a run down of the CD

1. Prison SONG: Great song, starts out fast stays that way. The singer's voice changes throughout the song. Great song if I was to rate out of 10, 10 is given
2. Needles: Good song, fast and furious, just the lyrics make this one a 9/10
3. Deer Dance: fast, then slow, but totally awesome. Great song and great beat and lyrics. Definetly a 10!
4. Jet Pilot: Another good song. Fast riff and great beat. 9.25/10 :)
5. X (Multiply): Great SONG! Hard Riffs, great beat and great lyrics. Tempo changes slightly and sounds awesome!
10/10
6. Chop Suey!: BEST SONG ON ALBUM! only forest, prison song and ATWA compare, but this song flat out kicks .... Starts slow, hits hard, goes slow, and then hits it hard again. Great lyrics Guitar sounds oddly tuned, but it fits perfectly. 11/10.
7. Bounce: GOod song, but coming after Chop Suey is a hard act to follow. Good song better than needles or jet pilot, just not the best song. 9.5/10
8. Forest: GOod LOrd how awesome! Only slightly less than Chop Suey! Great song. Tempo similar to Chop Suey, but awesome lyrics, my second favorite song on CD. 10/10
9. ATWA: Great song, with a great lead in from Forest. Mostly slow, but has a few heavy and hard hitting riffs. Great song 10/10
10. Science: Good song, good riffs, great lyrics. not much to say, definetly a good song 9.5/10
11. Shimmy: Short but sweet. Hard and Great lyrics, only wish it was longer, but thats ok :) 9.5/10
12. Toxicity: ANother Awesome song! SLow and then hard like many of the previous great songs, another 11/10 song
13. Psycho: Dark song, but great song. Hard riffs and great lyrics and tempo. 10/10
14. Aerials: Longest song on CD, but does that matter? no, its a great song. Great way to end the CD. 10/10

THis is a great CD, it mixes slow and hard tempos together to create a sound your ear will love. I am new to the S of a D scene, I just decided to buy this CD because I liked Sugar and Spiders off the last CD, but this CD blew me away. Its the first CD in a while that I could listen to the entire thing straight through. I highly recommend it. THanks for reading.


The best heavy band today   September 4, 2001
 15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Well, not sure if I'm gonna be the first reviewer... but in any case, here's my review:

Of course in light of all the recent good/notorious news about this Armenian LA-based genius band (including the *famous* free concert in Hollywood this September), I believe the fame of System of a Down is now spread pretty much all across the country. Their first self-titled album has grown a huge fanbase in California, especially among the large Armenian community. No wonder that all the songs from their highly-anticipated "Toxicity" sieved through the Internet way before the release date.

Not only I perceive "Toxicity" as a big step forward for System, but also also an incredibly strong statement in today's rock music. SOAD is boldly diverse, rich and deep. Their lyrics are politically-oriented and poignant which truly makes them new "Rage Against the Machine", they are aggressive and powerful, yet that does not keep them away from producing remarkable melodic tunes. Their rhythm can change many times within a song ranging from a roaring speed, then suddenly turning into a marvellous slow melody. One definite plus of SOAD is their cultural heritage. A lot of times you can hear Armenian musical influence, which drives to its apex on the album's closing instrumental track "Arto" (a prayer for the dead), where the band uses Armenian duduk and hums the melody.

For those who still ponder on whether to buy or not to buy, let me make this clear: System of a Down is not a band, it's a huge historical event that was bound to happen sooner or later. I can't remember being so fascinated by music as I am by these guys. "Toxicity" is a masterpiece. Among the recent primited headbanger bands, they remain one of the very few who can produce such a masterpiece. Buy this album, you won't be disappointed!

Here's a short breakdown song by song:

1. Prison Song - as far as I know this is one of their early works and the most politically-poignant. Written by D.Malakian, the song is about... you guessed it, about American prison system. This song should become a darling of their upcoming concert tours.
2. Needles - another poignant track, this time about drugs
3. Deer Dance - ooooohhhh, this one just blows me away! Once again, bold politically-oriented lyrics about riots and invisible police.
4. Jet pilot - ever had a ride with the speed of light? An incredibly fast and aggressive music. reminds slightly of the early Slayer style
5. X - Another fast song starting with Malakian's guitar riffs flowing into sabbath-like bass and scary roars saying a very disturbing statement "We don't need to multiply - Show your people how we die".

6. And here comes Chop Suey - the single made available to the public on their website... Words cannot describe the beauty of this song. A definite masterpiece. Oh, also make sure to catch the video of this song - the first video off "Toxicity" shot in Hollywood with armenian flag waving in the background.

7. Bounce - sounds more like a crafty theatrical performance than a heavy metal song. That's exactly what I meant when I was talking about the main theme and rhythm changing within their songs. The song's duration is less than 2 minutes, and they *bounce* the rhythm so many times... Highlights Tankian's amazing singing abilities.

8. Forest - walk with me a little while and make the forest turn to wine. Amongst all the insignificant lyrics by other bands a la "let the bodies hit the floor", this is a breath of fresh air. And the music is impeccable. Again, they don't sound like anything else, this is something unique. The rhythm and chorus on this song is also great.

9. ATWA - remember "Spiders"? This song is from the same apartment block. Serj Tankian keeps shocking with his voice. Starting off slowly and quietly, the song suddenly gets an adrenaline rush and goes into an aggressive tone with Tankian roaring repeats "You don't care about how I feel - I don't feel herrrr anymorrrrr". The background vocals by Malakian is another innovation from their previous album.

10. Science - Interesting start with solo/bass cringing sounds. Science has failed our world? Great song with a visit to the Middle East in the middle.

11. Shimmy - roller coaster ride. Excellent job by J. Dolmayan on drums!

12. Version 7.0 - this is my favorite song on the album. Not sure if it's gonna make it to the live performances, but I'd surely love to hear it live. Outstanding vocals.

13. Psycho - a song about serial killer Mason. Very controversial and disturbing. Sounds like the lyrics don't endorse the serial killing, but rather attempt to represent the mentatlity of a serial killer.

14. Aerials - Ohhh My God! Is this a heavy metal band singing like this? Hard to believe that "Deer Dance" and "Aerials" are written by the same band. That's the diversity I've been talking about. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is there an Indian citar here or... ?

15. Arto. The closing instrumental. A mourning for the dead performed with Armenian duduk and coke bottles. It's a kind of a tribal mix sieved trough Armenian melody. Voice humming sounds haunting here.

Final comments: best album of the decade!