Toxicity

Toxicity is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on 4 September 2001 through American Recordings and Columbia Records. Building on their 1998 self-titled debut, Toxicity introduces more melody, harmonies, and singing, while retaining the band’s alternative metal and nu metal foundations. The album incorporates elements from various genres, including folk, progressive rock, jazz, and Armenian and Greek music, with the use of instruments such as the sitar, banjo, keyboards, and piano. The lyrical content addresses a range of themes, including mass incarceration, the CIA, environmental issues, police brutality, drug addiction, scientific reductionism, and groupies.

Recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood, California, the band initially recorded over 30 songs before selecting 14 for the final album. Toxicity achieved significant commercial success, reaching number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart, and sold 220,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in July 2022, indicating over six million copies sold in the United States. All singles from the album reached the Billboard Hot 100, with the final single, “Aerials,” topping both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts.

Toxicity received widespread acclaim from critics, with perfect ratings from AllMusic, Kerrang!, and Blabbermouth.net, and appeared on numerous “best albums” lists. The album’s promotional period was marked by controversy, including a six-hour riot at a free concert in Hollywood due to overcrowding and a cancelled performance to avoid similar incidents. During a tour with Slipknot, bassist Shavo Odadjian faced harassment, racial profiling, and physical assault by security at a concert in October 2001.