Released at the turn of the century, System of a Down’s second album dropped in a period full of metal and guitar music, but the variety of influences in the mix and the moments where the band are playful with their music make an album that still holds up today. However, overall this is a fine record from SOAD and arguably one of their best, with some wonderfully written guitar riffs and excellent vocal delivery. Some of the 1-2min songs do not seem worth their while. Part of me feels the record could be shorter in track length. If you want to make a politically driven song, spoken word interludes are no substitute for clever lyricism. Other times this record is so on the nose I find it hard to listen to, as is the case with “Prison Song”. Lyrically, SOAD can be visually evocative, as heard in “Toxicity”. Unfortunately this is the case for most of the first half of the album. This isn’t always an issue, but it makes the weaker tracks fade into background with little to say for themselves. They may as well be using the same two guitar pedals through the whole album one crunch, one clean. There is little variation in production or timbre. However, this record does fall short in many areas.
There are some excellent tracks on this record, most notably “Forest”, “Shimmy”, and “Toxicity”. They make use of chromatic and pentatonic riffs in both the vocals and guitars and it works wonderfully against the slugging guitar sounds. Another of SOAD’s charming characteristics is their clear folk influence, or more specifically Armenian folk. The rhythmic quality to his delivery often matches the guitars wonderfully, as heard in “Psycho”, “Chop Suey!”, and many others. The drop C tunings and syncopated guitars are all hallmarks of heavy metal, but Serj Tankian’s vocal delivery is not. One still recognisable and rarely imitated today. From their first self-titled release in 1998 it was clear SOAD had a distinct sound. Having said this, back in its 2001 release it felt like a fresh, Armenian infused injection into an otherwise homogenised heavy metal scene. Listening to Toxicity in the latter part of 2018 it is clear to see that it is very of the time. System of a Down hold an unusual place in many people’s personal musical history. The album’s a peculiar beast: overwhelmingly extravagant, relentlessly exciting, and outright entertaining. The transition (or lack thereof) from “Deer Dance” to “Jet Pilot” is not just riveting it alludes to unrestrained greatness. The band initially wrote over 40 songs for the record, and you can tell their creative juices were well and truly flowing. The balance on Toxicity is just right in that sense. That being said, I get as much enjoyment from the likes of “Forest” and “Bounce” as I do the more poignant numbers.
The latter finds Tankian at his most spiritual, whilst Daron Malakian’s guitar work is measured, refined even. The album’s three singles - “Chop Suey!”, “Toxicity”, and “Aerials” - have that extra weight behind them. Goofing around with exaggerated, chugging guitar riffs is a SOAD trademark, but on Toxicity, the band sometimes go further. He’s theatrical without sounding ridiculous, with “Psycho” being the sole exception (unfortunate given the fantastic instrumental). On Toxicity his vocals are expressive and dramatic, and sometimes hilarious. Serj Tankian remains one of the most distinctive singers in modern rock. It has its gimmicks, though the tricks are far subtler here than anywhere else - particularly in comparison to their two 2005 albums, Hypnotize and Mesmerize.
Toxicity provides a high-octane, hysterical thrill. Whilst there’s no escaping the ’00s nu-metal sound, the subject matter is as disturbingly familiar now as it was then. Most of System of a Down’s music hasn’t aged particularly well, but Toxicity has aged gracefully compared to the group’s other studio albums.
It’s a restless, prickly record, bouncing between different ideas at such a rate that the experience is as much an uncontrollable adrenaline rush as it is anything else. Toxicity is a highlight of the nu-metal wave of the early 2000s.