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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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System Of A Down Discography
System of a Down is an American heavy metal band formed by vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian, and drummer John Dolmayan in the mid-1990s. They have released five studio albums, nineteen singles (including promotional releases), and thirteen music videos. By the end of 1997, the group had signed to American Recordings, then distributed as Columbia Records. The following year, they released their eponymous debut album, which peaked at number 124 on the United States' Billboard 200 and number 103 on the United Kingdom's UK Albums Chart; it was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). Their eponymous debut album produced a single for the song "Sugar", which reached the top 30 on the Billboard mainstream rock songs and alternative songs charts. Their follow-up album, Toxicity (2001), topped the US and Canadian charts, and also reached the top 10 in Australia, Finland, and New Zealand. The album was certified triple platinum in its home country, and triple platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), as well as double platinum by Music Canada. Toxicity produced singles for the title track, "Chop Suey!", and "Aerials". The last of these peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts.

Steal This Album! (2002) failed to repeat the same success as its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in only the US and Australia. Three years later, the group produced a double album, with the two sections released six months apart. The first, entitled Mezmerize, was released in early 2005; it peaked at number one in nine countries, and certified triple platinum in Canada, platinum in the US and Australia. This album's first single, "B.Y.O.B.", peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Question!", reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Later that year, the group released the second part, Hypnotize. Like its predecessor, the album peaked at number one in the US, Canadian, Finnish, and New Zealand charts. System of a Down is the first band since The Beatles to release two chart-topping albums in the US in the same year. Hypnotize was certified platinum in US, and gold in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland. It produced two singles, the title track and "Lonely Day", which reached No. 4 and No. 16 on the Finnish chart, respectively. In 2006, the group went on a hiatus, and since then, all members had begun work on side projects. A reunion was announced on November 29, 2010. On November 5, 2020, System of a Down released their first songs in 15 years, "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Both songs also received a music video and marked the band's first single in 14 years, since "Lonely Day".

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
 AUS
 CAN
 FIN
 GER
 IRL
 NLD
 NZ
 SWI
 UK
System of a Down 113 48 — — — — 68 — — 103
Toxicity
  • Released: September 4, 2001
  • Label: American
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP, DI
 1 6 1 8 23 17 17 7 31 13
  • RIAA: 6× Platinum
  • ARIA: 3× Platinum
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • BVMI: Gold
  • IFPI SWI: Gold
  • MC: 2× Platinum
  • NVPI: Gold
  • RMNZ: Platinum
Steal This Album!
  • Released: November 26, 2002
  • Label: American, Columbia
  • Formats: CD, LP, DI
 15 11 13 25 14 47 41 26 25 56
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold
  • BPI: Gold
  • BVMI: Gold
  • IFPI FIN: Gold
Mezmerize
  • Released: May 17, 2005
  • Label: American, Columbia
  • Formats: CD, LP, DI
 1 1 1 2 1 2 5 1 1 2
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum
  • ARIA: Platinum
  • BPI: Gold
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI FIN: Platinum
  • IFPI SWI: Gold
  • IRMA: Platinum
  • MC: 3× Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum
Hypnotize
  • Released: November 22, 2005
  • Label: American, Columbia
  • Formats: CD, LP, DI
 1 3 1 1 4 10 15 1 4 11
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold
  • BPI: Gold
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI FIN: Platinum
  • IFPI SWI: Gold
  • IRMA: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Demo albums

Title Album details
Untitled Demo Tape
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Not on label
  • Format: Cassette
Demo Tape 1
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: System Management/System Inc.
  • Format: Cassette
Demo Tape 2
  • Released: 1996
  • Label: SYSTEMA
  • Format: Cassette
Demo Tape 3
  • Released: 1996 (Re-released 1997)
  • Label: Velvet Hammer
  • Format: Cassette
Demo Tape 4
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Universal
  • Format: Cassette
Toxicity II
  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Columbia
  • Format: CD, DI

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Song Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
 US
Alt.
 AUS
 CAN
 FIN
 GER
 IRL
 NLD
 SWI
 UK
"Sugar" 1998 — 31 — — — — — — — 136
  • RIAA: Platinum
 System of a Down
"Spiders" 1999 — 38 — — — — — — — —
"Chop Suey!" 2001 76 7 14 21 — — 46 25 — 17
  • RIAA: 5× Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold
  • BPI: Platinum
  • BVMI: Gold
 Toxicity
"Toxicity" 2002 70 3 39 — — 88 47 75 90 25
  • RIAA: 3× Platinum
  • BPI: Silver
  • BVMI: Gold
"Aerials" 55 1 36 — — 80 35 — — 34
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum
  • BPI: Silver
"B.Y.O.B." 2005 27 4 42 — — — — — — 26
  • RIAA: 3× Platinum
  • BPI: Silver
  • BVMI: Gold
 Mezmerize
"Question!" — 9 — — — — 47 — — 41
  • RIAA: Gold
"Hypnotize" 57 1 — — 4 83 47 31 — 48
  • RIAA: Platinum
 Hypnotize
"Lonely Day" 2006 — 10 37 — 16 46 — — 72 —
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • BPI: Silver
"Protect the Land" 2020 — — — 88 — — — — — — Non-album single
"Genocidal Humanoidz" — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Promotional singles

Song Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
Bub.
 US
Act. Rock
 US
Alt.
 US
Herit. Rock
 US
Main.
Rock
"Prison Song" / "X" 2001 — — — — — Toxicity
"Johnny" — — — — — "Chop Suey!" single
"Innervision" 2002 7 10 12 35 14 Steal This Album!
"Boom!" 2003 — — — — —
"Cigaro" 2005 — 30 29 — 34 Mezmerize
"Violent Pornography" — — — — —
  • RIAA: Gold
"Kill Rock 'n Roll" 2006 — 37 — — 38 Hypnotize
"Vicinity of Obscenity" — — — — —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Other charting songs

Song Year Peak chart positions Album
POL
"Lost in Hollywood" 2005 7 Mezmerize

Music videos

Title Year Director(s)
"Sugar" 1998 Nathan "Karma" Cox
"War?"
"Spiders" 1999 Charlie Deaux
"Chop Suey!" 2001 Marcos Siega
"Toxicity" 2002 Shavo Odadjian and Marcos Siega
"Aerials" Shavo Odadjian and David Slade
"Boom!" 2003 Michael Moore
"B.Y.O.B." 2005 Jake Nava
"Question!" Shavo Odadjian and Howard Greenhalgh
"Hypnotize" Shavo Odadjian
"Lonely Day" 2006 Josh Melnick and Xander Charity
"Protect the Land" 2020 Shavo Odadjian and Ara Soudjian
"Genocidal Humanoidz" 2021 Shavo Odadjian and Adam Mason

Other works

  • Limited Edition Tour CD (2000): Limited edition EP given out at live shows. Includes three studio tracks and three live tracks.
  • More Toxicity (2001): Limited edition French EP. Contains four live tracks and bonus track "Johnny".
  • Toxicity II (2002): Unofficial bootleg/fan leak of songs from the Toxicity sessions. Most songs would later end up remade and re-recorded for Steal This Album!.
  • Storaged Melodies (2002): Unofficial bootleg compiling works for OST and collective works.
  • Hypnotize Value Added (2005): Best Buy exclusive EP. Only available from Best Buy stores before the album Hypnotize was released. Retailed for $1.99 and contained a coupon for $1.99 off the price of the album when it was released on November 22, 2005.
  • System Of A Down (2011): The box set that was released on 10 June 2011 via American Recordings. Contains their all five studio albums.

Other appearances