System Of A Down Tickets

Genre-splicing metal agitators dealing in chaos, conscience and colossal riffs

Explosive, enigmatic and enduring, System Of A Down have become one of the most revolutionary forces in heavy music history, spending three decades redefining what metal should be.

Rising out of the late-90s Los Angeles alternative metal scene, there’s no hyperbole in suggesting that there is no other band on planet Earth quite like System Of A Down. Swiftly separating themselves from their peers upon their arrival, whilst the rest of the scene were riding the nu-metal wave, the Armenian American quartet were cooking up a movement.

Bursting out of the gate with a collection of songs taking aim at weighty topics such as religious corruption and media control, their 1998 self-titled debut served as a boisterous introduction, but it was on 2001’s Toxicity that their flag was fully planted in the metal world. Transforming them into global icons with a slew of ferocious riffs and an unflinching activist spirit, it was unpredictable, deeply emotional and impossible to ignore, balancing humour with horror like no artist before them. A jagged, jarring masterpiece, the tribal, stop-start rhythm of ‘Chop Suey!’ and the creeping threat of album closer ‘Aerials’ dominated rock radio, whilst the turbulent energy of its title track and fan-favourite cut ‘ATWA’ catapulted the four-piece into the hearts of metal fans yearning for something fresh and exciting.

Carving out their own chaotic niche with a genre-obliterating fusion of thrash, punk, Middle Eastern influence and absurdist humour, at the helm of their power is frontman Serj Tankian. A theatrically intense vocalist known for his versatility, veering between operatic bliss, furious roars and manic screams, every note of his madness is matched blow-for-blow by guitarist Daron Malakian’s razor-sharp precision and bassist Shavo Odadjian’s thunderous grooves, their formidable arrangement bound by drummer John Dolmayan.

Proving that heavy music could be weird, smart, theatrical and deeply human all at once, by the time 2005’s twin releases Mezmerize and Hypnotize dropped, there were no limits to how far System Of A Down’s creativity could stretch. Tankian and Malakian splitting vocal duties across the double album, twisted anti-war anthem ‘B.Y.O.B.’ (an acronym for Bring Your Own Bombs) doubled down on their political drive, whilst the contemplative reckoning with religion on ‘Question!’, the poignant protest against the Armenian genocide on ‘Holy Mountains’ and the meditative, eerie beauty of ‘Lonely Day’ added profound weight. Poetic and prophetic all at once, an ability to channel outrage into unforgettable anthems has become the band’s calling card, tackling everything from fast food to fascism with a wink and an almighty snarl.

Following a five-year hiatus – during which Malakian commenced his Scars On Broadway project and Tankian forged his solo career – the quartet reunited for a string of festival appearances in 2011, including a landmark headline slot at Download Festival. A handful of rare, explosive shows littered throughout the last decade, their first new music in 15 years arrived in 2020 in the form of surprise singles ‘Protect The Land’ and ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’, a dangerous, daring and deeply necessary dual response to the major escalation of the war in Armenia.

With a live show that’s evolved into a true spectacle over the years, swinging from haunting melancholy to full-blown frenzy in seconds, there’s perhaps no better antidote to a world on fire. Returning to UK soil for some of the most eagerly awaited shows in metal history, this is a full-blown reckoning you don’t want to miss.